Gifts

Romans 12:6 (ESV)

Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith.

In the film Chariots of Fire, an Olympic runner named Eric Liddell says, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast, and when I run, I feel God's pleasure." Later in the movie he says, "To give up running would be to hold God in contempt." Author Rick Warren uses this illustration in one of his books to say that using our gifts and talents makes God smile.

In Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 the apostle Paul tells us that God gives his people a variety of gifts "according to the grace given us"--or, as Jesus puts it, "according to [our] ability" (Matthew 25:15). No Christian is without gifts or talents.

Some of God's people go through life convinced they have no gifts or talents, and as a result they keep standing on the sidelines. Others--like one man in Jesus' parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30)--have buried their God-given abilities, afraid to use them. Still others refuse to use their gifts because they think they are not as gifted as some others.

God wants us to discover our gifts, develop them, and use them for the good of others and to his glory. No gift or talent is too insignificant for God. And God expects our churches to allow everyone to use the gifts they have been entrusted with. God wants no one left behind. That makes God smile!

Dear Lord, we thank You for the gifts You have entrusted to us. Help us to use them and to encourage others to use their gifts for You. May we all glorify you. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

He brings forth an abundance

Luke 9:16-17 (ESV)

16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

The disciples worried -- we only have five small loaves and two fishes! Whatever will we do?? Five loaves and two fishes could never feed the multitudes in the natural realm! But we have a God who is in the multiplication business! He works on an entirely different mathematical equation than we are accustomed to -- He takes the little we offer and turns it into more than we could fathom!

How often do we feel as if we have little to offer? The Lord is interested in everything we have to give, even if it seems minuscule to our eyes!

Let's not be afraid to offer up our gifts, talents, abilities, accomplishments and material things that we may find insignificant. They are not! When we give up even the littlest of things to the Lord, He brings forth abundance!

Dear Lord, help us not be afraid of using what You have given to us.  Thank You for trusting us with the gifts. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

Expectations for Valentine’s Day

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 (ESV)

4 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant 5 or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; 6 it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. 7 Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

There are a lot of expectations for Valentine’s Day. Someone, probably a Hallmark employee, decided that February 14th would be the day to declare and demonstrate your love to that special someone. Cards, flowers, and chocolates caught on quickly and became a near requirement even for preschool children. But what gets lost in finding the perfect card or gift is the very essence of what love is and how we can best share that with those around us.

I Corinthians 13 is the famous biblical love chapter in Christian circles and beyond. It’s beautiful because it describes the kind of perfect love that God has for us and through him we are able to love our spouses, children, extended family, co-workers, and neighbors this same way. It’s an active love; a love that is more committed to that person than our own feelings at the time. Gift giving isn’t even mentioned because this love, God’s perfect love, is worth so much more than anything money could ever buy.

Sometimes a gift is a hit and sometimes it’s a miss. In any case, as either the giver or recipient, let’s not fool ourselves into thinking the gift is the sum of how much we love or are loved. We can enjoy Valentine’s Day as a good excuse to spoil the ones we love and share God’s love in a special way with those who are lonely and hurting. But let’s stay focused: no material thing or sentimental card can ever replace the simple gestures of God’s love expressed every day. 

Dear Lord,  we ask that You would show us practical ways to demonstrate Your perfect love to others on a daily basis.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen.

God has a unique plan for your life.

Ephesians 2:10 (ESV)

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

It’s so easy to feel like you don’t measure up to others. You can see the things other people are posting on social media and if you’re not careful, you can begin to think that your life isn’t that exciting, or doesn’t matter. The truth however, is that you were created for an awesome purpose.

God sees you as someone that is important. You are His handiwork, that means He cares about you and has an interest in you. He cares what you’re up to and He’s created you to do something good.

