Each of
you must bring a gift in proportion to the way the Lord your God has blessed
you.
--
Deuteronomy 16:17
What's your love language?
According to relationship expert and counselor Gary Chapman,
husbands and wives demonstrate their love for each another in distinct ways.
Some show it through words of affirmation or acts of service while others speak
it through physical touch or quality time. Not surprisingly, another popular
marital love language involves giving or receiving gifts. And that's something
to consider as we wait in line at the checkout counter this Christmas season.
God also reveals His love in several 
ways. Think about the famous Bible story
about the Prodigal Son, where the loving father welcomes back his wayward--and
totally undeserving--child with open arms. Or what about the shepherd who
searches tirelessly for a single missing sheep? When he finally finds it, he
returns it triumphantly to the rest of the flock. These are vivid illustrations
of God's immense love for you and me.
ways. Think about the famous Bible story
about the Prodigal Son, where the loving father welcomes back his wayward--and
totally undeserving--child with open arms. Or what about the shepherd who
searches tirelessly for a single missing sheep? When he finally finds it, he
returns it triumphantly to the rest of the flock. These are vivid illustrations
of God's immense love for you and me.
Jesus also paints this remarkable word-portrait of love, which the
agrarian people of His day would have recognized immediately:
"I am the good shepherd," Christ
tells us though the Gospel of John."The
good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep."
Jesus also told His disciples about a man who sold his
possessions to buy a field. And not just any field, but one that held buried
treasure. The purchase price was staggering. Nevertheless, the man did whatever it took
to gain the prize.
And that's how God loves us. He'll go to any length to bring you
and me into His family. Perhaps the most famous passage in the New Testament, John 3:16, tells us that
God loves the world so much that He gave His only Son (Jesus) so that whoever
believes in Him will have eternal life. God willingly let Jesus suffer and die
to pay for all of our wrongdoings: past,
present and future. We rightfully deserve death because of how
we've lived our lives and treated our fellow man. But God's love offers us joy
and happiness--if we're only willing to accept it. By living on Earth among
everyday people and then dying for our sins, Jesus essentially presented his
American Express Gold Card to pay the tab for everyone.
How should Christ-followers respond to his remarkable gesture of
grace? Although we can never repay God, our Creator wants us to demonstrate our
love through sincere, tangible actions. And we can do so in many ways--from helping an elderly neighbor get groceries to revealing God's light
through a prison ministry. It could also translate into changing a co-worker's
life by showing him or her how Jesus has changed our own. The possibilities and
potential of this eternal love language are endless.
The limits of human language prevent us from fully describing how much God cherishes us through his lavish gifts. But maybe it's really not
so difficult. After all, it takes only three simple words from the Book of 1 John to sum up
the Creator's love language:
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