2 Corinthians 4:7 - But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
The lesson of value can be learned as a child, but some do not learn and must learn later in life. As a child you soon grow accustomed to whatever lifestyle you grow up in. If you do not have much or your family cannot afford to give all of the things they would want to give due to lack of finances or hardships you learn to grow accustomed to that lifestyle, and you may think about how nice it would be to have the finer things work hard and you eventually obtain them…or you could think about having the finer things and make excuses as to why you can never have those things and never get them. Another thing you might do is learn how to deal with the situation or make due with what you’ve been given and improvise.
The lesson of value can be learned as a child, but some do not learn and must learn later in life. As a child you soon grow accustomed to whatever lifestyle you grow up in. If you do not have much or your family cannot afford to give all of the things they would want to give due to lack of finances or hardships you learn to grow accustomed to that lifestyle, and you may think about how nice it would be to have the finer things work hard and you eventually obtain them…or you could think about having the finer things and make excuses as to why you can never have those things and never get them. Another thing you might do is learn how to deal with the situation or make due with what you’ve been given and improvise.
In most cases of improvising you get the same results, as the people who have more resources and income to have a better lifestyle your results are just a little different. For example, have you ever had to put foil on the television antennas to make the picture come in on your 4-inch television screen? Well you have a picture just like the person who has cable, and a big screen television. It just looks different. What about you are really in the mood for something to eat and there is not much in the house…have you ever made a meal out of sugar, bologna, cheese, crackers, or toasted bread? When you get finished you have eaten just as the person who had steak…it just looks different. What about using an extension cord as a belt (to hold up your pants, and to beat the kids!) I’m sure at some point we have all had to improvise.
On the adverse side, if you have grown up with a higher income and you have never had to worry about having the finer things you grow accustomed to that lifestyle as well. You either think life is supposed to be like this and you will expect things to just come to you or to be given to you all of the time, or you will understand that you must work to either develop or keep this type of lifestyle; it is a privilege and if you do not value it you can loose it all. When I say loose it all, I mean whenever you do not value what have or have been given you will eventually loose it because you will not treat or handle it right.
God loves us enough to take things away from us because he is not interested in just handing us things, but he wants us to appreciate and to value what he has given. Think about when you give a gift to someone, you worked to get the money to purchase it, or maybe you put your time and effort into making the gift. Whatever you did, it took thought, time, and energy to come up with it and you want the person to appreciate and value what you have given to them. The person’s reaction when they get it is not how we measure how a person values the gift we have given to them. No, it is how the person handle’s the gift. Have you found yourself watching to see how the person not only reacts (that can tell you something too), but how they treat the gift? Do they use it, are they proud of it, do they hide it, do they wear it, do they just throw it around, how do they handle it? You pay attention because you gave them the gift and you would hope that they appreciate it enough because of whom it came from and what you had to go through so that they could have it. If the person does not treat it right you (in most cases) become bothered. You may not say anything but you feel it. And the more it has happened to you, the less you give either to that particular person, or to anyone. How many Christmas’ can you remember when you worked so hard to give your children a nice Christmas filled with presents, toys, candy and clothes? They were so excited to get the gifts but later they lost the pleasure of the gift, lost pieces, broke it, or just threw it off in a corner. Or maybe they didn’t like what you gave them, or maybe they did not get their favorite toy or what they really wanted so they turned up their nose at your gift(s). Or how about the kids who would even trade with one of their friends for something of a lesser value which made no sense to trade but because kids do those kinds of things? Can you imagine how you would feel or have felt? Hurt, angry, taken advantage of, not appreciated, mistreated, possibly all of the above I’m sure.
The same is with God, he has given all of us many precious gifts, for example: Life, Salvation, Spiritual Gifts, Natural Gifts, and People (to name a few).
Life – you may not have what you may have hoped for, or maybe you do not have what you once had but you are still here.
