Paul writes to Timothy…
“For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.”
2 Timothy 1:6-7
(This photo was taken in October of 2014 while driving on the north shore of Maui)
“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
1 Peter 4:8-10
(This photo was taken in October of 2014 at Kaanapali beach on Maui)
When you look at the gifts as described in the bible it is interesting to note none of the gifts speak about the need to have money to be able to pursue and share your gifts. Don’t let the world’s image of you define who you are…leave that to God.
“We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a person’s gift is prophesying, let them use it in proportion to their faith. If it is serving, let them serve; if it is teaching, let them teach; if it is encouraging, let them encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let them give generously; if it is leadership, let them govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let them do it cheerfully.”
Romans 12:6-8
Often when we think of giving, because we live in a material world our thoughts lead us to the monetary value of things we can give. Or we believe the more costly the gift the more the person or people will know how important they are to me. We easily fall into this trap because we see it happening around us and we see it advertised on TV and in events everywhere.
My personal favorite line from a jewelry store commercial…”Let her know how much you care by buying this diamond crusted, gold covered….” Non-essential material things do not show a person how much you care for them. You want to know the best gift you can give to someone you truly care about? The one thing in every relationship that only you can give to any other person and typically it is worth way more than you give it credit for…what is that greatest gift?
Time.
God knows how special Time is…every day you get up is the gift of Time from him.
Your time is the one gift only you can give to others…stop and think for a moment who you have been giving your Time to in the last few days and weeks. Maybe it is exactly the people you should be spending Time with or maybe you are now thinking of somebody that you have been missing and know you need to spend some time with…no matter which it is, don’t forget that the One who provided you this ability to give time to others also would like some time with you. When I woke this morning I could hear the following hymn from my childhood playing in my mind as a message from me to God…
Here I Am Lord — Music & Lyrics by Dan Schutte
I, the Lord of sea and sky,
I have heard My people cry.
All who dwell in dark and sin,
My hand will save.
I who made the stars of night,
I will make their darkness bright.
Who will bear My light to them?
Whom shall I send?
Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of snow and rain,
I have born my peoples pain.
I have wept for love of them, They turn away.
I will break their hearts of stone,
Give them hearts for love alone.
I will speak My word to them,
Whom shall I send?
Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.
I, the Lord of wind and flame,
I will tend the poor and lame.
I will set a feast for them,
My hand will save
Finest bread I will provide,
Till their hearts be satisfied.
I will give My life to them,
Whom shall I send?
Here I am Lord, Is it I Lord?
I have heard You calling in the night.
I will go Lord, if You lead me.
I will hold Your people in my heart.
With whom will you spend your greatest gift today?
Peace.
Now is naturally a time to reflect on the past year of things that happened in your life and in the world…it may be a time to be thankful for your blessings of the past and hopeful for the coming New Year. For some it will be a time to say “I’m glad that year is over, I hope the next one is better!” What I have learned when I am reflecting on the past or looking towards what lies ahead is my feelings or perspective say quite a bit about my attitude.
If I am ‘I’ focused and only thinking about what happened to ‘Me’ during the year it is easy to get discouraged. As an example, if someone only thinks about ‘I didn’t get that job I really thought would be great for me’ then sure they will not feel good about that…if they think about things that happened in the days and weeks after not getting that job maybe that would be memories of how a friend or family member said or did something great and unexpected to lift them up. Or while discussing the rejection with someone a new opportunity presented itself for a job. It is all about perspective. If we choose to focus our thoughts on what was wrong, bad or frustrating then we are sure to feel that negative energy in everything. If we make an effort to find what was right, good or hopeful about a situation then that renewing energy will go with us.
This is true for any situation…I grant you it is not always easy to do and I battle with it myself. However, we are not meant to do this alone. Every single person has been blessed with gifts and talents and when they choose to use those blessings the way God intended them to be used they will see and feel the good that surrounds their life. I recently read the following analogy…
Every individual is a flashlight…if we try to show our light but do not have batteries inside, if we are empty, then we will not work…if we have our batteries inside but they are not being used correctly we will not work, our light will not shine…only when we are filled with good stuff and we use it correctly will our light shine…we need the love from Jesus in our hearts and when we use that gift to make the world better for even one person then our light will shine as God intended it to.
I pray that we all choose to “Let Our Light Shine” today and all throughout the New Year!
Peace and Happy New Year!
Take Your Faith With You 