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In Christ, Mark
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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.
Every good and perfect gift
is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not
change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of
truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all He created.
James 1:17-18
This ends this reading
from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.
Think about any good thing
you have ever received.
Maybe it has been an
unexpected blessing of money, a car, or something else that was badly needed.
Maybe you received news of
healing from an affliction. I’ve never had cancer but I can’t imagine how
incredible it is to hear the word “remission” and the ensuing classic ringing
of the bell after leaving the treatment facility for the final time.
Maybe you welcomed a new
child into the world, becoming a parent for the first time or again, and, of
course, where there are parents, there are usually grandparents feeling excited
and grateful or even great-grandparents who are experiencing the gift of
longevity in this worldly life.
Maybe you have some talent,
like the ability to sing, play an instrument well, write, draw, play sports, or
work in some special capacity within a career field.
And then there are gifts that
others bless us with, some expected and some not.
Our birthdays, wedding
anniversaries, and holidays like Christmas, Valentine’s Day, or Father’s/Mother’s
Days bring thoughtful gifts of love from family and friends. But at other
times, maybe someone does something wonderful for you when you least expected
it. I know I often just bring a dozen roses home for my wife, not because it’s
a special occasion but rather to just remind her how much I love her. And when
I am at a store, I often will pay for the person’s item or items who are behind
me in the checkout line. I remember there was one time I did this when the
woman behind me began to cry because of my generosity and kindness. She shared
that there had been a death in her family and she was buying things for the
funeral reception. I had no idea about that but you know who did?
Our Almighty God...and He
wanted to bless that woman with a gift through me.
Friends, this needs to be the
way we view any good thing that happens to us. We need to see it as a perfect
gift from God because as we see in our scripture verses from James, chapter 1
today, He is the source of all good gifts. James writes this to his audience,
the first century Hebrew Christians:
Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down
from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting
shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be
a kind of first fruits of all He created. Vv. 17-18
God’s word to us is crystal
clear. He tells us that every good and perfect gift comes from Him, the “Father
of the heavenly lights” and so we should fist give thanks to Him anytime we
experience a blessing in our life, no matter what that blessing is.
This passage also reminds us
of one more special gift that God has given every single Christian and that’s
the blessing of being born again, something that has to happen for someone to
come to salvation. Here’s what Jesus said about it as He spoke with Nicodemus,
a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin council:
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who
was a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said,
“Rabbi, we know that You are a Teacher who has come from God. For no one could
perform the signs You are doing if God were not with Him.”
Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see
the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”
“How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus
asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be
born!”
Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can
enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. Flesh
gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be
surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it
pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where
it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”
“How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.
“You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you
not understand these things? Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know,
and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our
testimony. I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how
then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? No one has ever gone into Heaven
except the One who came from heaven—the Son of Man. Just as Moses lifted up the
snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who
believes may have eternal life in Him.”
“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. For
God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the
world through Him. Whoever believes in Him is not condemned, but whoever does
not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name
of God’s one and only Son.” John 3:1-18
Jesus makes it clear that before
a person can enter Heaven, the very Kingdom of God, they must be reborn into
the Holy Spirit and that only happens when someone places their belief in Jesus
as Savior. Consider these words of the Lord spoken through the Apostle Paul as
he writes in the eighth chapter of his letter to the Romans:
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but
are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And
if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But
if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of
sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of Him
who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the
dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of His Spirit who lives
in you.
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an
obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live
according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the
misdeeds of the body, you will live.
For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the
children of God. The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you
live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption
to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies
with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are
heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in His
sufferings in order that we may also share in His glory. Vv. 9-17
When someone chooses to
believe in Jesus, they are reborn, becoming a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17)
while gaining many good and perfect gifts
from the God who provides them all.
1. They belong to Christ
Jesus.
2. They receive the gift of
the Holy Spirit who leads them away from spiritual death to righteous spiritual
living and the assurance of eternal life which is number 3.
3. They gain the saving of
their souls and the assurance of blessed eternal life with God the Father and
His Son, the Savior Jesus.
4. They become a child of the
God Most High, and kinsperson to Jesus, His Son.
5. They gain an inheritance
to Heaven, the Kingdom of God, as co-heirs with Christ Jesus.
Brothers and sisters, God
lavishes us with good gifts and in response, we should do nothing less than
show Him perpetual gratitude, lifting up our praise to Him. Satan wants to keep
you from this by shining a spotlight on all the negative things in your life. Counter
his efforts by counting your blessings every day and you will constantly be
reminded of how very gracious the Lord has been to you, not just in the present
but rather guaranteeing you will be blessed for all eternity.
Amen.
In Christ,
Mark
PS: Feel free to leave a
comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send
any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.
