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EVERYTHING IN OUR LIVES IS A GIFT |
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Categories of Gifts Given by others Time and place we were born There’s an opposite side of giftedness The common view of gifts. Bar of expectation The leaders in the early church Where will the bar be set? Explaining our pain Refocusing exercise Gifts that are Spiritual in Nature Categories of Gifts
Given by others People give us things, including their time. A definition of a gift is something we receive that we do not deserve. Most people see what they receive as a gift and are appreciative. At the same time, most people fail to keep in mind that every good, perfect gift is from above so therefore
(James 1:17) They thank the person but many times fail to thank God. When we see God as the source, we can avoid leaning too much on people who give “things” to us. Otherwise, when they either quit gifting things to us or are out of our lives, we feel an additional loss because they are no longer the source of our gifts. If we see all gifts from God, we can trust that if and when he wishes to give us similar gifts, He will.
Another category of giftedness is when and where we were born. Few people spend much time getting any kind of feel for what things are like around the world or what things were like 200 years ago.
and in the time period/historical era we now live in and set our expectations based on this. For example, we are supposed to have running water and electricity. We're supposed to be comfortable. We're supposed to have not only medical care, but good medical care. If you are fortunate enough to live in areas with access to many of the above-listed items, consider what it would be like to not have them for an extended period of time. Or even consider what it would be like to live in areas of the world that do not have them. If you did, you would view a lot of things that you now often take for granted, as gifts."
And again, when someone of the opposite sex shows interest, it can be very difficult to determine if it is for the riches or for who they are as a person.
On the opposite side, for many people, it isn’t until they get elderly that they can look back and with wisdom see the gifts they were given that they may have seen as curses in earlier years. On the deepest level, as adopted children with a loving heavenly father, we can be assured that all we receive, and
The Common View of Gifts. It is helpful to look at the level that most of us operate on. Most people see things that make their lives easier, or more fulfilling than what they had expected, as gifts.
whether it is the need to brush our teeth, complete 12-16 years or more of school, work for a living, and have to take time to care of our possessions. We have an “expectation level". That is the level that divides what is acceptable for difficulty in life and what is expected for comfort or pleasure. Bar of Expectation Our perspective in life is set by a bar of expectations that we place somewhere.
Often, older generations look at younger generations and think about how entitled they are. Many young people seem to want everything without working for it. What would happen if we were taken back to a farming society? You only eat what you grow. There's no electricity. Less than 100 years ago in North Montana, that was the case. Children younger than 10 years old were gifted with the morning chores. To survive, the cows needed milking, eggs needed gathering, and clothes were washed by hand and dried near the pot belly stove which had to be stoked. Rocks were warmed and placed in the bed so the bed wasn’t freezing. There was no such thing as a warm shower. Hot water was heated on the wood stove. Water came from a well. Kids walked to school or rode there on a horse. This is just a taste of how it was, just 100 years ago, in some parts of our country. People worked hard, very hard, just to survive. Most didn't complain. That's just the way life was. It's the way it was expected to be. The bar of expectations was very low. The leaders in the early church What kind of “bar” did the apostles have? What did they expect in terms of earthly pleasures? Paul’s view minimized some of the worst the world offered.
For the great masses at that time, there was no such thing as a pain-free existence since they had no medical care and most probably had rotting teeth. The basics of clean water, a warm shower of some sort, and any kind of comfortable bed weren't even in the thought process of people living back then. But for the apostles, they added on being mistreated.
They considered it an honor. They saw it as a gift. The bad stuff, the pain, they saw as a gift because of their perspective. Their Savior had suffered and if they were able to suffer as well, for His sake, that was an incredible gift. (Phil 1:29) They consider a gift anything they received, whether it was financial or other types of help, everything was seen as a gift. (Phil 4:10-18) Their bar of expectations for earthly pleasures and earthly comfort was on the ground. Where Will the Bar be Set? It isn’t difficult to determine where the bar is set in a person’s life. It is at the point where happiness goes away. There are bars for many aspects of life. There could be one for how much pain one is experiencing, what their financial outlook is like, or how they are treated by family members. There also may be ones for how good food tastes, or how much time they can spend watching TV, or browsing the internet. The individual sets the bar for all categories and that bar determines the amount of enjoyment they get out of life. It determines what they view as gifts.
