pastorjohnb

Thoughts and musings on faith and our mighty God!

Tag Archives: gift


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Share Abundantly

If you were asked to sum up God in one word, what would it be?  Got it yet?  I’d venture to say that most of us would say ‘love’ but some might also say hings like mercy, forgiveness, or maybe creator.  To me, love is God’s main and dominant characteristic.  Out of His love, many other things flow.

Once we find that love of God in our lives, we realize we have a great gift.  When we come to know just how much He loves us, we are both very grateful and deeply humbled.  It changes our whole world.  We are grateful and humbled because we come to also realize that we are imperfect and sinful, yet God still loves us.  It amazes me that a gift given so freely can be so valuable.  But it is.

Once we come to fully know the gift of the love of God, then we want to always have it.  As we continue on our journey of faith, love become how we see all of life, how we treat our neighbor, how we seek to serve those in need, and how we seek to share the good news so that others may know this gift of love.  The gift is so great that it makes us want to share it.  May we share abundantly today!

Scripture reference: Matthew 13: 44-52


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Love Always There

We are inseparable from God’s love.  His love is so high and wide and deep that we cannot begin to imagine the vastness of His love.  And God’s love will last forever.  Not a few years, a couple millenia, but forever.  His love will never fail.

Paul lists a wide range of extremes that cannot separate us from God’s love – angels or demons, life or death, present or future – to name a few.  He punctuates is by stating that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.  Pretty amazing love!

There will be times and circumstances in t his life when we do not sense God’s love or do not choose to walk in that love.  Yet it is still there.  There will be times when we are so crushed or hurting so bad that we cannot begin to feel His love.   Yet it is still there, right there, all around us.  When we open our hearts and minds and eyes to God’s love, His love comes flooding in.  It is not forced upon us, but is always just right there, always surrounding us.  Thanks be to God for His great love!!

Scripture reference: Romans 8: 38-39


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Faithful Pursuit

What is God’s call upon your life?  God has a plan for all of us.  The plan He has for each of us is a part of His overall plan to redeem mankind and the earth.

Each of us are gifted with skills and abilities to accomplish what God has called us to (or will call us to).  Some people know their gifts, know God’s intent for their lives, and are working the plan.  Others wonder what their gifts are and haven’t heard God’s call yet.  Others remain in between – some questioning the gifts and/or the call and others knowing gifts and call, yet hesitant to begin the work for a variety of reasons.

In His pursuit of us, God asks that we remain open to His guidance and direction.  If we are faithful, He will reveal the plan.  If you are getting along in years and wonder when the plan will finally be revealed – remember, God used some people that were ‘advanced in years’ to do His work.  (See childbirth at almost 100?!)  Keep faithful.  And if you are young and wondering ‘now?” remember, He used some teens in the Bible to accomplish His work too!  (David anyone?)  Be faithful!

If we look for opportunities to share our faith story, to serve others, to offer love where needed, then we will come to know both our gifts and God’s call upon our lives.  Faithfully pursue God and He will use you just as He has always intended to use you!

 

Scripture reference: Genesis 25: 19-34


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Receive the Blessing

When the 72 are sent out by Jesus, they take next to nothing with them.  They head out to share Jesus with others and are trusting that those they encounter will care for them.  If not, they will simply move on.

I wondered if I could d this – just head off and trust God to provide.  Could you?  To me it would be hard to rely on the welcome and care of total strangers for my basic needs.

And for some of us, it is hard to be the receivers.  We can give and provide for others and even for those in need.  But t be the one in need is doubly difficult in our independent, self-reliant society.  For some it is even hard to take in a compliment!

Yet our willingness to accept the gift or the hospitality allows someone else to offer the presence of Christ to us.  At times, we just need to receive it and spend a little time in the blessing.

Scripture reference: Matthew 10: 40-42


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Jesus is Waiting

In John 12, Jesus is at Mary, Martha, and Lazarus’ house.  It is a place Jesus visited often.  But in this case, He has just raised Lazarus from the dead (after 4 days in the tomb).  The place must have been abuzz – with the actual event plus all the visitors who were coming to see both Jesus and Lazarus.  The religious authorities are plotting to end this Jesus before things really get out of hand.

It is in this setting that Mary does something extravagant for Jesus.  She anoints Jesus’ feet with some expensive perfume and dries them off with her hair.  The perfume was worth a year’s wages.  I can’t even begin to think about giving something that valuable to or for another, never mind actually doing it.  Could you?

Yet Mary felt led to do this for Jesus.  True, He has just raised Lazarus from the dead – for this she was surely grateful.  Mary, Martha, and Lazarus had long had a special relationship with Jesus.  He often visited their house and taught there.  She probably considered Jesus a friend and a teacher.

But is makes me think – could I do something so extravagant?  I too have a special relationship with Jesus.  I too am grateful to him – not for raising my brother but for my redemption that He bought with His blood on the cross.  Jesus will one day also raise me to eternal life.  I too spend time with Jesus and like to learn from him.  How about you?  Do these things apply to you as well?  Then it is probably: we all have a relationship, we all spend time, we were all bought.

Maybe Mary sensed that Jesus’ death was drawing near and that this was all she could really offer.  A simple but very loving gesture.It is written that Jesus will return like a thief in the night, that the time and hour in unknown to all but God.

Do we live out extravagant love for Jesus and others?  Do we offer our best every day like each day is it?  Do you want to be standing there with a jar of perfume in your hand when He returns?  During this Holy Week, may we take the opportunities that ARE there to offer our best for Jesus!