Posted by: Jo | January 25, 2013

No Longer Strangers

“Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God” (Ephesians 2:19 (KJV))

God's FamilyJust recently a dear friend of ours passed away. He and his family were our first neighbours when we settled into our new house after leaving Australia to come and live in Canada. His death caused me to remember those early days when we were strangers in a foreign country, not knowing any friends, our children coping with new schools, finding our way in a slightly different culture from our own. Yes, we did speak English, but our accent immediately singled us out as not quite belonging and of course our Australian expressions caused many bemused glances. We were very fortunate to move into the street where this dear friend lived as his family welcomed us into their home and as it transpired into their lives and their eldest daughter became our daughter’s closest friend. Their hospitality and the offering of friendship helped us to feel part of the society we had moved into and we began to no longer feel we were strangers. The feeling of being no longer a stranger is hard to describe. Perhaps a feeling of acceptance; a feeling of belonging; a feeling of being one on one with others; an overpowering sense of relief; comforting knowledge there are others to support you.

One of the most beautiful requests we have from our Heavenly Father is his invitation to us to become part of his household and so lose the title of “stranger” and become a family member.

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household.” (Ephesians 2:19)

As far back as the book of Exodus, God took an amazing step towards us by telling the children of Israel that he was choosing to come and live among them.

“Then have them make a sanctuary for me, and I will dwell among them” (Exodus 25:8)

Family built on God's planSo what does this beautiful household that we have been invited to join, look like? The most reassuring part is its foundation, no other foundation could be as solid as this one.

“…built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.” (Ephesians 2:20)

We are not stepping into unknown territory. Many have gone before us and we have been assured by Jesus himself there are many rooms available;

“In my Father’s house are many rooms…” (John 14:2)

What can we expect if we accept the invitation? This is the most surprising benefit of acceptance. We may have entered as strangers, but a transformation by the Holy Spirit will bind us together with other believers. We will become one family. We will be living in “the shelter of the Most High” (Psalm 91:1). His household will be like a “refuge and my fortress” (Psalm 91:2)

When we do become a part of God’s household, there are expectations, like any other family living together. Here on earth our representing of what God’s household looks like, is viewed by outsiders through our actions within the church and within the community. If we are representing the loving grace and mercy of our Lord others will long to join his household. Unity between believers is a powerful force against evil. Paul begs his readers to guard against division in the household.

“Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:2 – 3)

Building FriendshipsSo Heavenly Father, show us who may feel like a stranger, perhaps in our church or in our neighbourhood, so that we may welcome them into the family of God.

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Posted by: Jo | January 18, 2013

Choices

“…I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice and hold fast to him…” (Deuteronomy 30:19 – 20)

imageLast year we had a dear little ten year old girl visiting us and as a treat I took her to a speciality ice cream shop that had just opened in our neighbourhood. I had never been inside so it was quite an illuminating experience for me. To begin with just the choices of ice cream flavours was overwhelming. Then I learnt that the sophisticated ice cream consumers did not stop at one choice of flavour but could choose others to be mixed in. I was intrigued to see the ice cream was not scooped out with a recognisable implement, but thrown on to a slab by a wooden spatula and the flavours mixed together. Choice did not stop there. Toppings could be mixed in at this stage or could be sprinkled on top later. Even so we had still not received the finished article because the type of cone now had to be chosen. There was such a range of these I lost count. Fortunately my little friend was familiar with the procedure, as all this choosing had left me exhausted, and she was thrilled with her chosen masterpiece that was finally placed in her hand and I thought back wistfully about the one scoop of vanilla ice cream that was considered such a treat in my childhood.

Choices are part of living and we are confronted with them every day and some of them are certainly not as pleasant as choosing an ice cream flavour. Some are so important they can have an impact on the rest of our lives. Some are foolish. Some are wise. We often seek advice when momentous choices are to be made. Solomon knew that life presented many a situation where choice was going to have a lasting effect and wrote the book ofimage Proverbs as a guide to decision making. When Moses was advising the people before they entered the Promised Land he said, “Choose life” (Deuteronomy 30:15)

Our Heavenly Father has graciously allowed us choice in the way we lead our lives, but how we make these choices is actually the basis for a Spirit filled life.