We have an unspoken, and most of the time subconscious list for what fits below that bar. For some, being uncomfortable at all is below the bar. What does that mean? It means that for that person, any pain, any discomfort, and they believe that life isn’t good enough for them to be happy. All the other gifts they’ve been given aren’t enough. Explaining our Pain We would be ashamed and possibly find it hard to explain our unhappiness at times to people living in impoverished conditions. For example, think about a time when you were stuck in traffic. “We're wasting 20 minutes extra getting to where we want to go.” Many times we would be upset. Think of this, we could not even explain our unhappiness to somebody in Africa who's never driven a car. We couldn't explain how sitting for an extra 20 minutes was so horrible. They'd wonder if we were in pain or what horrible things happened or were going to happen. There are millions of people in the world who have to walk for water and grow their food and are living a subsistence lifestyle. They are just surviving and they are in pain.
For most of what we struggle with, if we view as gifts what they would view as gifts, we’d be overflowing with happiness in the midst of most situations that result in our grumbling. Refocusing Exercise A great exercise the next time you aren't happy about an event is to write or type out a letter explaining why you are unhappy. Assume you're going to be sending it to one of those people who's just surviving. You won't be complaining to them, simply explaining to them why you're unhappy. It's going to be a difficult task coming up with words. Hopefully, doing so will drop your bar of expectations. Gifts that are Spiritual in Nature So far, a significant amount of time has been talking about physical gifts. If we can't be thankful for all that we have around us, it is really difficult to be thankful for the unseen. Spiritual things are unseen. We are loved by God. God is love. That said, we can be thankful that we are loved by God. Go over the five ways God loves us and thank him that you are loved by him. The question to ask when you don't feel loved is,
Consider just the second of the five, that Jesus died for us. If you have trusted in Christ alone for your salvation, you are guaranteed a place in heaven, with God, for eternity. You, a sinful messed up selfish human being, are going to be able to spend eternity with love like you can't even imagine. (1 Cor 2:9) We don't see that as a gift enough because we are not following the scriptures as it says in Colossians 3:1-2.
We are so caught up in being unhappy with life at times or are so happy enjoying life that
Consider the sayings of Agur,
When people are young it's like life is ahead of them and everything is exciting. They are going to have a family and a career and go on vacation then do all the things they've been wanting to do but could not because they were too young or at home with their parents. As people grow into later years, they experience more pain and suffering, and more people dear to them die. Many times they are suffering physically from the effects of aging. Just getting through the night without pain would be seen as a blessing. For many, just walking around is a chore. The pleasures of this world are all but gone. They have the opportunity to see a bit more clearly. It is easier for them to long for heaven.
How can one get there when they're not in pain and disillusioned with life? Follow the commands quoted above from Colossians 3 .
Consider that not only are you a vapor (James 4:14) but that God is eternal. Consider the spiritual gift that the God of the universe has given you when He called you as his child. (1 John 3:2) He has adopted you into his family and nothing can take you out of that family.
Go through the five ways that God loves us. Each one is spiritual. Going through each one is a matter of setting your mind on things above, not on earthly things.
BIBLE STUDY Salvation for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. Rom 3:23-24 For the wages of sin is death, but
Rom 6:23 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God's grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! Again, the gift of God is not like the result of the one man's sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. Rom 5:15-16 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Ephesians 2:8-9 "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16 All Gifts are from God
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. I John 5:15 The Holy Spirit Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins.
Acts 2:38 Spiritual Gifts We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. Rom 12:6
faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. I Pet 4:10
But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way. I Cor 12:31 Life Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. I Peter 3:7 Gifts given to the Apostles So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to visit you in advance and finish the arrangements for the generous gift you had promised. Then it will be ready as a generous gift, not as one grudgingly given. 2 Cor 9:5 As it is written: "He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor; his righteousness endures forever." Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. 2 Cor 9:9-12 God’s gifts are good. If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children,
Matt 7:11 Peace Peace I leave with you;
I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27 Wisdom If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:5 Wealth, Possessions, and Enjoyment Moreover, when God gives any man wealth and possessions, and enables him to enjoy them, to accept his lot and be happy in his work-this is a gift of God. He seldom reflects on the days of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of heart. Eccl 5:19-20
I know that there is nothing better for men than to be happy and do good while they live. That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil-this is the gift of God. Eccl 3:12-13
God’s gifts are irrevocable
Rom 11:29
Give Thanks in Everything
I Thes 5:18
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