The Gift With Red Ribbons

 

Flip the Script: The Gift, The Scarlet Thread, and The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

Why is red the universal color of love? We see it in Valentine’s Day hearts, roses, and, of course, the ribbons wrapped around carefully prepared gifts. And what’s with those red ribbons we use to wrap gifts? Have you ever stopped to wonder why? Red is more than just an aesthetic choice—it carries a meaning deeper than most realize. The color red ultimately points us back to blood. Not just any blood, but the blood of Jesus Christ—the greatest proof of love the world has ever known.

A Love Story Stained Red

Love isn’t just about cute gestures and handwritten notes. Real love is sacrifice. The kind that costs something. And that’s exactly what God demonstrated when He gave us Jesus. But long before the cross, there was another story of redemption marked by red—a story of a woman named Rahab.

Rahab wasn’t the typical heroine you’d expect. She lived in Jericho, a city destined for destruction, and she was a prostitute—a label society used to define her. But Rahab wasn’t just her past. She was a woman who heard about a good God and put her faith in Him, and got to save herself, her family and even had such a beautiful future as ancestor of Jesus Christ Himself! It all started by putting her faith in God. When two Israelite spies entered Jericho, she took a huge risk by hiding them from the king’s soldiers. Why? Because she had heard about the God of Israel—His love, His kindness, how He parted the Red Sea and delivered His people. She believed in Him, even though she wasn’t an Israelite. That faith changed everything.

The Scarlet Cord: A Symbol of Jesus’ Blood

Before the spies left, they made her a promise: if she tied a scarlet cord in her window and had her family in her house with her, they would all be saved when they came to take over Jericho (Joshua 2:18). That scarlet cord wasn’t just a sign of her rescue—it was a picture of Jesus. Her home, marked by the scarlet thread, became a place of salvation. Anyone inside would be spared, not because of their own merit but because of the sign that covered them. This is a direct foreshadowing of Jesus Christ. His blood, like that scarlet cord, marks those who believe in Him. And just as Rahab’s family was saved by stepping inside, we are saved by stepping into Christ.

Fast forward to Romans 3:22 (NLT):

“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.”

Rahab had a past, but she didn’t let it define her future. She trusted in the goodness and grace of the God of Israel, and that scarlet thread became a symbol of the ultimate redemption to come—the blood of Jesus. Just like everyone in Rahab’s house was saved simply by being inside, today, anyone who steps into Christ by faith in His blood is saved—not because of what they’ve done, but because of what He has done.

The Making of a Gift: The Cost of Love

Now, let me tell you a story closer to home. My younger sister is a chef—the best Gen Z chef and culinary business CEO I know. I’m inspired by her in many ways and I’ve developed a new level of respect for business owners like her because running a food business isn’t a joke! It’s not just about whipping up meals. It’s labor-intensive! Every order she takes means sourcing ingredients, long hours of preparation, meticulous packaging, and careful delivery and presentation. I’ve hired her twice—to prepare snack packages for a friend and her dad. When they received their gifts, they had no idea what it took to make them. But I did. And my sister did.

That’s how love works. The receiver enjoys the gift, but only the giver knows the cost. And when it comes to the greatest gift ever given—Jesus—it cost everything.

2 Corinthians 5:19 tells us that "God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself." This wasn’t just Jesus acting alone—the entire Trinity was involved. In John 10:18, Jesus tells us that "No one can take my life from me. I sacrifice it voluntarily.” Hebrews 9:14 tells us that "Christ, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself without blemish to God." The Father planned it, the Son executed it, and the Spirit empowered it. Salvation was a team effort—an act of love from all of God, to bring us into the love circle.

No Taking Back the Cross

The moment Jesus took our sins upon Himself on the Cross, the most unthinkable happened—God the Father turned His face away. The Father, who loved His Son more than anything in the world and had always been with the Son, looked away because Jesus had become sin for us (Matthew 27:46). It shattered God’s heart to have His Son suffer and die, but He didn’t stop it. Isaiah 53:10 says, "It pleased the Lord to bruise Him." Not because God enjoyed His suffering, but because our souls were worth it.

Hillsong captures it in Grace to Grace: "Your love found my soul worth dying for." That’s why God went through with it. He saw you. He saw me. And He thought we were worth dying for.

This is love. True love.

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."

1 John 3:1 – "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!"

1 John 3:16 – "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us.”

1 John 4:9-10 – "This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins."

This love isn’t casual. It’s not half-hearted. It’s not "I love you today, but I’m not sure about tomorrow." No. Jesus went all in. And as Let There Be Light by Hillsong says, "There’s no taking back the Cross, no regret in what it cost."

Your Invitation to Step into the Gift

Just like Rahab’s family found salvation by stepping into her home marked by the scarlet cord, we find salvation by stepping into Christ, marked by His scarlet blood. This isn’t about earning love or proving ourselves. It’s about receiving what has already been done for us.

So today, as you unwrap gifts tied with red ribbons, remember the greatest love story ever told—the love that didn’t just send a gift but became the gift. Jesus Christ, the gift that cost everything, but was given freely, just for you.

Not yet in the fam?

God is a good Father who loves you so much and wants you to be part of His family as His child. He offered His only Son, Jesus Christ, to pursue your heart and save you and bring you into the family. All you need to do is to receive His love and you can live in it and enjoy it for the rest of your life. Will you receive it? Then please say this prayer:

Father in Heaven, I thank you for loving me. Thank you for sending the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, to save me from my sins and give me eternal life. I believe in my heart that Jesus died for my sins, He was buried and on the third day, He rose again, to make me right with you. I declare that Jesus Christ is my Lord and Saviour. I thank you that I am now saved and I'm a member of your family. I ask that You fill me with the Holy Spirit and help me to know You more. In Jesus' name, amen. 

Welcome! 

If you said this prayer for the first time, you're now a child of God and I am excited that you are my sibling in Christ. Welcome!!! 🥳There's a whole party going on in Heaven right now, on your behalf, like the excitement over a newborn baby. Will you please reach out to me and let me bless you with a resource that will help you get started on your journey of faith? Click here to do so. I love you and can't wait to meet you.