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22 – 23)

This verse reminds me a little of the ice cream shop, as if there is a fully stocked fruit shop filled with good gifts from the Father that we can choose to enrich our lives.

So we can imagine going into that Heavenly fruit shop and choosing;

Love…Today I choose to be loving to all I come across.

Joy…I will choose to banish gloomy thoughts and be joyful today.

Peace…I will choose the peace that passes all understanding to quite my anxiety today.

Patience…Today I will choose to wait upon the Lord, patiently.

Kindness…I will choose to have my words filled with kindness today.

Goodness…Today I choose all my actions to be honest and trustworthy.

Faithfulness…I will choose to keep all my promises I have made today.

Gentleness…I will choose today to be gentle with those less fortunate than myself

imageSelf-Control…Today I choose to remain in charge of my emotions.

The most wonderful choice we can make for our whole lives is to make the choice to follow the Lord Jesus Christ. This hymn sums it up.

Today I choose to follow you

Today I choose to give my YES!!! to you

Today I choose to hear your voice and live

Today I choose to follow you.

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Posted by: Jo | January 11, 2013

The Living Word

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” (John 1:1)

The Living Word

“The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us….” (John 1:14)

We have just finished celebrating the Christmas season and during the Christmas week I came across a quote that made me really stop and think through the miracle of Jesus’ birth;

“That is the staggering proposition the Bible gives – God became the weakest thing we know” – Oswald Chambers

The astounding part of this quote seems to be an oxymoron. How could this weakest thing we know, a baby totally dependent on his parents, be the mighty Word of God? We need to back track to the beginning of time to explore the power of…The Word

The Heavenly Creator brought the whole universe into being by speaking;

“And God said, “Let there be light”, and there was light.” (Genesis 1:3)

God’s word was so powerful nature obeyed and became into being. We ourselves were brought into being by the power of his word.

“Then God said, “Let us make man in our image…”” (Genesis 1:26)

God spoke to men and made lasting covenants with them. He spoke to Moses and gave him the great gift of the law. He spoke to prophets to warn his people of the danger of their actions, but his most gracious gift was to give his word life in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ.

So what impact does that have on us as we read Scripture? Do we see these precious thoughts of God as just lifeless words on a page? Are they perhaps an Listen to the Wordinteresting story? Do we regard them as historical facts written down for others who existed in another time from us? Or do we read them as life changing, dynamic, challenging filled with such power that we are compelled to heed them and to recognize the author as our Heavenly Father?

The writer of Hebrews answers those questions;

“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12)

Karl Barth, a Swiss theologian who was born in 1886, makes a very firm statement about scripture and what effect it must have on our lives;

“To understand scripture we must stop acting like mere spectators. God’s word demands that we engage our lives with him”

Being a spectator is often the role we choose in life situations. It is so much easier to use that old excuse, “I don’t want to get involved” rather than be an active participator in a crisis in another’s life. It can creep into our church communities where sitting in the back pew being a spectator is easier than participating in church activities. Being isolated at home allowing oneself to be a spectator of life instead of striving to participate in healthy ways can trap us into loneliness.

When we grasp that God’s word is Living the Wordliving and active our whole attitude to reading those precious thoughts changes. We want our lives entwined with his. We don’t want to just observe on the sidelines. We want that word to give us life. We can trust our lives to his word.

“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless…” (2 Samuel 22:31)

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Posted by: Jo | January 4, 2013

Claiming God’s Promises

“Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)

I was watching on television, Never Give Upjust recently, a report about the hundreds of articles that are left behind on buses /trains/ airplanes etc. What is left behind is remarkable in itself, but the astounding part of the broadcast, for me, was that although there is a special “lost and found site” where these articles can be retrieved, very few of these myriad of coats to umbrellas are claimed by their rightful owners. Hence the program I was watching was showing these being auctioned off. I started to think about what it meant “to claim something” and found this definition in the dictionary;

An assertion of a right to something

One of my Christmas presents this year was a fascinating Audio (easier for old eyes) version of the book, “Your Words Hold a Miracle” by John Osteen. The theme was the power of God’s word to bring about miracles in our lives, but we have to claim those powerful words so they rightly belong to us, by speaking them aloud boldly, we affirm that we are the true recipients of God’s beautiful promises.