God has a unique plan for your life. He wants to use you to touch other people and to make a difference in your world. There are people around you that need to know about Jesus. God wants to use you to touch them and show them Jesus. God has so much in store for you to do. So don’t give into the lies that you’re not important, or you’re not as talented as someone else around you. Chose to believe what God says about you, that you’re created to do good things!

Dear Lord, we thank You that You created us with special gifts and talents.  Help us to see them and use them for You. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

He brings forth an abundance!

Luke 9:16-17 (ESV)

16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

The disciples worried -- we only have five small loaves and two fishes! Whatever will we do?? Five loaves and two fishes could never feed the multitudes in the natural realm! But we have a God who is in the multiplication business! He works on an entirely different mathematical equation than we are accustomed to -- He takes the little we offer and turns it into more than we could fathom!

How often do we feel as if we have little to offer? The Lord is interested in everything we have to give, even if it seems minuscule to our eyes!

Let's not be afraid to offer up our gifts, talents, abilities, accomplishments and material things that we may find insignificant. They are not! When we give up even the littlest of things to the Lord, He brings forth an abundance!

Dear Lord, help us to give our gift, talent and ability no matter how small or big they are. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Banned to the deserted island

1 Timothy 6:17 (ESV)

As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

A sailor who was shipwrecked on a desert island was captured by some of the natives of that island. They carried him off on their shoulders to their village, where he was sure he would end up being the main course. But instead, they put a crown on his head and made him king. He was enjoying all the attention he was receiving but was growing a little suspicious. He started making inquiries and discovered that their custom was to crown a stranger king for a year and at the end of that year the crowned king would be sent to a deserted island where he was allowed to starve to death.

Obviously, this did not appeal to the sailor so he devised a plan. Since he was the king and the natives obeyed his every order, he ordered them to ship supplies to the island where he would be sent when the year was up. He had them clear the land and build him a hut and plant enough vegetables and fruits for quite an adequate garden. When his year was up and was banned to the deserted island, he lived in abundance.

How are we using the good gifts God has graciously given us? Wealth and authority can be a dangerous thing -- or it can be a blessing. It can be used to destroy and tear down or to store up good things in heaven.

Dear Lord, we ask You  to help us to be wise in our attitude toward our material possessions so that we might not end up being rich in things and poor with God. In The Name of Jesus, Amen.

I didn't lose it ... I gave it

Psalm 70:4 (ESV)

May all who seek you

    rejoice and be glad in you!

May those who love your salvation

    say evermore, “God is great!”

I read a story online of a chaplain who was speaking to a loyal soldier in the hospital. "Bless you son, you saved a fellow soldier's life -- and lost an arm in the great cause doing it," the chaplain said. "No," said the soldier with a smile. "I didn't lose it ... I gave it."

We have so much. The Lord has blessed many of us with good health, the use of our eyes, ears, mouths, hands, feet and minds. He's given us various talents of sorts. He's blessed many of us with homes, cars, and good paying jobs. Most importantly, He's bestowed upon us the wonderful knowledge of His Son, Jesus.

We are all soldiers in God's great army. In the same way, this young soldier gave his arm to save a life, we should be offering our gifts toward God's great cause of salvation for the world.

Let's make it a point to start giving consistently of the gifts God has given us, whatever they may be. After all, Jesus did not lose His life -- He gave it purposefully for us, no strings attached.

Dear Lord, help us be willing to give willingly the things that You have given to us to help others. Thank You for giving for each of us. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

He brings forth an abundance.

Luke 9:16-17 (ESV)

16 And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. 17 And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces.

The disciples worried -- we only have five small loaves and two fishes! Whatever will we do?? Five loaves and two fishes could never feed the multitudes in the natural realm! But we have a God who is in the multiplication business! He works on an entirely different mathematical equation than we are accustomed to -- He takes the little we offer and turns it into more than we could fathom!

How often do we feel as if we have little to offer? The Lord is interested in everything we have to give, even if it seems minuscule to our eyes!

