“SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!”
When I was a medical resident, we surprised Jake, a co-resident, with a birthday celebration. We bought the usual birthday cake and decorated his office with banners and balloons. And of course, we presented him with a gift. My colleague made the presentation.
“Jake, we thought very carefully about your gift. You have everything. A promising career. A lovely wife. Good health. There is only one thing missing.” We handed him an elaborately wrapped box with a huge ribbon. Jake’s eyes widened as he opened the box and then burst into laughter. It was a golden letter “H”.
My friend emigrated from a country where the native language was known for its difficulty in pronouncing words with the letter “H”. We loved his accent and even he made fun of it. It was the perfect gift! Indeed, what gift can you give to someone who has everything? Something he didn’t realize he needed!
…I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 (NLT)
Many of us live our lives completely oblivious to the fact that we need a Savior. I know. For most of my youth, I only relied upon myself. Self-sufficient. Self-made man. I embraced all the usual monikers. I didn’t need religion. I didn’t need God. But God persisted in reaching out to me, even when I was convinced I didn’t need Him. God brought me to my knees through the painful revelation that I desperately needed a Savior. I could no longer do it on my own. I needed God. I needed to abide in my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
How many of us need to be reminded that we need something when we don’t realize we need it? God knows. It may be a humorous birthday gift but for many of us, it is the realization that we are hopelessly lost in our sins and cannot overcome them by our own efforts. Sometimes God gently shakes us out of our ignorance. At other times, He awakens us with a trial or a loss. Don’t wait until it is too late.
We only have this lifetime to choose to abide in Him.
Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.
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