The word PROMISE has many different meanings and we who are parents have become very cynical about authenticity when we hear a teenager use it (“I promise I will tidy and clean my room tomorrow”; “I promise I will finish my homework before I go out”)

We have also become wary of promises made by politicians. (No raising of taxes!!)

Unfortunately promises between lovers often fail to become true. (“I thought you said you would love me forever”)

So do we struggle to believe the promises of our Heavenly Father? Claiming God's Promise through Faith

When God makes a promise to us it becomes a divine assurance of future good blessings.

When Joshua, the leader of Israel’s foray into the Promised Land, knows he is about to die, his final message to his people reminds them of how God’s promises can be trusted.

“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled, not one has failed.” (Joshua 23:14)

Claiming those promises for our own lives does take some action on our part. We have to affirm that those blessings promised to us are rightfully ours. Paul urges his readers to remember that Jesus Christ has given us access to God’s wonderful promises.

“He redeemed us in order that that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” (Galatians 3:14)

By acknowledging that the promises are for us personally, gives us all strength to face whatever we are facing. As we approach the New Year it is a wonderful exercise to find the promise that we need right now in whatever circumstance we are facing and to hold onto it boldly, saying it out aloud, claiming it as rightful heirs to his grace. One of my favourite God's Promisepromises which covers a multitude of worries about the future is the comforting phrase “Fear not”, this phrase is found 365 times in the Bible. One reassurance for every day of the year. The other is “I shall never forsake you” We know that we can trust the faithful promises of our Heavenly Father.

“The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged” (Deuteronomy 31:8)

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Posted by: Jo | December 28, 2012

New Year Resolutions

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17)

New YearThe beginning of a new year stirs many emotions within us. A new start. A turning of the page. A chance to begin afresh. To be resolute. We begin to hear of others around us making New Year Resolutions. Some of these fall into the frivolous category. Losing 10 lbs. before St Valentine’s Day. Joining the Gym. Learning to speak Italian before the summer holidays etc. Some are more serious in nature. Vowing to mend those broken relationships. Planning this year to be rid of those crippling debts. Promising oneself to finally leave that dead end job. Unfortunately as we all know many of these frivolous or noble plans fall by the wayside as the year rolls on. I went to the dictionary to check out the word

It is a very strong word and we learn this when we read the definition;

Resolute (res·o·lute [rez–uh-loot])

1. firmly resolved or determined; set in purpose or opinion.

2. characterized by firmness and determination, as the temper, spirit, actions, etc.

So how do we approach this New Year, being resolute about wanting this year to be different? How can we be determined to overcome those areas in our lives that are robbing us of true joy? How can this year be one of constant faith an unwavering belief in the Lord? How can we be more decisive in our actions? God’s word is always our source of strength and comfort.Jesus

Paul knew the problems Christians would face as they were surrounded by the temptations of the world around them as this was his wise advice,

“You were taught with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” (Ephesians 4:22 – 24)

A new attitude. A change of heart. A new self.

The wonderful news is that we do not have to depend on ourselves to make this New Year one that is brimming with fulfilled resolutions. Our Lord is well acquainted with our weaknesses and is always standing by ready to offer his assistance and his power for us to achieve our goals. He knows where a lot of our wavering happens and tells us through the prophet Ezekiel that if we are willing to come to him he will bring about great changes where most of our problems start.

“I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26)

The other wonderful steadying thought that we Faithcan hang on to as we start this New Year, is that God’s promises are not a one-off occurrence. Even if we falter he is there without hesitation to pick us up, forgive us and start us off afresh again.

 

“Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22 – 23)

That verse inspired the beautiful hymn “Great Is Thy Faithfulness”.

