My wife deserves a really extravagant birthday gift…
Where to look for a really extravagant gift?
How about the Neimann Marcus fantasy gift catalog?
A purse for $5,000? Seems like a fantasy to me. but this is the regular catalog.
Here’s the fantasy section…
“… Ultimate Diamond Experience …”
It starts with a 25 carat rough diamond. Not bad. Not bad.
But wait, there’s more!
An 11 day trip for two:
This once-in-a-lifetime adventure starts with a trip to the De Beers headquarters in London. Once there, you’ll receive your exceptional diamond in its rough and uncut form, name your diamond, learn about the unique inscription it will receive, and meet the master craftsman who will hand-cut and polish it to perfection.
A private tour of The Crown Jewels and dinner with De Beers CEO Philippe Mellier and Forevermark CEO Stephen Lussier in the Tower of London follow. Your journey continues on a vessel off Namibia’s coast, where your diamond was discovered deep within the ocean floor.
Upon returning to the United States, you’ll meet with your personal jewelry designer to design the ring that will exhibit your exceptional diamond.
Sounds great. My wife loves diamonds.
I suppose I should ask what it costs???
$1,850,000
Oh…
Well, I could buy her one of those $5,000 purses…
But only if she pays everything but the last $50.00!
(Sigh…) It wouldn’t be much of a gift if she paid for it, would it?
And besides, she doesn’t have $4,950 dollars for a purse either…
Isn’t that like the gift of grace?
We say we know it’s a gift; then we struggle to find ways to earn it, to pay for it. If we earn it ourselves, how can it be a gift?
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God
And who are we to claim we have the resources to pay for the gift of grace?
It’s not that we don’t have enough of the currency we need to pay for grace. We don’t even have access to the currency God uses…
…The currency of a love that is Holy, Holy, Holy…
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
If you see me in the store, guide me toward the section that sells really extravagant gifts for $50 or less…
…And remind me to thank God for the most extravagant gift ever given. A gift for which He paid a price only He could afford …
Jesus paid it all,
All to Him I owe;
Sin had left a crimson stain,
He washed it white as snow.
