Rejecting and Returning Gifts

Recently I was reflecting back years and years ago. You know those memories that haunt; the ones that leave your cheeks bright red and make you feel guilt over something long ago forgotten by everyone but you.

It was Christmas. I was maybe seven or eight, and I wanted one thing and one thing alone: Chrissy. She was a 'My Size Baby' and there were none quite like her. I tore into boxes and packages wrapped in Santa Clause and snowflakes. Disappointment followed disappointment and eventually it set in- there was no life size doll under the tree for me.

When I was a child I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child. I returned every gift that year simply because I didn't get the one gift I thought would turn my world upside-down. What a childish child I was. I can't even recall what I did with the money I received from my returns, only that I didn't come out with enough to buy that life changing doll. I would be miserable for the rest of my life.

How and why did my parents put up with me? What in the world were they thinking? After all the searching through ads, standing in lines, deciphering this gift or that- and I simply turned up my nose and rejected the many gifts purchased and wrapped just for me.

How disappointing that morning must have been for them. They sat there anxious to see the expressions, hear the squeals, and catch the moments in pictures that would bring back memories for years and generations. Instead they saw dissatisfaction and ungratefulness; felt frustration and rejection.

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards

of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the

oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God

supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through

Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion

forever and ever. Amen.

~1 Peter 4:11

God has carefully and meticulously bestowed spiritual gifts to each and every one of us. These gifts are unique, and they are necessary for the entire body of Christ. He has intentionally given you gifts that are unlike my gifts. Do we turn our nose to the gifts God has skillfully woven into our being because we see another gift? Are we looking at something more useful or satisfying; something grander and greater?

If God is a God that can feel disappointment and rejection- and surely He is- does He not ache as we carelessly cast aside the unique gifts He offers us- the unique gifts He offers his children? I've been on both ends of the equation. I've been the rejecting receiver and the rejected giver. I've disregarded the precious gifts along with the heart of the beloved giver. I've also labored exhaustively in search of the perfect gift- needing to show through my giving how cherished, treasured, and special an individual is, only to have my intentions and thoughts tossed aside like soiled rags.

Have you seen the joy and surprise on the face of a loved one because of your gift? Have you experienced the satisfaction of watching that loved one use and share that gift? Nothing compares to those emotions. How fulfilling. How gratifying.

To even attempt rejecting God's gifts to us, as I did my parent's gift to me as a child, in search of something more fulfilling, is nothing less than telling God His gift to me is worthless and useless. To reject His perfect gift in search of a greater gift is to reject the perfect God in search of a greater god. What foolishness this is and fools we are. In refusing our gifts, we come to find we have nothing left, and the gift we are striving for will always be out of reach and unattainable. We will be left miserable for the rest of our lives.

How can God entrust great things to one who will not thankfully

receive from Him the little things?

~Dietrich Bonhoefer

What has God gifted you to do? Are you called to encourage, lead and guide, discern and teach, labor through servant hood by reaching out to widows, opening your home with hospitality, feeding the hungry, going as a missionary, sending missionaries, receiving missionaries, ministering through music, offering words of wisdom or discernment? Not only do we disappoint and reject Him by casting aside our gift, but also by neglecting to recognize that gift. Seek out and ask for your gift! Obey and glorify God through the usage of an irreplaceable gift He has placed in you and you alone.

Now's your time to share with me. Let's stir one another up and share one another's gifts. God has given me a gift to teach others with His Word. What has He gifted you to do? Walk in obedience!

For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. ~1 Corinthians 12:14-20

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The Power of Relationship Part II

If you haven’t read The Power of Relationship Part I, go there now.

Yesterday I compared the electricity running through a city’s electrical lines to the power we find in relationships. Today I want to talk just a little more about these relationships and a thing called discipleship.