Let's not be afraid to offer up our gifts, talents, abilities, accomplishments and material things that we may find insignificant. They are not! When we give up even the littlest of things to the Lord, He brings forth an abundance!

Dear Lord, we thank You for the gifts You have given to us. Help us be willing to give them to You so that You can multiply and use them in a mighty way. In the Name of Jesus, Amen. 

Are you using your gifts and talents?

1 Peter 4:10  (ESV)

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace:

At 12:55 pm the mayday call crackled through the speakers at the Flight Service Station on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula. The desperate pilot of a Piper A22, a small single-engine plane, was reporting that he had run out of fuel and was preparing to ditch the aircraft in the waters of Cook Inlet.

On board were four people, two adults and two young girls, ages 11 and 12. They had departed two hours earlier from Port Alsworth, a small community on the south shore of Lake Clark, bound for Soldotna, a distance of about 150 miles. Under normal conditions it would have been a routine flight; however, the combination of fierce headwinds and a failure to top off the fuel tank had created a lethal situation.

Upon hearing the plane’s tail number, the air traffic controller realized that his own daughter was one of the young passengers aboard the plane. In desperation himself, he did everything possible to assist the pilot; but suddenly the transmission was cut off. The plane had crashed into the icy waters. Four helicopters operating nearby began searching the area within minutes of the emergency call, but they found no evidence of the plane and no survivors. The aircraft had been traveling without water survival gear, leaving its four passengers with even less of a chance to make it through the ordeal. Fiercely cold Cook Inlet, with its unpredictable glacial currents, is considered among the most dangerous waters in the world. It can claim a life in minutes, and that day it claimed four.

Kirk adds these thoughts to the story: For reasons we will never know, the pilot of that doomed aircraft chose not to use the resources that were at his disposal. He did not have enough fuel. He did not have the proper survival equipment. Perhaps he had not taken the time to get the day’s weather report. Whatever the case, he did not use the resources that were available; and in this instance the consequences were fatal.

I wonder how many other people have died needlessly like these four people did? Why, because someone did not manage and or use the resources they had at their disposal. – I also wonder how many have died without Jesus -- spiritually speaking from others being poor stewards of the resources God has placed them in charge of.

Dear Lord, help us be good stewards of what You have given to each of us. Help us use those talents and gifts to share Your love to a world that needs it so bad. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Are You Using the Gifts God Has Given You?

2 Thessalonians 3:6 (NIV) 

In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.

For centuries, the Roman aqueduct in Segovia, Spain stood as a supreme monument to civil engineering. Spanning a bowl-shaped valley, the two-tiered, bridge-like structure stretches more than half a mile and tops 95 feet at its highest point. Its massive gray columns, like the legs of a giant elephant, dominate the quiet neighborhoods that flank it.

Assembled without mortar sometime during the first century after Christ, the aqueduct carried river water to the town without interruption until 1972, when engineers rechanneled the supply entirely though underground conduits. Unamuno, the Spanish philosopher, wrote about the aqueduct: "For eighteen hundred years, it carried cool water from the mountains to the hot and thirsty city. Nearly sixty generations of men drank from its flow.

Then came another generation, a recent one, who said: 'This aqueduct is so great a marvel that it ought to be preserved for our children, as a museum piece. We shall relieve it of its centuries-long labor.' They did; they laid modern iron pipes. They gave the ancient stones a reverent rest. And the aqueduct began to fall apart. Air pollution began to corrode away at the newly exposed granite stones. What ages of service could not destroy idleness disintegrated."

If we do not exercise the gifts the Lord has given us, they will erode because of idleness. Are you using the gifts God has given you?

Dear Lord, thank You for the gifts You have given to each of us. We pray that we would use them to bring honor to You and Your work. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Showing Love to Those Around Us.

Looking for a gift or just a unique way to say "I love you?" What do you give when his dresser is full of cologne and you're both on diets? When she thinks flowers die too soon, and you've already spent next month's paycheck? Here are 21 great inexpensive ways to tell the love of your life just how much you care.



