Not only has God blessed us by giving us all the things we need to survive physically, he has given us all we need to survive and flourish spiritually.
“According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust” (2 Peter 1:3, 4).
The greatest gift ever given was Jesus Christ. The story of how man sinned and then of how God orchestrated man’s redemption is told in the pages of holy writ.
More intriguing than any novel, this masterpiece takes us though actual history showing how despite Satan’s many attempts to thwart God’s plan, Jesus was born, fulfilled God’s plan, died for mankind, rose the third day and ascended back to the Father, leaving his last will and testament for man to follow.
It only took a few words to describe the story of the Bible, but it actually took many years filled with toil, tears and the blood of the Lamb of God.
This gift of Christ was given for all. It includes the salvation of the souls of those who will accept the gift given just as God desires them to do so. Some say there is nothing you have to do to receive this gift, just believe and it is yours. Why is it that those who teach such do not understand that believing by itself is not enough?
Notice this passage, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Heb. 11:6). The reward is promised to those who “diligently seek him”; this means we must seek out what He desires for us to do, not what we think we should do.
God’s word teaches us to believe in Jesus as the Son of God, to repent of our sins, to confess Jesus before others, to be baptized for the remission of our sins and to live our lives for God. God has given the gift, but have we and are we willing to accept his gift as he prescribes?
When we think about all that God has given, we must ask ourselves, “what have we given?” We need to give ourselves to God, following all his word. After obeying the gospel, we must continue to give ourselves to God by living a faithful life. If we do this, we will receive the reward that awaits the faithful.