Do Not Receive The Grace Of God In Vain

About a year ago, my nephew gave me a gift: a pair of AirPods Pro, which I’m wearing right now. Then, my nephew visited me a month ago. He was very excited and happy to see that I was using the AirPods he had given me as a gift last year. My nephew’s reaction reminded me of God’s gifts. Without His gifts, we couldn’t even breathe or survive.

One of God’s most important gifts is our parents. When we recognize, cherish, honor, and obey them, we please God. God is very pleased because He is the one who gave us our parents and even commanded us to obey and honor them.

However, there is a gift even more important than our parents. In fact, the most important gift from God is our Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son” (John 3:16). It also says, “He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all” (Romans 8:32).

That’s why we celebrate Christmas—it is the day Jesus came into the world.

But Jesus didn’t come to be served; He came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Matthew 20:28). He came so that we might have life and have it abundantly (John 10:10). He is the good shepherd who lays down His life for the sheep (John 10:11).

“Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners” (1 Timothy 1:15).

And Jesus had to die for our sins in order to save us. He came and died to give us salvation.

Since Jesus Christ is God’s most important gift, God is most pleased when we receive Jesus Christ with full trust, cherish Him, love Him, and follow Him.

In fact, God gives eternal life only to those who believe in His most important gift, Jesus Christ: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

God gives the right to become His children only to those who believe in His most important gift, Jesus Christ: “But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God” (John 1:12).

God grants salvation only to those who believe in His most important gift, Jesus Christ: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God” (Ephesians 2:8).

You and I have eternal life, are children of God, and have been saved because we believe in and accept Jesus Christ.

Unfortunately, many people consider Christmas gifts more important than God’s gift of salvation, the greatest gift of all. Do you recognize the gift of His salvation? Do you cherish His salvation? Do you live a life worthy of His salvation?

You may ask, “How can we live a life worthy of salvation?” My answer is this: just as I value and use the gift from my nephew, we must cherish and use the most amazing and precious gift Jesus has given us—salvation.

To do so, we must understand the purpose for which God saved us.

In the next verse, Ephesians 2:10, God tells us the purpose of giving us the gift of salvation through Jesus: “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

Titus 2:14 says, “He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.”

If you are saved, you are God’s workmanship, His masterpiece. You are a new creation for good works. You are saved to do good works.

So, what must we do to carry out the good works God has prepared for us? The answer is simple: remember.

Remember—don’t forget. If we want to live a good life, we must remember the amazing new identity and privileges we have received through God’s grace. We must remember what Jesus has done for us by dying for our sins.

If you remember the privilege and identity of being God’s people, being His children, being saved, being born again, having eternal life, and being in His presence always—no matter the situation—you will be able to live in joy, gratitude, hope, and confidence. You will please God and have a positive influence on the people of the world.

However, if you believe in Jesus but forget the amazing privilege and identity you have as a Christian, you risk being influenced by the world rather than influencing it. You may envy what the world offers rather than letting others envy the life you have in Christ.