1. Make a homemade card with a picture of the two of you on the cover. Get ideas for a verse by spending a few minutes browsing through a card shop.


2. Write a poem. It doesn't have to rhyme.


3. Send a love letter listing the reasons "Why I love you so much."


4. Pledge your love for a lifetime. Write it on calligraphy or design it on a desktop computer and print it out on parchment paper and have it framed.


5. Plan a surprise lunch, complete with picnic basket, sparkling grape juice and goblets.


6. Bake a giant cookie and write "I love you" with heart shaped redhots or frosting. (Don't worry about the calories, it's not for eating!)


7. Make a coupon book and include coupons for a back rub, a compromise when about to lose an argument, a listening ear when needed, and doing the dishes when the other cooks.


8. Kidnap the car for a thorough washing and detailing.


9. Design your personal crest combining symbols that are meaningful to both of you.


10. Compose a love song.


11. Arrange for someone to sing a favorite love song to you and your love when you're together.


12. Call a radio station and have them announce a love message from you and make sure your love is listening at the right time.


13. Make a big sign such as: "I Love You, Kristi. Love, Joe" and put it in front of your house or her apartment complex for the world to see.


14. Buy favorite fruits that aren't in season, like a basket of strawberries or blueberries.


15. Hide little love notes in the car, a coat pocket, or desk.


16. Place a love message in the "personal" section of the classified ads in your local paper.


17. Florist flowers aren't the only way to say "I love you." Pluck a single flower and write a message about how its beauty reminds you of your love. For greater impact, have it delivered at work.


18. Prepare a surprise candle light gourmet low-calorie dinner for two.


19. Write the story of the growth of your relationship from your perspective, sharing your emotions and your joys. What a treasure!


20. Make a paperweight from a smooth stone, paint it, and write a special love message on it.


21. Promise to change a habit that your love has been wanting you to change.


Let’s take God’s example and show love to those around us.


7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.
-1 John 4:7-8 (New International Version)


Dear Lord we thank you for loving us. We pray that we would share that love with those around us so that they can know Your love. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Are You Using Your Talents?

As we continue to watch America's Got Talent it reminds me of a story I once read about a talent show at a local hall.

The first contestant played a saxophone solo. It was so brilliant that the audience cheered wildly and gave him a standing ovation. On the basis of that one solo, people were comparing the player to John Coltrane and Sonny Rollins. Shortly after he walked of the stage, a very prominent individual in the music industry offered the player a recording contract, and a chance to play with some of his jazz heroes.

The second contestant read a poem she wrote. The words and the way she read those words moved some people to tears. When she was done, the audience cheered enthusiastically. Shortly after she walked of the stage, she was offered a position writing poetry for the local newspaper writing , with an opportunity to publish more of her work.

The third contestant walked out to the stage carrying a guitar. "Well," he stammered, "I had thought I would play this guitar my father gave me. But there are other players so much better than me, so I didn’t put anything together."

The crowd fell silent. Shortly after he walked off the stage, his father seized the guitar and gave it to the saxophone player saying, "Take this and use it so that others may hear the music this instrument makes."

How often do we feel like the third contestant? Perhaps you are feeling like you have a talent for something, but you’re not sure if you are talented enough. Have you ever thought about where your talents come from?

God knows our potential better than we do! He gives us an abundance of talents because He loves us enough to trust us with them. It is up to us to use those talents. Otherwise, like the father of the guitarist in the story, He will take our talents away from us and give them to someone else who will use them. So let us use our talents proudly, toward eternal ends, trusting in Him who gave us those talents in the first place. Make the commitment today to use the talent God gave you; after all He gave it to you for a reason.

From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

- Ephesians 4:16 (King James Version)

Dear Lord and Heavenly Father, We pray that we will use the talents that you gave to each of us. Help us to remember that You will take them and multiply them if only we are willing to use them. In Jesus’ Name, Amen