DECEMBER 21
JOHN 3:16–36

God’s generosity culminates in the gift of his Son, Jesus.

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The Bible records the best generosity story that has ever been
penned in human language. God is the great giver of good
things, and the biblical narrative records his generosity over and
over again. The creation account shows us his generosity as he

places Adam and Eve in a beautiful garden where they have ev-
erything they need. In generosity, right after the entrance of sin

into the world, God promises to fix what sin has broken. God
generously makes his covenant with Abraham, through whom all
the nations on earth will be blessed. He is generous in delivering
his people out of slavery and giving them his law, so that they will
thrive. He generously provides manna for them in the wilderness
when they aren’t able to provide for themselves. He generously
provides the promised land so they can grow and thrive as a nation.
In generosity, he chooses to dwell with them in the tabernacle; his
presence is always with them. In the face of their rebellion, God
generously sends prophet after prophet to warn his people and call
them back to him.
If you pay attention as you read your Bible, you will see that the
generosity of the King of kings is without end. One particular verse
captures God’s generosity and its final culmination. This verse may
be the most famous and well-known of all Bible verses: “For God
so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes
in him should not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

I am convinced that this passage not only points us to the ul-
timate gift of gifts, Jesus, but it also summarizes the redemptive

story up until this point. We can summarize the redemptive story
with these nine words: “For God so loved the world that he gave.”

The entire biblical story is about a God who gives his creatures
what they do not know they need, what they often do not want,
and what they could never earn or do for themselves—but which
they cannot live without. As we read the Bible, it becomes clear
that nothing can keep God from giving. Even in the face of his
people’s rebellion and idolatry, he continues to give. His generosity
is inexhaustible and without limit.
God’s generosity reached its crescendo with the gift of Jesus.
Every gift he had given pointed to this final gift. In this gift, we get
forgiveness, reconciliation, and the transformation of our hearts.
In all of God’s giving, there is no gift like Jesus.
God is still showering down his generosity on you. He blesses
you every day with his presence, promises, power, and grace. He
gives to you through his word and his church. Your life—right
here, right now, and into the future—rests on God’s willingness
to keep on giving. It is an amazing grace that we are the objects of
such unending generosity.

Prayer

My God, I thank you for the richness of your generosity to your
people! I have done nothing to deserve such a benevolent Lord
and King! You bless me in so many ways, each and every day. You
delight me with your presence. You move me with your power. You
shower me with your grace. I extol your name for the supreme gift

of Jesus, your Son, who will be mine forever because of his unbreak-
able commitment to me. I thank you in his name, amen.