BLESSINGS CORNER
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” John 3:16
To most of us, these are very familiar words and many have this verse memorized. The thing I’d like to focus on right now is the word “Gave”. This is an action word and speaks of many things that our minds begin to think about. So the word “gave”, or giving, is a gift from God to mankind. For it is in giving that we learn not only how to partner with the Lord, but also to experience what it actually feels like to share with others.
Can you remember the first time you learned to give something to someone after becoming a Christian? Most of us were taught as children to share. Do you remember how hard that was to give another child your beloved toy to play with? Most of us thought, “No, that is mine. I do not want to share”. And many times, when we got the beloved “object” back, it had been destroyed by the person you shared it with.
These were lessons of life that the Holy Spirit was beginning to teach us. God first gave to us the best gift of all, His Son, Jesus Christ. We take His gift and all that comes with it, and we learn how to enjoy this perfect gift. Yet, how do we treat this gift?
In the time of the birth of Christ, the wise men were directed by God to go to the little child and to give gifts: Gold, Frankincense Myrrh. HE knew they would need these gifts to help them to go to Egypt to save the baby’s life from Herod. (Mathew 2:11)
Then, in scripture, we read about the meaning of gifts, as Jesus uses them in illustrations in His teaching to His followers. Jesus said: “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him! ” Matthew 7:11.
So, when Jesus left us on this earth to do His will in our lives, He has gave us many gifts to use in sharing His life, love and salvation to mankind. “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.” Romans 11:29. We each have been given gifts to enable us to walk out this journey for the good of mankind and to share God’s love. Romans 12:6 “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us…..” tells us that all have been given gifts. In 1 Corinthians 12-14, those gifts are explained.
Many times we question this and wonder what are the gifts that have been given to me? We look at ourselves and think, what is my place in this kingdom walk? I am a “nobody” and can’t do what I see others do. I Corinthians 7:7b “……But each one has his own gift from God, one in this manner and another in that.”
As you ask the Lord, He will show you what your gifts are and how to share them with others. For this is the divine commission, He instructs us to “GO” and “TELL” others about the best gift, HIS gift. We are equipped by HIM to share these things. I Peter 4:10-11 “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ”.
It is not just giving of our resources but giving of ourselves in love and desire to share God’s Love to all we meet. Luke 6:38 “Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
~Gerry Cooley