New Every Morning

The Lord’s loving kindness

Indeed will never cease

And his compassion

Will never fade away

They are new every morning

They are new every day

For great is Thy faithfulness

For great is Thy faithfulness.

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Posted by: Jo | December 21, 2012

The Christmas Angel

image“And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified” (Luke 2:8 – 9)

Many years ago my eldest daughter began a beautiful Christmas tradition. It began by her buying four exquisite little wooden angels (to represent her and her three sisters) as decorations for our family Christmas tree. Since then those sweet little angels have been joined each year by other angels. So many now our family Christmas tree is a complete angel tree with branches covered with every imaginable depiction of angels possible. As my daughter began to travel, the angels assumed fascinating forms and materials ranging from fabric to the deep blue of the Delft Dutch pottery. The unpacking of those angels each year is a bitter sweet experience. Each angel represents a period of time in our lives and as my daughter lives in Cyprus, she cannot always be with us for Christmas so as I unwrap these precious bundles tears are liable to flow at any given moment. As I unpacked them this year I began to wonder about the role angels play in the whole of created life. We know from scripture that they were present with God at creation and in the book of Job we read they shouted for joy when earth was formed.

“…while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy.” (Job 38:7)

I also discovered they are mentioned 273 times in the Bible. The Bible does not give descriptions of what these Heavenly Host actually look like so the various forms of angels from fat cherubs to long robed figures with wings, spring from man’s imagination, but what we do know is that the Heavenly Father gives them roles to play in his children’s lives. One of the most important roles for one of the angels, was to guide God’s children safely out of Egypt.image

“See I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” (Exodus 23:20)

The Psalmists remind us that when we belong to the Lord even if we cannot see them, we have a heavenly host surrounding us at all times.

“The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him and he delivers them.” (Psalm 34:7)

And again in Psalm 91:11

“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.”

So it is very natural that the heralding of this new born king, this Saviour of the world, this gift to all mankind, is made by an angel.

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee. To a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendent of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.” (Luke 1:26 – 27)

It is also natural that the news of the birth of this king of kings was also made by an angel.

“An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified” (Luke 2:9)

Then we find not one but a great company of Heavenly Host praising God with their angelic voices filling the sky.

“Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel praising God and saying, Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests.” (Luke 2: 13 – 14)

imageWe are warned, although, that these angels are not to be worshipped and when an angel appears to John in the book of Revelation, he tells him he is just a fellow servant and only God himself is to be worshipped. (Revelation 19:10)

So when we hear the age old Christmas carols this year, reminding us of that one incredible night and the joy the angels experienced, let us join our voices with them and praise the new born king.

Hark! The herald angels sing,

“Glory to the new born King

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled.”

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Posted by: Jo | December 14, 2012

The Star of Christ

“….Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2)image

I have always been fascinated with stars. In Australia, my birth place, the evening sky fills one with awe and the Southern Hemisphere can boast of some of the most dramatic star constellations seen; the famous Southern Cross was chosen to adorn our flag. The Milky Way has two very large bright stars that can be seen with the naked eye and these point to the Southern Cross and because of the smaller population of Australia, pollution has not hidden the beauty of these sparkling evening gems. Sailors for centuries were able to navigate by using the stars. Astronomers loved to track stars. The actual design of the star lends itself to the creation of beautiful adornments. At this time of the year we see countless Christmas trees proudly displaying a star in place of honour on the top branch, but the significance of that star is often lost. The foretelling of that one all important star is fascinating reading and as we read in scripture that God placed each star in place and knows each one by name, so the calling of the Christmas star was ordained by him.

“Lift up your eyes and look into the heavens; who created all these? He who brings out the starry host, one by one and calls them each by name…” (Isaiah 40:26)

This one star stands out vividly in all of history. The star that led the Magi (the wise men) to find and worship the new born King. Charles Spurgeon, a preacher known for his powerful sermons, spoke about this famous star in a Christmas message in 1882;

“A star is deputed on behalf of all the stars as if He were the envoy and plenipotentiary of all worlds to represent them before their king.”

