Pastor Paul Tripp writes:<\/p>\n\n
I gave birth to a son who just doesn't understand gifts. My wife and I would go out when he was a little guy to buy what we thought was the [perfect] gift. He would tear open the gift, and he'd end up playing with the box. It drove us crazy.<\/p>\n\n
We decided on Christmas that we were going to find … the gift of gifts that he would not be able to resist. We shopped and shopped. We found the gift. We were so excited.<\/p>\n\n
We were much more excited at that moment when the gift came out from under the tree and he was about to unwrap it—much more excited than he would have ever been.<\/p>\n\n
He ripped open the gift like a little boy would … and, actually got out this toy and began to play with it. I had a feeling of such victory. I went into the kitchen to get something to drink, was in there for a few minutes, and came out and he was sitting in the box. I couldn't believe it.<\/p>\n\n
If you're one of God's children, you have been given the most awesome gift that could ever be given. It's gorgeous from every perspective. It's a gift of such grandeur that it's hard to wrap human vocabulary around it and explain it. It's beautiful from every vista …. It's the gift that every human being needs. It's a gift that in all of your work and all of your effort and all of your achievement you couldn't have ever earned; you could have never deserved; you could have never achieved. It is absolutely without question the gift of gifts. It's the gift of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, [but] I am deeply persuaded in the face of this gift, there are many Christians who are content to play with the box.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":30,"featured_media":0,"template":"","tax_ctp_audience":[],"tax_ctp_authors":[],"tax_ctp_categories":[165],"tax_ctp_format":[171],"tax_ctp_illustration_types":[411],"tax_ctp_multimedia":[],"tax_ctp_point_editor":[],"tax_publications":[140],"tax_ctp_tags":[3369,3600,4050,4051,4053,4088,4317,4318,4396,4639,4775,4878],"tax_ctp_topics":[],"class_list":["post-43805","sermon-illustrations","type-sermon-illustrations","status-publish","hentry","tax_publications-ct-pastors","tax_ctp_tags-accepting-christ","tax_ctp_tags-christmas","tax_ctp_tags-gift-of-righteousness","tax_ctp_tags-gift-of-salvation","tax_ctp_tags-gifts","tax_ctp_tags-grace","tax_ctp_tags-justification","tax_ctp_tags-justification-by-faith","tax_ctp_tags-love-for-christ","tax_ctp_tags-pharisaism","tax_ctp_tags-receiving-christ","tax_ctp_tags-salvation-by-faith"],"acf":{"scripture_references":[{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null},{"first_verse":null,"add_second_verse":false,"second_verse":null}]},"yoast_head":"\n