When we think of disciples, our minds automatically envision the twelve close followers of Jesus: Peter, Andrew, James (son of Zebedee), John, Philip, Bartholomew, Thomas, Matthew, James (son of Alphaeus), Lebbaeus (also known as Thaddaeus), Simon, and last (and certainly least), Judas Iscariot. This word disciple appears 268 times in 252 verses in the King James Bible and is defined by Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance as a learner or pupil. If we were to look at all 268 uses of this word however, we would see that Jesus had far more than twelve disciples. Luke 19:37 reveals a multitude of disciples rejoicing and praising God, and Acts 9:36 tells us Jesus’ disciples were not just men, but women, in this case Tabitha. Finally, in Matthew 28:19 Jesus commands His disciples to “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” Conclusion- Jesus had many disciples and we are commanded to make more.

The fellowship I attend focuses heavily on discipleship locally and globally. One of our elders shared his passion regarding discipleship using the idea of a checker board and grains of rice. He explained that each square on the board represents one year and each grain of rice represents one individual. This individual

takes two other individuals, spends time fellowshipping together, praying together, teaching about developing a quiet time, and about sharing the faith. This process is called discipling. After about a year, each of these two individuals go and do likewise with two other individuals. If this process were to continue until all 64 squares were covered, you would have enough grains of rice to cover the entire state of Oregon 13 feet deep! In fact, he goes on to explain that by the 33^rd year (or square) you would exceed the number of people on the earth!

Do you see how much power there is in relationship? Do you see how effective discipleship is? Jesus left us with a command that is not only vital to the church but completely doable. If each of us takes the time to share our faith, our testimony, our time with two others, we have the potential to reach the world for Christ in less than 33 years! We have the ability to make a difference in our town, our state, our country, the world, and most importantly, the Kingdom of God. I would love to hear how you are discipling others and what your fellowship does to encourage  discipleship. Please share your vision with us. And if you need prayer in this area, as I certainly do, leave a comment and I will pray for you.

“Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey, a colt, a foal of a

donkey.’” So the disciples went and did as

Jesus commanded them.

-Matthew 21:5-6

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Green Eyed Monster

Someone recently said something shocking to me: “Your hair looks good like that. You look good no matter how you wear your hair. I bet people hate you.” Now, please don’t think I share this to boast in the compliment. I share this because I was speechless at the words “I bet people hate you.” People hate me because of my hair? Really?  Who would come up with such a thing? Surely this isn’t true! No, I don’t think anyone hates me because of my hair. I’ve seen luscious locks worth hating over, and my two inches are not! However, this comment forced me to examine my own heart. Do I have a heart that would hate someone for something so small? Am I capable of such a thing? My quick response was yes! I absolutely have a heart of jealousy. I hate women that don't have to wash their hair everyday! There, I said it and it’s out there. Now I am utterly and completely transparent before you, and I don’t like it one bit!

Regardless, it’s true. I was immediately reminded of my own jealousy toward others in my life. How I’ve been envious of God’s people: His amazing musicians and singers, His incredible teachers, His missionaries, His super wives and moms. How I’ve been envious in the smaller things such as the beauty or physique of a woman, a high paying or high status job, a beautiful house, or the character and abilities of other children, wishing they belonged instead to mine. Do you see how wretched I am?! Rather than view them as what they really are- God’s gifts (1 Cor 12)- and praise God for those gifts in others, I have allowed my heart to fester with anger, greed, envy, and resentment.

I can recall numerous examples of jealousy throughout the scriptures:

·   From the beginning of creation, Eve was jealous of God’s ability to know good and evil (Gen 3) and ate of the forbidden fruit.

·   Shortly after, Cain became jealous of his brother Abel’s offering and acceptance by God, resulting in his brother’s murder (Gen 4).

·   A second murder took place when David, jealous of Uriah’s wife, had Uriah killed in order to take her as his own (2 Sam 11).

·   I recall Miriam and Aaron rallying together and speaking against the leadership of their brother Moses, conferring that the Lord did not only speak through him, but them as well (Num 12). Their hearts of envy aroused the anger of the Lord leaving Miriam a stricken leper.

·   We can’t leave out Joseph’s brothers, selling him as a slave to Ishmaelite travelers because they were jealous of their father’s love and favor toward the chosen brother (Gen 37).