In keeping with the theme, have you ever thought maybe because we haven’t valued what he has already given, he is not going to give us what we want, or he has taken some things away from us because we have not valued his precious gifts?
How do we value our lives? Are we abusing our bodies, which is the temple? (What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19) Do we take foolish risks, which put our lives in jeopardy time after time? Are we eating right, keeping up with our health? How we handle our lives shows God how thankful we are for the gift of life.
Salvation – God gave us a gift we could not give ourselves, we could not purchase it if we wanted to. And we cannot pay it back. The death on the cross was a sacrifice, from God for everyone one of us. Some choose to accept the gift, others choose not to. Some abuse the gift and others are faithful. God knows that we could not possibly do anything that could equal what he did for us so it is not about repaying the loan or giving God a gift in return, it is about valuing the opportunity we have at an abundant life in him. It is about living a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God our father; not pleasing to our family, our friends, or us; but pleasing to God. Delighting in the Lord (Delight thyself also in the LORD…Psalm 37:4) in the steps that have been assigned to our lives. (The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Psalm 37:23)
Spiritual Gifts and Abilities – We have all been given some sort of gift(s) from God that is spiritual, for the advancement of God’s Kingdom, or for edifying the body, reaching the lost, and for strengthening ourselves in the Lord. How we use these gifts is important. First we must recognize the giver of the gift(s) and realize we do not deserve the gift and you owe it to the giver to value what has been given. Using the gift for any other reason than it was intended is abuse (abnormal use) and saying to the giver, “I don’t value your gift to me.”
Ex - Imagine giving someone a pair of shoes, and one day they are working around the house building a wall and cannot find their hammer. They grab one of the shoes you gave them to beat a nail into a piece of wood. Or again, you buy someone a pair of shoes and now they feel that they are the best dresser in the city. No one can match them because no one has the shoes they were given as a gift so they become proud and arrogant.
We must allow the gift to be more important, or think that because we have the gift we are so better than those who may not have that gift or that we have the gift because we are so good, or because we even deserved it. Another abnormal use is not recognizing the gift that has been given. Not using a gift is just as bad as using a gift the wrong way. Using a gift shows again you have value the giver and the gift. God is watching us to see that we are using what he has given to us. And those who may choose to not use the gifts; he will take them away and give them to someone who is using their gifts. (Talents, Matthew 25:25-30)
Natural Gifts – These gifts have been given to us to provide increase and income so we may provide for ourselves, our family, the less fortunate, and to sow into the kingdom. How we handle these gifts is again, a sign of how we value God, and what he has given to us. The scripture says, “Your gift will make room for you and bring you before great men.” I believe that is our gift being used in the proper place determined by God, and maximizing the gift to bring about an increase. God wants us to advance and we must seek him to find the assignment or the place we can utilize and maximize our gifts.
People – We have been given various types of people in our lives: fathers, mothers, siblings, children, other family, friends, mates, spiritual family, etc. How we handle these gifts is another message to God. I believe this is the area where abuse the most. Either we do not see the person as a gift, or we are so focused on ourselves we cannot see past us. So we only see how we feel, we only see what we need, what we want. We expect to be given to, but we do not expect to give. We expect a breakthrough, but we do not want to breakthrough for someone else. God has given people to help us get to our next level(s), and to help them get to where they must go. If we do not value the people God has given to us he will take them away from us, or they will not be the blessing they could be to us. Another reason I believe we do not value people is because of our past. Most people are wounded for countless reasons, so we either do not trust anyone else, or we are trying to find something in someone they cannot provide, or we simply cannot connect because we are so in touch with what we are missing or the hurt of our past. Even though it may be due to hurt, and pain we are still abusing the gifts God has given to us.
Jesus says this in Matthew 6:19-21
19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
You will know what we value by how we treat what we have. Our heart will be seen clearly in it. In this passage Jesus is not speaking about natural things, but we can use the same principal to know the value we place on things based on how we act accordingly. We can find ourselves focused on those things we deem important. Would to God we would handle the things of God with care, and find our hearts desire is to please He whom has sent us.
