As we were
putting out cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve, I accidentally dropped one. “No
problem,” I said, picking it up and dusting it off before placing it back on
the plate. “You can’t do that,” argued my four-year-old. “Don’t worry. Santa
will never know.” He shot me a look. “So, he knows if I’ve been bad or good,
but he doesn’t know the cookie fell on the floor?”
The line starts
to form around 4:30 in the morning. The goal of the people in line is to buy up
the stock of doughnuts at Donut City, a small, family-owned shop in Seal Beach,
California. By 7:30 the doughnuts had all been purchased.
The motivation
of the buyouts? To allow the shop owner, John Chhan, to be able to leave work
and be with his ailing wife, Stella, who recently suffered an aneurysm. The
Chhans opened the shop over 30 years ago and have had a steady stream of
regular and loyal customers throughout the decades. John and Stella worked side
by side the entire time. She would make the doughnuts, and he would sell them. When
Stella became sick, John refused to allow his customers to set up any
crowdfunding sites to help with medical expenses. That’s when the patrons came
up with the buyout plan. Out of love for the Chhans, people regularly pay the
price so a husband and wife can be together as much as possible.
[Romans 5:12;
6:23] Sin entered the world through disobedience of God’s word in the garden of
Eden (Genesis 3), and the wage of sin is death (God sacrificed animals, the
first blood sacrifice for sin, and made coverings for Adam and Eve to wear;
Genesis 3:21).
People without
Christ as their Savior are deathly ill. God wants badly for those people not to
die, but to live with Him for eternity (John 3:16; 2 Peter 3:9). “For God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in
Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” God is patiently awaiting our
repentance for sin.
So that humanity
would have the opportunity to spend eternity with God, a buyout had to take
place, and Jesus was the price for that buyout (1 Timothy 2:5-6). Sin had to be
paid for in order for it to be removed from those willing to accept God’s offer
of salvation.
Colossians 1:13
states that God has transferred us from the domain of darkness to the kingdom
of His beloved Son. According to verse 14, the payment for that transfer was
God’s Son, Himself (the final blood sacrifice for sin). The motivation for the
buyout? To allow humankind to be with God for eternity. The price has been paid
out of God’s love for humanity. God is not willing that any should perish in
their sins.
The Christmas
holidays are upon us, and the world around us is filled with the noble notions
of gift-giving. “What am I going to get my spouse?” “Will my kids like this
gift?” “What can I do for my boss and co-workers?” Giving gifts is a godly
behavior, and we should all remember that our Lord said it is better to give
than to receive (Acts 20:35).
It is good to
rejoice in giving! But in all of our giving, did we remember to put God on our
list? Did we remember to present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice (Romans
12:1-2)? Did we think to walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him (Colossians
1:10)? Did we remember to wrap up a huge present of thankfulness for our
salvation through Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:12)?
In all the
hubbub and scrambling to find the perfect present for those we love, did you
remember to put the Lord on your list? Let’s remember Him today and every day
for His indescribable gift (2 Corinthians. 9:15)! “Thanks be to God for His
incredible gift” - JESUS
No comments:
Post a Comment