There was no doubt in the Magi’s minds that this was the most awe inspiring star imagethey had ever come across; a herald to lead and guide them, commissioned by the king of kings, a star they had already named “His star” (Matthew 2:2). They were prepared to leave their own country and travel miles to come and fall down and worship before this little one whose name was on this star.

Jesus himself, to describe who He is, uses this expression, “the bright Morning Star”.

“I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David and the bright Morning Star.” (Revelation 22:16)

Peter urges his readers to allow this beautiful Morning Star to rise in their hearts.

“And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19)

Many of us, this Christmas, will sing the carol which tells the story of the wise men and the star of wonder.image

O, Star of wonder, star of night

Star with royal beauty bright

Westward leading, still proceeding

Guide us to thy perfect light.

These beautiful words remind us of the bright Morning Star and spur us on to allow his love to shine in our hearts so others may be guided to his perfect light and may we fulfill the prophesy found in the book of Daniel.

“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.” (Daniel 12:3)

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Posted by: Jo | December 7, 2012

A Credible Witness

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8)

imageIn our Home Group meeting one of our friends was sharing about a nasty road rage incident in which she had been involved. The incident eventually ended in a court case in which the perpetrators and those who had witnessed what had actually happened were brought to court to testify. My friend was one of the witnesses asked to give her version, (which varied from that of the main culprit), but the judge , after he had listened to her, chose to go with her version and these were the words he said to her, to justify his decision “You have been a credible witness”.

I looked up the word “credible” in the dictionary and read this; “worthy of belief, confidence in the truth, trustworthy”. I kept thinking of this phrase long after our study had finished and thought back to the last command our Lord Jesus gave to the disciples which is recorded in the first chapter of the book of Acts. Jesus asked them to be his witnesses throughout all the earth and as I reread these words I thought how wonderful it would be to hear our Heavenly Father whispering to us, “ You are being a credible witness for me”

A 19th century historian, James Froude, wrote these words,

“Christianity rests on the credibility of the gospel history”

imageThis is the first big step we must all take if we want to be that credible witness. We have to believe that what scripture says is the truth. There can be no ifs or buts. We need to have confidence that what we read in scripture is God’s word.

What would it take for us to fulfill the wise words of Solomon in Proverbs 12:17?

“A truthful witness gives honest testimony…”

We can only give honest testimony about what we know is the truth. We can find this so easily in the words of Jesus. It is fascinating to check the gospels to see how many times Jesus uses this expression, “I tell you the truth…” I found nearly 80 (you may find more) in the gospels. He even tells us He IS the truth.

“Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life…”” (John 14:6)

imageWhen we believe this deep in our hearts we can become those credible witnesses, sharing the truth with all who come into our lives. We can also look back on our own lives and give thanks for all the inspiring examples of brave witnesses who exhibited the truth for us. We can search the scriptures for brave witnesses who have left their stories behind to give us the courage to be as brave as them. John the Baptist springs to mind.

“There came a man who was sent from God; his name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all men might believe” (John 1:6-7)

John the Baptist became a forerunner of the truth, preparing the way for Jesus Christ, our Saviour. We can look back on history and remember the countless faithful witnesses who kept that faith alive for us. We can join hands with them and by our credible witness prepare the way for others to discover the TRUTH,

The book of Hebrews encourages us;

“Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” (Hebrews 12:1)

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Posted by: Jo | November 30, 2012

In The Shadow Of His Wings

“Keep me as the apple of your eye, hide me in the shadow of your wings.” (Psalm 17:8)

imageJust recently a group of my friends were discussing birds. The discussion was prompted by me telling them I had seen a humming bird on our balcony deep in a pot of winter pansies. I was really surprised to see it as winter is approaching and I thought I should remind this little one that he should definitely be thinking of flying south. The humming bird is one of my favourite birds, but I was fascinated to hear how others in the group varied widely in which birds they really liked. Their preferences ranged from peacocks to robins to bald eagles and as I was listening to them I suddenly recalled the amazement I felt when I first witnessed, while we were living beside the lake in British Columbia, the mighty span of the wings of the great horned owl. This huge bird measures up to 2 feet tall and its wing span can reach 5 feet. It can swivel its head 270 degrees. This bird is not one to mess with!! When it flew across our property its wings cast a huge shadow, but the most surprising event we witnessed in our little part of the wilderness, was during one night, when we heard scratching noises on the sky light of our bedroom. When my husband turned on the light we could see two sets of claws. The great horned owl was sitting on our sky light and under her wings was a baby owl. We quickly turned off the light. We were not going to disturb that scene.

