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The
Only Gift
A
man came home from work late again, tired and
irritated, to find his 5-year-old son waiting for him
at the door. "Daddy, may I ask you a
question?"
"Yeah,
sure. What is it?" replied the father.
"Daddy, how much money do you make an hour?"
"That's none of your business! What makes you ask
such a thing?" the father said angrily.
"I just wanted to know. Please tell me. How much
do you make an hour?" pleaded the little boy.
"If you must know, I make $20 an
hour."
Looking up, the boy said, "Daddy, may I borrow $9
please?"
The
father was furious. "If the only reason you
wanted to know how much money I make is just so you
can borrow some, then you march yourself straight to
your room and go to bed. Think about why you're being
selfish. I work long, hard hours everyday and don't
have time for such childish games."
The
little boy quietly went to his room and shut the door.
The father sat down and started to get madder about
his little boy's questioning. How dare he ask such
questions only to get some money? After an hour, he
calmed down and started to think he might have been a
little too hard on his son. Maybe there was something
he really needed to buy with that $9. And, he didn't
ask for money often.
The
father went to his son's room and opened the door.
"Are you asleep, son?" he asked. "No,
Daddy, I'm awake," replied the boy.
"I've
been thinking. Maybe I was too hard on you
earlier," said the father.
"It's been a long day, and I took my
aggravations out on you. Here's the $9 you asked
for."
The little boy sat up straight, beaming. "Oh,
thank you Daddy!" he said.
Then,
reaching under his pillow, he pulled out some more
crumpled bills. He counted the money; then looked up
at his father. "Why did you want more money if
you already had some?" the father asked.
"Because
I didn't have enough, but now I do," the little
boy replied. “Daddy, I have $20 now...... Can I buy an hour of your time?" *
Ralph
Waldo Emerson wrote, “The only gift is a portion of
thyself.”
There
is Another who loves you and me and longs for an
enduring relationship with us.
He demonstrated His love for us by giving
us a tremendous gift: the
gift
of HIMSELF (Galatians 2:20).
Our
sins separate us from God but Jesus gave His life as
payment for our sins so that we can be reconciled to
Him. “For
there is one God and one mediator between God and men,
the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself as a ransom for
all men -- the testimony given in its proper time”
(1 Timothy 2:5-6).
If
we will respond in loving obedience through: faith
(Acts 16:30-31) and repentance
(Acts 17:30-31), confessing
Jesus (Romans 10:9-10), and being baptized
(immersed) in His name (Acts 2:38), then our sins are
washed away and we can be reconciled to God. Then as
we continue to follow Him faithfully, He will continue
to cleanse us from all sin (1 John 1:7).
Jesus
gave more than a “portion” of Himself for us; He
gave His ALL.
He DIED so that we might LIVE!
Won’t
YOU respond to His great
love on His terms and LIVE for Him?
David
A. Sargent,
Minister
Church
of Christ at Creekwood
1901
Schillinger Rd. S.
Mobile, Alabama 36695
* Author Unknown
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