·   Possibly the greatest example of jealousy is found in all four of the epistles: the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Jealous of His miracles, jealous of His countless followers, jealous of His prophesied rise to power, Jesus was betrayed and offered up to be crucified.

Now we know that not all jealousy is of the evil one because God is a jealous God (Ex 20:50). We also know that God is not self seeking and the envy I speak of is completely selfish, and demonic (Jas 3:16). So why do I ramble on? Because jealousy is real and it is everywhere, even in our churches, and jealousy births anger, resentment, even murder. Rather than allow jealousy to rule our lives and divide the body of Christ, we must ask God to search our hearts, to reveal to us any wicked jealousy, and lead us in the way everlasting (Ps 139:23-24). Please don’t let something as simple as hair, or God’s gift in a brother or sister stir up jealousy in your heart.

Wrath is cruel and anger a torrent, but who is able to stand before jealousy?

~Proverbs 27:4

Run For It!

Run For It!

I’ve recently contracted a bug: the running/workout bug. Isn’t it exciting to realize you are capable of doing something you never thought you could? How exhilarating to press on and push forward, then look back and see just how far you’ve come!  Now don’t get me wrong, I’m no marathon runner. It would actually be more accurate to call myself a jogger rather than a runner. However, my accomplishment of being able push myself for thirty minutes is hardly a small one in my eyes. Yes, there are those moments when I start looking at fitness giants tackling four hour marathons or even triathlons and my thirty minutes quickly morph into something hardly worth getting excited about. Aside from these occasional moments of comparison and discouragement, my running experience has been such a blessing.  And I am learning a few things about myself in the process.

1. I can only go as far as I push myself.  I will consistently lose momentum at the one mile mark if I don’t push myself to go further.  Once I push harder, forcing myself beyond that mile, then I begin building endurance, get stronger, and will go further the next time.

2. I am discovering parts of my body that do not like to cooperate. My somewhat smaller, weaker leg will burn and scream in protest, many times convincing my brain and the rest of my body that unless we stop now we shall surely die. Or my lungs will ache, unable to suck in adequate oxygen, alarming my brain of some imagined danger. However, these parts of my body are just that, a small part of a larger body, and they must not be allowed to decide that I will not reach my full potential.

3. Small goals lead to success! Large goals can result in death. I can tell myself to run to the next stop sign and then feel great accomplishment when I reach that stop sign, or even go a little further. However if my goal is not the next stop sign, but the next five stop signs, and I don’t make that goal, I am setting myself up for discouragement, failure, and a lack of desire to get out there tomorrow and set another goal.

As a follower of Christ I can take these small lessons in daily running and apply them to my daily walk: 1. I can choose to stay where I’m comfortable and never reach my full potential in the gifts God has given me, or I can take a risk, ask God to use me, and make myself more available to Him. This makes my faith and walk stronger each day. 2. I have an obligation to my Lord and His people as a part of the body of Christ. I can choose to actively fill that role using the gifts God has placed in me (such as writing something small and sharing it daily), or I can hold myself and the body as a whole back by complaining, grumbling, or not trusting what God is doing when the road is difficult and sometimes painful. 3. Rather than having unrealistic expectations, I can set small goals for myself and then walk in them.  Rather than decide to read the whole bible in a year, I can tell myself to read for 5 minutes every day for a week.  Now that is something I can do! I can likewise support others in their “small” successes, encouraging them to go just a little further each day in this walk with Jesus.  I pray that this blog is one way I can accomplish that!

Comments, opposing views, additional insight?  Please do share!  I am having a blast sharing with you and I truly hope you feel free to do the same!

At the time, discipline isn't much fun. It always feels like it's going against the grain. Later, of course, it pays off handsomely, for it's the well-trained who find themselves mature in their relationship with God. So don't sit around on your hands! No more dragging your feet! Clear the path for long-distance runners so no one will trip and fall, so no one will step in a hole and sprain an ankle. Help each other out. And run for it!

~Hebrews 12:11-13 (The Message)