EVERYTHING in our lives is a gift

We need to see that the foundation of our, our viewpoint as we're going through life that really transforms life is everything in life's a gift. Everything. And our, our struggles, our depression, or any kind of pride we have, we think we're all that compared to somebody else.

You're not thinking everything's a gift because if everything's a gift, what would you have to think you're better than somebody else? Well, I'm better at this. I-I-I-I-I got a stronger relationship with God there. Well, where'd you get that from? Who, who gave you that desire to seek to, to get into the word and, and get to know it?

“What do you have that you have not been given? And if you have been given it, why do you boast?”

(1 Cor 4:7)

Yeah. And so if we have this attitude as we're going through life, it transforms things. because you wake up in the morning and start thinking, what are my gifts for today? Wow. Let's see. I'm not in pain. I'm not really hungry. I'm pretty warm overall. Wow. I have freedom in this country. I'm not going to have, don't have to worry about something coming in and causing harm to me, that's pretty, I mean that there are lots of places in the world and lots of times in the world where the foremost thing people are thinking of is how they're going to keep themselves and their family from being killed, raped, or injured real bad. Right? It's, it's self-preservation at every moment. Whether it's crime or whatever's going on or animals in different places or whatever it might be. That's the foremost thing.

And you think, you mean you could wake up and you have no worries about what's going to happen in the next hour? No. Don't you know what kind of gift that is? It's a gift. But what do we do?

We get used to it because we get complacent

and we don't trust God for all the things that he's given us.

We don't see him as the giver of everything. And we think we are entitled.

We have an expectation to wake up with no pain and no discomfort. And so when we do wake up with no pain, no discomfort, we go, oh well that of course you're supposed to have that. It's a gift. There are all kinds of people who have all kinds of pain, all kinds of discomfort. It's a gift.

Everything is a Gift - 2 (Audio )

Take heed when you think you stand, lest you fall. (1 Corinthians 10:12) And scripture says,

"Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought."

Alright? But think of yourself with sober judgment each according to the measure of grace God has given you. (Romans 12:3) Alright?

So we need to think ourselves according to what God's given us.

And it's a gift from God. Everything's a gift from God.

In fact, it's interesting, you think of people who earn money or are successful at things, right? And, and scripture says and, and don't, I don't know if I don't, I can quote the verse, but it says, don't, don't look at what you've earned and say, I've earned it. I've earned that. I deserve that. He said, who gave you the ability to earn? That's what the scripture says. Who gave you the ability to earn? (Deuteronomy 8:17-18)

And if so, why do you boast as if you did it yourself? (1 Cor 4:17) So yours and my best accomplishments in life, the best accomplishments we do, the things we go, wow, I can do better than a thousand different guys. It doesn't matter because guess who gave you the ability? God.

I can still run. It's a gift from God. When I was 16, I ran cross country and I went to the doctor. He said "You have an extra beat in your heart that makes you good for endurance." So can I go boast about it? Oh, I worked out hard. I did this, I did that. No, it's completely a gift from God.

Do I have to do my work to stay healthy? Yeah, keep trim, keep working out. You have to do! We've been given a gift.

What do you do with a gift?

Go stick it in the closet? Say, oh, here it is. You know, oh, there we go. Thank you God; I got it all put away. What does God say when he gave the talent? He said,

Take the talents and do something with them.

(Matthew 25:14-30)

Why do I go work out? Why do I run? Why do I do? I say, I've been given a gift. It would be wrong for me not to enjoy the gift, to do what I can with the gift to be in good shape. If you're given a gift, why? Why not do something with it?

If you're given a gift of whatever you're given, the gifts are from God and they've given them to you. And they're all different for everybody else. (I Corinthians 12:14-17) Running doesn't do anything for the kingdom, okay? Doesn't do anything for the kingdom. But in scripture says, physical workout has some value. So it, does it have value? Yes. Even the Bible says it has some value, but spiritual things have everlasting value. (1 Timothy 4:8) So

God's given each of you gifts and abilities, and he wants you to use them.

(Romans 12:6-8)

He, you need to seek him. What's going on? What do you want me to do? (James 1:5-8) How do you want me to do it? And seek God.

Seek him with all your heart. And you find the answers.

THE GOOD WE GIVE TO OTHERS CAME FROM GOD (Audio )

I wanted to let you know when I'm here talking to you it's not a sacrifice for me. I'm so blessed because, I know that when God is, when I say speaking through me, He's bringing to remembrance scripture and biblical truth. He doesn't speak through me in a miraculous way than that. Like, it's, my words are His words or anything like that. But

when truth is passed on from any one person to another, and that person receives that, it, that's like a battle that's been won.

It's like watching a war going on. And Satan's power is in the lie. All right? And, that's where it's at. That's his, his entire power is lying to us. He doesn't have a power other than the lie. And he is the liar. John 8:44 And when we all believe lies of different sorts, and my goal when I'm talking to all of you is to take those lies and take that box that has a lie and change it to a truth. And that's the goal.

And when I see those lights being turned on, where you go,

"Oh yeah, I don't need to react to somebody."

"Oh, yeah. Everything in life is a gift."

Oh, yeah. When having difficult times, "I can say, God, you're all loving, you're all-powerful, and you got this."

and I see the lights turn on where you go, yeah, that works. It blesses me beyond what you can imagine. It's like we're, it's like the Holy Spirit when, whenever we are showing love to others because every good and perfect gift is from above. Scripture says, every good and perfect gift coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

So every bit of, and this is how we know what love is, not that we love God, but that he loved us. 1 John 4:10

So all the good and all the love is from God. So

when we go and we touch somebody else's life, we're touching with God's love.

We're a vessel. And that means that God's love and his goodness is flowing through us.

And we get some after-effects of that. And so when we're sharing and giving good things to other people, you, we get something out of it. Because

the God of the universe is glorifying himself through us.

We're, we're, we're showing His glory. Let your light shine before men because they may see your good deeds and give praise to your Father in heaven. Why would they give praise to your father in heaven? Matt 5:16 It's because they see the good deed you're doing, and they know it's coming from God when that light is shining. And so that's what I get out of it, which is a lot. I get a lot out of being here.

NO ENTITLEMENT (Audio )

It's one of your Foundations. Everything in life is a gift. Everything is a gift. If you see everything is a gift, everything, how can you not be thankful? What happens is we get lulled into thinking that we have an expectation for life to be a certain way. And

we set this bar, life is supposed to be this way. And when life is less than "that good," then we get upset.

If it's better than "that good," then we're okay. But we set this bar and we have an expectation.

We deserve things. People are supposed to act a certain way to me. I'm supposed to get this certain thing. It's called entitlement.

And it's the opposite of Christianity because there is no entitlement.

Okay? "What do you have that you did not receive" and get what he says next.

"And if you did receive it,"

if it's a gift, if you're not entitled to it,

"why do you boast as though you did not?"

(1 Cor 4:7)

He said, you're actually boasting, you're actually being prideful. When you think it's you deserve it and it's not a gift. "What do you have that you not receive?" What do you have that you say, Hey, this, I did this. And, and, and the scripture also says, it says, "you may say, the work of my hands produces wealth for me," for guys that might be, I worked out and I can bench press 300 or whatever it might be. Or you ladies whatever you might do. You, you say, I did this. It says, "you may say, the work of my hands produces wealth for me, but who gave you the ability to work?" (Deut 8:17-18)

AUDIENCE: God. Jesus.

That's it. It's all there. Who gave you the ability? That's it. And he blesses through other people to teach us stuff and help us.

And there's gifts everywhere. And if we just stop and, and rest in that, and think about it, there's just a peace that comes over us.