Dear Friend,

We all like to receive nice gifts. God has the best gifts of all and He wants to give them to us. They all come to us through His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are four steps by which we receive the wonderful things God has for us: 1) the work of Christ, 2) the Word of God, 3) our belief, and 4) the work of the Holy Spirit. Let us consider these.

The work of Christ

The Lord Jesus died on the cross for our sins and He rose again to be our great Savior. His work is perfect and complete.

The Word of God

In the Bible, God tells us what Christ has done for us.

Our belief

This is my part—to believe what God says in His Word.

The work of the Holy Spirit

When I believe God's Word, the Holy Spirit makes real in me what Christ has done for me. This is the way we receive things from God.

How did I become a child of God? First, there was Christ's work. He died on the cross for my sins. Then, there was the Word of God. In His Word, God told me what Christ had done for me.

I believed what God said in His Word, and through the work of the Holy Spirit, I became a child of God.

This is the way we receive things from God—by believing Him. God has many wonderful gifts that He wants to give us. They all come to us through the Lord Jesus Christ. That is why it is so important that we learn all we can about Him—who He is and what He has done for us.

Jesus Christ is the great Creator.

The universe did not come into being by chance, nor by some giant explosion of matter in space billions of years ago. The Bible tells us that it was created by God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Speaking of Jesus, the Bible says,

"All things were made by Him [God the Son]; and without Him was not any thing made that was made." John 1:3

This verse tells us that the Lord Jesus created all things, including the universe. How large is the universe? No one but God knows.

The universe is filled with stars. Our sun is actually a large star, but there are many other stars that are much larger than our sun.

Some stars are so large that they make our sun look like a speck of dust in comparison to them.

To get an idea of how many stars there are in the universe, we might go to a beach with miles and miles of sand. Suppose we filled a bucket with sand. How many grains of sand would be in that bucket? Probably millions!

How many grains of sand would there be in that whole beach? Trillions and trillions!

How many stars are there? Scientists have estimated that the number of stars in the universe is more than ALL the grains of sand on ALL the beaches of the world!

How many stars would that be? No man can ever know, but the Lord Jesus knows. He is the One who created the universe. He knows the exact number of the stars and He has a name for each of them! The Bible says,

"He tells the number of the stars; He calls them all by their names." Psalm 147:4

Not only did God's Son, Jesus Christ, create all things, but He holds together and controls the universe which He created. So exact is the clockwork of the heavens that we can know the exact position of any given star at any moment of time. The Bible tells us that the universe is held together and caused to operate perfectly by God's Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. God's Word says,

"For by Him [Jesus Christ] were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible … all things were created by Him, and for Him:

"And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist [hold together]." Colossians 1:16,17

Jesus Christ is the great Savior.

Here is a most amazing fact: The great Creator, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, once came into this world as a tiny baby!

God's Son has been here on this earth! God's Son, who made everything, became a man. The Bible says,

"In the beginning was the Word [the Lord Jesus], and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…

"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, and we beheld His glory…." John 1:1,14

Why did the Lord Jesus come into the world? He came to save us from our sins. He came to be our Savior. The most precious story in all the Bible is the story of how God's Son loved us so much that He left His home in Heaven to come into the world to die for our sins.

God showed His perfect satisfaction with Christ's death on the cross for our sins by raising His Son from the dead. Jesus was in the tomb for three days, but on the third day, He rose from the grave with a glorious, new resurrection body—a body that can never die. Jesus Christ is the mighty Victor over sin, death, and Satan.

When Christ returned to Heaven, He returned as the mighty Victor over Satan and all the powers of darkness. The Bible says, "Having spoiled [defeated] principalities and powers, He made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Colossians 2:15

Jesus Christ has the highest place in Heaven.

When the Lord Jesus returned to Heaven in His glorious, resurrection body, God the Father gave Him the place of highest honor.

Where is this? It is at the Father's right hand. The glorified Man, the Lord Jesus, is seated at the right hand of God. It is His rightful place. No other place is suited to His greatness. The Bible says,

"…He [God the Father] raised Him [the Lord Jesus] from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places,

"Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come." Ephesians 1:20-21

The position which God has given to His Son is far above that of anyone or any power in the whole universe. The Bible says that God has put all things "under His feet." This means that every person and every creature in Heaven and earth is under His authority.

God has declared that the name "Jesus Christ" is to be honored above any name in the universe.

God has declared that one day every intelligent creature shall bow before His Son and honor His name. The Bible says,

"Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him [Jesus], and given Him a name which is above every name:

"That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

"And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." Philippians 2:9-11

Christians are in on a secret that the unsaved people in the world know nothing about. What is the secret? It is this: Jesus Christ has been exalted to the highest place in the universe. He is "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords" (Revelation 19:16).

If we could be lifted out of this world and taken up to Heaven, the thing that would impress us most is how Jesus is honored there. Jesus has the highest place of honor in the whole universe! He is in Heaven today, crowned with glory. The Bible says,

"We see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor…." Hebrews 2:9

I have a Savior in Heaven! Right now, at this moment, the Lord Jesus Christ is sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Jesus has all power in Heaven and earth. He is my Savior and my Friend, and He is for me!

Be an "overcomer" for Christ.

A group of young people decide that they will go mountain climbing. By the time they reach the foot of the mountain, some decide that they are too tired. They turn back.

The others start climbing. The path is rough and steep. There are bushes and briars in the way. Halfway up, some decide that it is just too hard. They turn back.

But some will not turn back. Up, up, and up they climb, until they reach the very top. They are "overcomers"!

The Christian life is like this. It is a long journey and, at times, the way is hard. Jesus never said that it would be easy, but He knows the way and He has promised to be with us. He said, "…In the world you shall have tribulation [trouble]: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

The Lord Jesus was an "overcomer." He came to do the will of God. He would not turn back. He did what God wanted Him to do.

You and I can be "overcomers" by doing what God wants us to do. Jesus is for us. He has promised to be with us every step of the way. He said, "…I will never leave you, nor forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5).

Will you be an overcomer? Will you say, "I have decided to follow Jesus; no turning back, no turning back"? Jesus said, "To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with Me in My throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with My Father in His throne." Revelation 3:21

Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is my great Savior. He has all power in Heaven and on earth, and He is my Friend. He loves me, He is for me, and He will always be with me.

"Lord Jesus, I believe that You are now sitting at the right hand of God. You are my great Savior and my Friend. I want to be an overcomer. Please help me to be all that You want me to be."

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