We find our Heavenly Father being pictured as a mighty bird, just like my great horned owl, a mighty bird able to protect us just by us being under the shadow of his wings (Psalm 17:8). In Psalm 91 we read;image

“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” (Psalm 91:4)

God equates himself with a bird when he tells the Israelites that he “…carried you on eagle’s wings and brought you to myself” (Exodus 19:4)

In the beautiful story of Ruth we read of a young Moabite woman leaving her country and her family, pledging to stay with her mother-in-law, Naomi, and to follow Naomi’s God;

“…Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16)

When Ruth fulfills her promise, Boaz, her future husband, assures her that she has surely made the right decision and again we read of the comparison of our God to a powerful bird;

“May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge” (Ruth 2:12)

But perhaps Jesus gives us one of the most comforting images of how he longs to protect us in this bird comparison;

“…how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…” (Matthew 23:37)

When we imagegrasp this beautiful picture of chickens scurrying under their mother hen’s feathers and disappearing totally, fully protected by her body, we are awed by the mighty protection our Heavenly Father is offering to us. No need to fear the terrors of the night. We just need to stay in the shadow of his wings.

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Posted by: Jo | November 23, 2012

The Indescribable Gift

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15)

imageI celebrated a birthday this week. Not a major, major one, but getting there and my loving family, probably thinking not many more to come, treated me to not one, but two lunches at classy restaurants and of course beautiful gifts. The gifts were carefully chosen and wrapped in brilliantly coloured paper and as I contemplated these love offerings I thought of the most incredible gift we have been given from the Heavenly Father in the person of his son, Jesus Christ. Not all gifts come gaily wrapped and I received other gifts in a different form, One special one was a long telephone call from Australia from a dear old friend. There were also cards lovingly inscribed. Another lunch with two sweet ladies. Friends dropped by to spend time with me for my birthday, I even received special loving messages via Facebook from my granddaughters. Each gift whatever form it took brought me great joy and I began to see that in genuine giving both the giver of the gift and the one who receives the gift are blessed. Our Heavenly Father is the expert in the art of gift giving.

“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows” (James 1:17)

The Father loves to lavish us with gifts His gifts to us will always be good for us and perfect for exactly who we are. His gifts come in all sorts of different forms. He cares about our basic needs. He wants us to even receive satisfaction from our work .image

“I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil – this is the gift of God” (Ecclesiastes 3:12 – 13)

When we are aware of the bounteous gifts the Father pours out upon us, a change in our attitude to others takes place. When we experience the joy of receiving these gifts we become eager to share our gifts with others. When Paul was writing to Timothy he urged him to “…fan into flame the gift of God” (2 Timothy 1: 6)

If I had not bothered to open one of my gifts, the gift would have been wasted and the gift giver hurt. So too with the gifts God has blessed us with. Every one of us has been given gifts to use to God’s glory and to benefit others. Of course all the gifts are not the same and none of us can say we have no gift. Paul was a mentor to Timothy, who we gather was timid and shy, but when Paul helped him to see his gift, young Timothy became a tireless worker for Jesus Christ. Helping others to see their gifts is a wonderful way of giving back to God. Tell someone when you see them encouraging another. The gift of encouragement is very much needed in our communities. Tell someone who you see relating to children. Our children need solid Christian mentors. Encourage others to use their teaching skills. Encourage others to use their wisdom for the troubled in the congregation.image

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

We can never out give the supreme giver of all gifts who selflessly gave himself to us in the form of Jesus Christ, such a magnificent gift it defies human language and that is why Paul describes it as “indescribable” (2 Corinthians 9:15) and why R.V.G Taskercalls it, “The divine gift which inspires all gifts.”

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