God’s Surprise Gift | Northlands Church

God’s Surprise Gift

December 16, 2015 | LauraBoal

God’s Surprise Gift

by: LauraBoal

God's surprise gift took thousands of years of planning. That's how much He loves us!

No one’s ever seen or heard anything like this, never so much as imagined anything quite like it—what God has arranged for those who love him. But you’ve seen and heard it because God by his Spirit has brought it all out into the open before you. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10 (MSG)

Have you ever spent a long time preparing a surprise gift for someone you loved?

The thrill—the excitement—the planning. Crafting the details, the timing, and the delivery so they’re just right. The laughter as you plan. The shared joy when it happens.

Well, that’s exactly what God did for us! All the way back in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve first fell, God warned the devil:

“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (NIV)

That’s just what happened. Eve’s “offspring”—the Son of Adam, or “Son of Man”—was Jesus. His “heel” was struck when He died for our sins. And Jesus fatally crushed Satan’s “head” when He rose from the dead, forever victorious. Now our relationship is restored, as Father God’s beloved sons and daughters!

So the first promise of Christmas came at the very beginning of human history.

Let’s take a fresh look at this Biblical account and discover God’s amazing kindness. At first glance, it may seem as though God meant to punish Adam and Eve after they fell. Actually, though, He’s giving them hope. Even in their worst moment, we see God’s love and care for them. He met their immediate needs. He protected them from becoming eternally trapped in their fallen state. And He promised that Jesus would come to redeem the mess! In humanity’s darkest hour, God’s first thought was to reassure us that He would make things right. His love for us really is beyond our comprehension.

Here’s a shocking truth. The Bible actually says that God knew in advance that Adam and Eve would fall. Before He made them, He’d made the provision to restore them! (See Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 1:20, Revelation 13:8.) Then all through the Old Testament, He keeps dropping hints about Jesus’ coming. That’s how much He loved them—and how much He loves us.

So this year, as we prepare to surprise our loved ones with gifts, let’s think about God’s gift to us. His was the ultimate surprise, literally taking thousands of years to execute. God has made things completely right between us and Himself. Now, nothing can separate us from His love again! (Romans 8:31-39)

Prayer

Father God, thank you for planning such a wonderful gift! Help me to experience Your amazing love all over again as I come to you today.

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