Have You Remembered All of Your Gifts?
As parents we delight in giving gifts to our children because we love them and want to bless their lives. Our delight is doubled when we see their eyes and hearts light up with joy. Our delight is tripled when we hear from their lips words of gratitude and appreciation.
Our heavenly father delights in blessing us, but his joy and our own joy at receiving his gifts, is not complete until we express our sincere thanks from the depths of our hearts.
“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” (1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 7-11)
It’s important to know and recognize our gifts and our graces. That is, it’s important to know what we are really good at - our fundamental abilities that would bring to bear in any kind of task. It’s also important to know what special abilities God has given us.
In the book The Ultimate Gift, author Jim Stoval writes that, life is a gift that has been given to us. The way we live it and maximize it is our gift to those around us. The following is a list of just a few of life’s gifts that we all can enjoy:
1. The Gift of Work: He who loves his work never labours
2. The Gift of Money: Money is nothing more than a tool. It can be a force of good, a force of evil or simply be idle.
3. The Gift of Friends: It is a wealthy person, indeed, who calculates riches not in gold but in friends.
4. The Gift of Learning: Education is a lifelong journey whose destination expands as you travel.
5. The Gift of Problems: Problems may only be avoided by exercising good judgment. Good judgment may only be gained by experiencing life’s problems.
6. The Gift of Family: Some people are born into wonderful families. Others have to find or create them. Being a member of a family is a priceless membership that we pay nothing for but love.
7. The Gift of Laughter: Laughter is good medicine for the soul. Our world is desperately in need of more medicine.
8. The Gift of Dreams: Faith is all that dreamers need to see into the future.
9. The Gift of Giving: The only way you can truly get more out of life for yourself is to give part of yourself away.
10. The Gift of Gratitude: In those times we yearn to have more in our lives, we should dwell on the things we already have. In doing so, we will often find that our lives are already full to overflowing.
11. The Gift of a Day: Life at its essence boils down to one day at a time. Today’s the day!
12. The Gift of Love: Love is a treasure for which we can never pay. The only way we keep it is to give it away.
13. The Ultimate Gift: In the end, life lived to its fullest is its own Ultimate Gift.
As we come to the end of the year we should take the time to remember and reflect on all of the things that we have to be grateful for. When we were sad, God sent a comforter. When we were sick, he was our healer. When we were alone, he was our friend. When we are confused, he is your counselor and guide. When our heart was lost in sin, he sent his son to save us.
Hope you have a very great Christmas holiday and a Happy New Year.
Bruce
Our heavenly father delights in blessing us, but his joy and our own joy at receiving his gifts, is not complete until we express our sincere thanks from the depths of our hearts.
“A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.” (1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 7-11)
It’s important to know and recognize our gifts and our graces. That is, it’s important to know what we are really good at - our fundamental abilities that would bring to bear in any kind of task. It’s also important to know what special abilities God has given us.
You have all that the greatest of men have had
Two eyes, two ears, two hands, two feet
You have all that the greatest of men have had
Whether they were explorers or scientists or builders or speakers or motivators
They came here with no more or no less than you
The difference between the mighty and the mundane
Is what you do with what you have.
In the book The Ultimate Gift, author Jim Stoval writes that, life is a gift that has been given to us. The way we live it and maximize it is our gift to those around us. The following is a list of just a few of life’s gifts that we all can enjoy:
1. The Gift of Work: He who loves his work never labours
2. The Gift of Money: Money is nothing more than a tool. It can be a force of good, a force of evil or simply be idle.
3. The Gift of Friends: It is a wealthy person, indeed, who calculates riches not in gold but in friends.
4. The Gift of Learning: Education is a lifelong journey whose destination expands as you travel.
5. The Gift of Problems: Problems may only be avoided by exercising good judgment. Good judgment may only be gained by experiencing life’s problems.
6. The Gift of Family: Some people are born into wonderful families. Others have to find or create them. Being a member of a family is a priceless membership that we pay nothing for but love.
7. The Gift of Laughter: Laughter is good medicine for the soul. Our world is desperately in need of more medicine.
8. The Gift of Dreams: Faith is all that dreamers need to see into the future.
9. The Gift of Giving: The only way you can truly get more out of life for yourself is to give part of yourself away.
10. The Gift of Gratitude: In those times we yearn to have more in our lives, we should dwell on the things we already have. In doing so, we will often find that our lives are already full to overflowing.
11. The Gift of a Day: Life at its essence boils down to one day at a time. Today’s the day!
12. The Gift of Love: Love is a treasure for which we can never pay. The only way we keep it is to give it away.
13. The Ultimate Gift: In the end, life lived to its fullest is its own Ultimate Gift.
As we come to the end of the year we should take the time to remember and reflect on all of the things that we have to be grateful for. When we were sad, God sent a comforter. When we were sick, he was our healer. When we were alone, he was our friend. When we are confused, he is your counselor and guide. When our heart was lost in sin, he sent his son to save us.
Hope you have a very great Christmas holiday and a Happy New Year.
Bruce
So true
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