December 2020 – Page 4

A Gift From God

December 2, 2020

Because we are starting the month of Jesus’ birthday, the idea of ‘gifts’ is on my mind this morning. The word ‘gift’ has warm and wonderful connotations. A gift is something we give to someone on their birthday or other special occasion, because we care about them. We will be giving Christmas gifts soon. God cares about us and gave us the best gift ever, His own Son! He also gave us spiritual gifts.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. James 1:17 ESV

There was a time when I thought God did not give me a gift. I felt useless in the church because I could not find “my thing” to do for Him. Some people can sing like angels or preach or teach or play instruments well. I was very concerned until my best friend’s dad told me, “You are meant to be the best Tina God made you to be.” That phrase is part of the reason I am writing the blog. He encouraged me to be me and not compare myself with others. What a blessing to have that godly encourager as a friend! God used him.

If God can use a Christian-killing man like Paul and a little boy named David and a prostitute named Rahab and Moses who stuttered, He can certainly use every one of us. Not only can He use us, He wants to use us! No big talent is needed, just a big faith in God and the desire to please Him. We receive His gift and can serve each other with it.

As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace. 1 Peter 4:10 ESV

Paul lists some spiritual gifts here. The Spirit of God gives us what He deems best.

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills. 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 ESV

Dear Father,

Thank You for making us like we are and loving us as we are. Show us please, how we can serve You in the church as part of Your team. We thank You for Your gift of Jesus and the Holy Spirit who teach and direct our hearts and hands and feet. We want to please You by actually using the spiritual gifts You gave us. Please help us remember it is Your ability that fully equips us to serve. Nothing else matters more than pleasing You. We love You so much! Amen

GROWwork:

Write down, or think of, ten things you are good at or enjoy doing. Write down things you did as a child that you used to love. Can any of these be used for God? He allows us to do Kingdom work!

Might He be calling you to be an encourager or something else that will show others the love of God? I will pray that you find that. It is NEVER too late to begin giving your gift back to God and watching Him work through you.

You are loved. You are special. You are gifted! Prayers for God’s best to you all,

Tina

Big and Little

December 1, 2020

I have always taken notice of the extreme opposites in the Bible. By that, I mean there are many examples of seemingly lowly people doing amazing things, as in the story of David and Goliath. They were very opposite! Goliath was huge and powerful and well-armored for battle. David, on the other hand was just a shepherd boy, the youngest of 7 brothers, three of which were soldiers in Saul’s army.

The story goes like this…David’s father, Jesse, sent David with some food to check on his brothers. While he was at the battle site, after dropping off the food for his brothers, David hears Goliath shouting, “This day I defy the armies of Israel! David was instantly incensed by it, so he asked some men near Him,

““What will be done for the man who kills this Philistine and removes this disgrace from Israel? Who is this uncircumcised Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?” 1 Samuel 17:26 NIV

In our modern vocabulary, I am guessing this would sound something like, “Who does he think he is?!!! How dare he insult my God and the army of God!! David’s oldest brother, Eliab, then called David conceited and scolded him for coming just to watch the battle. David, however was not deterred. He didn’t run.To me, that is a stopping point for reflection. David did not do what was expected, because He expected God’s power. Let’s look at the opposites in the story.

Goliath was an experienced soldier. David was a youth

Goliath was nine feet tall. David was not full grown.

When Goliath yelled, the Israelites fled. David stood where he was.

Goliath had on a hundred or so pounds of armor. David wore none.

Saul’s army was scared of Goliath. David was confident of God.

David had a deadly spear. David had a sling shot, often used as a kid’s toy.

Goliath had much conceit due to his large size. David had confidence in God despite his own size and because of God’s big size.

Goliath called on his gods to curse David. David called on the One God, to help him defeat Goliath.

And then…David did what he said he would do, in the name of the Lord God almighty. He killed Goliath! This is not just a kids’ Bible story. It is a piece of valuable history, jam-packed with wisdom for us adults. When we have God on our side, anything is possible. Our size and strength have nothing to do with our chances of success when it comes to fighting the enemy of the world. It has everything to do with the size and strength of our God!

Dear Father,

May we never read a Bible story again without realizing Your faithfulness to us in our own times of battle. Everything in the Bible is true and applies to us today. We want David’s confidence for our daily stresses. Please melt and mold our hearts and minds to the shape of You. May we be so filled with Your majesty and authority that we can , with confidence, tell our giants, “No, you will not defeat me. I have the living God on my side and inside.” We love You today and always and forever! Amen

GROW work:

What giants are you facing in your life? Health, finances, work stresses? Tell those giants that their time is limited because God is on your side. Don’t lose confidence. God’s timing is His. He says He will never leave us and He cannot lie.

Love and prayers to all,,

Tina