The Greatest Gift

Nov 8 2024 - Eric Buresh

“The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 6:23). What joy fills my heart to write of “The Greatest Gift”!  We need only look to John 3:16 to see the fullness of this gift: “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Here we see God is not one who takes, but one who gives. He is a Giver by nature, and the gift He gives is the greatest imaginable—eternal life in Christ! 

Now, this is no meager gift. It is life in the presence of God, life that is rich and overflowing with His goodness. When we speak of eternal life, we are talking about life in perfect union with God, filled with the joy and peace and pleasure that God has experienced within the Trinity since before time began. Psalm 16:11 says, “In Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Eternal life, then, is not only a quantity of life but a quality of life—a life filled with the perfection of being in God’s presence.  

This eternal life is not something we await in some distant day. It begins the moment we receive the presence of God in the Holy Spirit. As soon as we believe, the Spirit comes to dwell within us, and we begin to taste heaven’s joy here on earth. We begin to live as citizens of another kingdom, empowered to walk in holiness, in peace, and in the joy of the Lord. 

I want to ask a simple question: do you realize that when you came to Christ, eternal life began for you? You are now united with God, and He is not far off; He is with you. Eternal life is present in every prayer, every moment spent in God’s Word, every act of love done in Christ’s name. Eternal life is in the Spirit’s gentle comfort, in His conviction, and in His power to live a glorifying life. It is the peace that passes understanding and the joy that abounds, regardless of circumstances. For “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17). 

Out of love and a desire for your good, I plead with you to remember that, if you are in Christ, you carry within you the gift of eternal life. Walk in it! Live in its power, abide in its joy, and let nothing separate you from the love of God. This is the greatest gift: God’s eternal life in you, a life of communion with Him that begins now and endures forever. Please, in the words of the psalmist, dwell in the fullness of joy and the pleasures forevermore at the right hand of God. This eternal life is our light in a dark world. It is the glory of God in our lives. And it is so sweet. Don’t walk around like you are still dead. You aren’t! You are alive in Christ! 

Rejoice in this gift, live in this gift, and proclaim this gift to others, for it is indeed the greatest gift from the greatest Giver—our God,