Christmas is often thought of as a time of giving and receiving but for some a special gift has a very important result.

At this time of year there is a lot of emphasis on giving as well as receiving. The cost of the gift is often considered because there are budgets involved. In this passage, however, we learn about the response of people who have received a free gift from God … the forgiveness of their sins, past, present and future, freely received by faith alone.

There was an enormous cost to Jesus for this gift which was his terrible sufferings on the cross. We can’t fully understand what this meant for Him. Those who have received this gift have a purpose for their lives. It is to share this message, this ‘gospel’ or ‘good news’, with other people. For some this may involve them with telling others directly about Jesus. For others it might be just the way that they live which shows they belong to Him.