Jay McCarl

The following is a marvelous observation of Jesus and Christmas, by a very dear friend…

“The essential difference between God and the Devil is God is a giver and Satan is a taker

Jesus described Satan and his minions in stark terms: thief, killer, destroyer, liar—mindsets, even whole religions, built around such greed and taking simply declare who their father and god truly is…

On the other hand, look at the God’s characteristics:

• God so loved the world that he gave
• I will give you the keys to the kingdom
• I will give you rest
• Whatever is right I will give you
• The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give
• His life a ransom for many
• To give knowledge of salvation
• To give light to those who sit in darkness
• I give you the authority
• How much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit How much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him
• Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst
• The bread I shall give is my flesh, which I shall give for the life of the world
• Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will
• I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish
  He will give you another Helper
• My peace I give to you
• You shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
• …abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness
• For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord
• He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all — how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?
• Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!
• Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights
• For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God
• …to many blind He gave sight
• He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men
• Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all

But wait—did God ever take anything? Yes…

• He took the children in His arms and blessed them
• He took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village…and healed him
• He took Peter’s mother-in-law by the hand and the fever left her
• He took a boy by the hand and a demon left him
• He took the hand of a dead child and raised her to life
• He took our illnesses and bore our diseases
• And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it
• He took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.”

Overwhelming, isn’t it? God didn’t approach the world with an offer to negotiate—only to give. I love the celebrations that surround Him—they’re all about giving—and He’s always been the giver. The very nature of our Lord—who so freely gave to us—prompts—even demands—that we continue like Him…

• “Freely you have received, freely give”
• “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully [giving out] God’s grace in its various forms”
• “He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.”
• “A new command I give you, that you love one another the way I have loved you…”
• “It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”

How blessed God must be—and how blessed we are when we imitate our Heavenly Father.

Peace on earth?

It doesn’t come because of what man can do—but because of what God did.

And He gave…”

—Gayle D. Erwin