The Long Walk is Part of the Gift

An African boy listened carefully as his teacher explained why Christians give presents to each other on Christmas day. “The gift is an expression of our joy over the birth of Jesus and our friendship for each other,” she said.

When Christmas day came, the boy brought the teacher a seashell of lustrous beauty. “Where did you ever find such a beautiful shell?” the teacher asked. The youth told her that there was only one spot where such extraordinary shells could be found.

When he named the place, a certain bay several miles away, the teacher was left speechless. “Why…why, it’s gorgeous…wonderful, but you shouldn’t have gone all that way to get the gift for me.” His eyes brightening, the boy answered, “Long walk part of gift.”

God came from heaven to a manger, from a manger to a cross, from a cross to the grave and from a grave back to heaven. And we ask, “Why all this trouble, God?” And God would say to us, “Long walk part of gift” (Sharon Jaynes, Celebrating a Christ-Centered Christmas).  

To test him, God told Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son, Isaac. On the way, Isaac asked his father why they took no sacrifice with them, and Abraham replied, “God himself will provide the lamb” (Genesis 22:8). On the mountaintop, Abraham built an altar, securely bound Isaac, and raised his knife to sacrifice his son.

At that moment, Isaac knew with certainty that his father would offer him as a sacrifice to God unless the LORD provided the lamb. At that moment, God intervened and provided a substitute for Isaac, a ram, a male sheep—just as Abraham had promised his son.

The sacrifice that God required of Abraham and the substitute lamb that God provided him, God intended as an object lesson. God saved Abraham from offering his sacrifice, but God could not save His only Son from His sacrificial death.

God provided Jesus the Messiah and His sacrifice as a substitute for the death sinners deserve as a consequence of their rebellion against God. Believers know that they deserve eternal separation from God because of their disobedience, and they thank God for providing a suitable substitute for them.

Jesus became the Lamb of God, provided by His Father, so God could uphold His perfect law of love with justice while offering mercy and forgiving all who repent of their sins and receive the risen Lamb of God as their Lord and Savior.

Scripture: Genesis 22:1-14; Romans 5:8; John 14:6; Ephesians 2:8-9; John 15:12-14; Romans 12:1-2; Romans 12:3; 1 Corinthians 13:4; 1 John 4:8; Matthew 10:39; John 12:25; 1 Peter 4:8  (L.G. Parkhurst)

Prayer: Lord, when we strive after healing in the world and nourishment for those who hunger, we find you at our side. Whenever we long to see your face, help us not to avoid the corners of our communities where you most often dwell. Stir our hearts that we might seek and find you today in those places where you have promised to be. Amen.

God bless you!

Nikki