Blessed To Give

The idea of a gift has been skewed in our current time. The thought that somebody is getting me a gift then I have to get them a gift is at least not a biblical one. Romans 4 speaks to the idea of wages earned in comparison to a gift. Wages earned is something we can boast about “our” strength and abilities. Abraham had no clue how to please the Creator of the world much less become acceptable to him until that Creator reached out and “turned on the light” to show Abraham the way. If it was because of Abraham’s ability, he would be able to boast about how awesome he was. Because it was a gift, God gets the glory. Even “our” strengths and abilities are a gift from God and should be used as such. Your strengths and weaknesses can all be used to the glory of Father.

From a worldly standpoint that doesn’t make a whole lot of sense. God tells Paul in the New Testament that in Paul’s weakness Paul is made strong (2 Corinthians 12). When I’m willing to say “I’m unable to do something but God can.” that is a tremendous statement of faith. Much of the Bible is God coming through in the “clutch”. The sad part is that sometimes it takes us hitting “rock bottom” and exhausting all other avenues before we turn to God. So much of my mom’s advice was in an effort to keep me from making some of the same bad decisions that she made but sometimes I had to find out the hard way. I think God would much rather us miss out on learning the hard way but that doesn’t deter his faithfulness to us. He left the 99 and sought me out. He’s still seeking me out even though I might qualify as the 99 to most people. I’m a sheep and the LORD is my shepherd and he occasionally has to use his staff to corral me into what is good for me. What a gift, he continues to give! Take 15 minutes to meditate, pray and give thanks for those who have given you the gift of discipline in your life.

Travis