The Ultimate Gift

Ephesians 4:1-13

I struggle at holidays to come up with the right gift for those I love, but God is a great gift-giver.  He knows exactly what we need and graciously gives it to us.  It may not always be what we WANT, but after prayerful consideration, we often conclude - He knows what He’s doing.

God doesn’t give gifts for them to be tossed in the closet and forgotten.  He gives them to us to use!  We are to be active participants in our faith.  We’re all called to work together for the good of others.  Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”

While we are each different and possess different gifts at different times, the Message translation says, we are “all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together.”  Verses 4-6 really resonate with me, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.”

We are one in Christ and we are all here for one purpose – to love.  How fitting, since Thursday is Valentine’s Day.  Let me repeat that:  THURSDAY is Valentine’s Day!  And I think I know what I’m getting those I love.  Not candy, or flowers or funny cards, but to “Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (v. 2).

Hopefully my husband and children appreciate this!

Thank you, Father, for the ultimate gift of love – your Son!  May we share this gift with others as we walk along the road of life together.  Amen

February 14, 2018

Psalm 19:1-4

(Use the link below to read the verses.)

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Psalm%2019%3A1-4&version=NIV;NLT

 

 

Valentine’s Day is traditionally a day to show how much you love your spouse, your children, or your significant other. Children exchange Valentine’s Day cards at school. Couples go out for dinner. Gifts are given like flowers, candy or jewelry. But this year was different.

 

On February 14, 2018, at about 2:00pm a young man walked into a Florida high school and began shooting. By the time he was done, seventeen people were dead! Where is God in this? How is God revealed through something as senseless as this?

 

David endured much tragedy in his life. He first came on the scene by killing Goliath with his sling shot. He led the armies of the nation of Israel in battle and killed his “tens of thousands”. He became a legend which eventually lead to King Saul trying to kill him by sending his army chasing David around the countryside.

 

Yes, David knew what death and destruction was like. I’m sure he personally knew men who were killed in battle; whose families mourned the loss of their loved ones. After all, war is hell. Yet in Psalm 19 he wrote about the Glory of God and how God is revealed in our world.

 

¹ The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
    The skies display his craftsmanship.
² Day after day they continue to speak;
    night after night they make him known.
³ They speak without a sound or word;
    their voice is never heard
⁴ Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
    and their words to all the world.          NLT

 

So how do we respond after the Valentine’s Day massacre of 2018? Do we put our hands up in the air and cry “Woe is me”? Is it hopeless? Or, like David, do we turn to our Creator and look for how He is revealed in our world?

 

Besides this past Wednesday being Valentine’s Day, it was also Ash Wednesday; the beginning of Lent. Lent quickly takes us to Good Friday and Easter. God showed His love for you and for me by sending His one and only son to die for us. He revealed Himself to us through His son.

 

Death does not have the final word. God does.