A Different Package

By Cathy Irvin
Staff Writer

CBN.com – Have you ever received a gift wrapped in newspaper? I heard about it and then I got one once from a friend. It was wrapped in the comics. Most people think it would be a gag gift but actually, it was very nice. It was tied with a tiny ribbon that was made up of many colors that can be curled with scissors. It was very attractive, but it was a different looking package. That was for sure!

I thought it was a clever idea and a great way to save money since everyone these days istalking about recycling and being earth friendly. We are all very conscious about too much waste.

Once a gift was wrapped in a blanket and had no fancy ribbons. No one thought it was a gift. It was a child. He seemed to be a poor one at that. After all He came in the middle of the night born in a stable, but this tiny baby was a gift from God. Yes, a baby boy had come to save the world. He had no crown of gold on his head, no fine velvet robe, and no satin sheets in a fine castle to show him off to the world. There were only some shepherds, three wise men and an Innkeeper that were even aware of his arrival.

An old saying says, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Perhaps, strange looking books, tattered and worn or discolored have been found to be full of warmth and exciting stories. Sometimes a title may not sound interesting. Yet once opened and read it was altogether wonderful.

Who would have thought the birth of a Jewish baby would be the way God would decide to ransom our lives from sin? Had He stepped down from Heaven and come in all His glory to mankind, would anything have been different? I suppose many would fall at His feet, but God had a plan to give us a choice to love him and serve him. He chose to live showing us the way of truth, to live a holy life. He chose to die to save us from our sins. If you have received the gift of salvation, don’t keep it all to yourself. Be sure to give it away. If you find it hard to witness, try this simple way of presenting the gospel.

Take a small baby figurine like the ones used for baby showers. Wrap it in a small piece of cloth and tie it up with a piece of twine. Hand it to someone and say, “Here is a gift for you.” then tell them the story: You could say, “I know this isn’t a fancy package but what is inside is the greatest gift I could give you.” Once they open it say, "This is God’s love! He came wrapped up just like this. He lived and died to save you from your sins so you could one day live with Him for eternity."

It was a different package, but this gift was spectacular. The natural eye cannot see it; but once you see it with the eyes of the spirit, you are forever changed.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 (New International Version)

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