The Sunday Morning Gift

“For  the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God  is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23 (KJV)

I was sitting in church preparing to hear the sermon when  a church friend  sneaked  up beside my pew and left a gift bag. Later when I opened it,  I found a lovely shawl. It was a gift.  She wanted me to have it since I had once  admired it on her.

Early on Sunday morning following the crucifixion of Jesus,  Mary Magdalene   quietly went  to the tomb where she had seen  men lay  Jesus’s  body. There she  encountered a white-robed being who told her, “He is not here. He is risen.”   Shortly afterward in the vicinity of the tomb,   she met someone whom she thought was the  gardener and asked him  to tell her where he had laid Christ’s body so she could go with her own gift  and anoint Him.  Right then she  had the gift of her life. She was face-to-face with  the risen Lord.

That Sunday morning   resurrection  gift  was not only for Mary Magdalene.  It was also for evveryone who  had been touched by the  taint of sin.  Our focus text presents a strong dichotomy—a contrast: death versus life. Death descended upon the world immediately  after the Fall in Eden.  Through Christ’s  resurrection  on that Sunday morning,  we immediately crossed over  from death to life. That Sunday morning didn’t just   give us  a day of worship. It won for us eternal life itself, provided  by Christ Himself.

My friend gave me a gift that I didn’t ask for and which I certainly did not deserve, but I  appreciated it.  I  have worn my shawl with pleasure, but such a gift is majorly insignificant  in  comparison to  what Jesus has given us.  Today, on this Resurrection Day,  let us with heartfelt gratitude claim our gift  from our risen Lord and determine, through His enabling grace, to live with Him in eternity.

Always,

Judith

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“If you confess with your mouth and believe in your
heart that God raised Him from the dead,  you will be 
saved.”
Romans 10: 9 (NIV)