10/7/2020 – Pastor Brian’s Blog
Like you, I have been around cheapskates before, but this guy… I think he must be the worst!! One day this man went to the grocery store with his wife to go shopping. As she filled her cart with goods, he strolled over to the card section and selected a beautiful card for her. Finding her among the pickles and relishes, he gave her the card, watched with joy while she read it, gave her a little hug and then… returned the card to the rack!!
Well, in one way, I guess that card is a gift that keeps on giving, but that is so different than the gifts that God gives us…
“If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!”
Luke 11:13
As believers, our identity is not in what we can attain, what abilities or talents we have or what we can accomplish with our lives. Neither are you defined by your failures, your deficiencies, your poor parenting, your debt or those wrong impulsive choices that you made. Our identity is that we are God’s children, because He has given us the gift of His Holy Spirit.
With the gift of the Holy Spirit, we receive a full time counselor…
And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever.
John 14:16
Just imagine how much money could be directed from counseling sessions to God’s work if more Christians would take advantage of God’s gift that just keeps on giving … our own personal counselor!
When we accept God’s gift of the Holy Spirit, we receive a seal from God that will last for all eternity…
Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set His seal of ownership on us, and put His Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Remember that verse… “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” Don’t ever think that The Devil runs because of you! He runs because of the seal you bear! God has staked His claim on your life and you are secure, not only for now, but for all eternity!
God’s gift of the Holy Spirit is committed to stay with you…
Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?
Psalm 139:7
Do you think the coronavirus can get you and the Spirit doesn’t know it? Do you believe that you have to walk through a painful divorce, a loss of a job, or a financial crisis alone? Don’t believe that lie from your adversary the devil, remember you have a gift that keeps on giving every moment of every day: the presence of God.
You may have people working against you, you might have people that want to see you fail, but never forget, you have a Gift from God that never stops working for you…
In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness.
Romans 8:26
The Spirit that helped Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane is the same Spirit that can help you in your darkest night. That Spirit that empowered the disciples to do miracles, can also do a miracle for you. The Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, is the same Spirit that will see you safely to heaven.
Think that you have nothing to offer others? Think again! …
There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7
Without exception, each Christian has been given a spiritual gift, a gift that is beneficial for the Body of Christ.
Satan wants you to think you are worthless, but remember, you are very important to God! You are like no one else ever created, and God has given you His Spirit to be with you. Don’t try to live your life through someone else, don’t try to just blend in; be who God made you to be and allow the Holy Spirit to do what He does best… make you into the image of God.
Last Saturday morning during my quiet time, I was rejoicing in all the ministry opportunities that God has allowed Judy and I to be involved in. I thought about the places we have been, the people we have met and the things we have been able to do. To be honest, it was really quite overwhelming. As I look back on August 10, 1973 when Judy and I were married in a little town in Maine; our plans and our dreams were so far below what God had planned for us.
Maybe it is time for you to take time and thank God for His Gift that keeps on giving, the Holy Spirit. Look and see if you are taking advantage of God’s Gift, and if you are not, recommit yourself to Him and allow God to make you what He created you to be. Allow God’s Gift to do its work, and I can assure you, you will never be sorry.
The last verse of John Newton’s song “Amazing Grace” goes like this… “When we’ve been there ten thousand years, bright shining as the sun, we’ve no less days to sing God’s praise than when we first begun.”
May this song remind us to be thankful for God’s Gift that keeps on giving…