I was inspired by the Lord to write this, I had no unction other than through Him to write on such a subject. The more I began to write, I began reflect on my life and how I have shown God how little I appreciate the gifts he has given to me. It sounds bad to say that and most of us would not want to admit it, but as I looked over my life I have not always valued these 5 areas where God has given gifts to me; Life, Salvation, Spiritual & Natural gifts, and people. Not just that the gifts of people; people have given gifts of time, energy, money, sacrifices, friendship, commitment, faithfulness, loyalty, and love. I am sorry to say I have not valued all that has been given to me. As I continued to write, I began to repent and ask God to forgive me for not valuing him, and for not valuing his gifts. And I now repent and ask anyone who may read this who has been a gift to me, please accept my sincere apology for not valuing you or your gift(s) to me.
I encourage everyone reading this to do as I have done…look deep within and judge yourself. If you feel that you have not valued God or his gifts to you ask God to forgive you, and then make the decision to value and not abuse God or gifts. At that point you can then, “Let the Healing Begin.” (Bishop Paul Morton – Season’s Change #11)
On the adverse side, if you have grown up with a higher income and you have never had to worry about having the finer things you grow accustomed to that lifestyle as well. You either think life is supposed to be like this and you will expect things to just come to you or to be given to you all of the time, or you will understand that you must work to either develop or keep this type of lifestyle; it is a privilege and if you do not value it you can loose it all. When I say loose it all, I mean whenever you do not value what have or have been given you will eventually loose it because you will not treat or handle it right.
God loves us enough to take things away from us because he is not interested in just handing us things, but he wants us to appreciate and to value what he has given. Think about when you give a gift to someone, you worked to get the money to purchase it, or maybe you put your time and effort into making the gift. Whatever you did, it took thought, time, and energy to come up with it and you want the person to appreciate and value what you have given to them. The person’s reaction when they get it is not how we measure how a person values the gift we have given to them. No, it is how the person handle’s the gift. Have you found yourself watching to see how the person not only reacts (that can tell you something too), but how they treat the gift? Do they use it, are they proud of it, do they hide it, do they wear it, do they just throw it around, how do they handle it? You pay attention because you gave them the gift and you would hope that they appreciate it enough because of whom it came from and what you had to go through so that they could have it. If the person does not treat it right you (in most cases) become bothered. You may not say anything but you feel it. And the more it has happened to you, the less you give either to that particular person, or to anyone. How many Christmas’ can you remember when you worked so hard to give your children a nice Christmas filled with presents, toys, candy and clothes? They were so excited to get the gifts but later they lost the pleasure of the gift, lost pieces, broke it, or just threw it off in a corner. Or maybe they didn’t like what you gave them, or maybe they did not get their favorite toy or what they really wanted so they turned up their nose at your gift(s). Or how about the kids who would even trade with one of their friends for something of a lesser value which made no sense to trade but because kids do those kinds of things? Can you imagine how you would feel or have felt? Hurt, angry, taken advantage of, not appreciated, mistreated, possibly all of the above I’m sure.
The same is with God, he has given all of us many precious gifts, for example: Life, Salvation, Spiritual Gifts, Natural Gifts, and People (to name a few).
Life – you may not have what you may have hoped for, or maybe you do not have what you once had but you are still here.
In keeping with the theme, have you ever thought maybe because we haven’t valued what he has already given, he is not going to give us what we want, or he has taken some things away from us because we have not valued his precious gifts?
How do we value our lives? Are we abusing our bodies, which is the temple? (What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19) Do we take foolish risks, which put our lives in jeopardy time after time? Are we eating right, keeping up with our health? How we handle our lives shows God how thankful we are for the gift of life.
Salvation – God gave us a gift we could not give ourselves, we could not purchase it if we wanted to. And we cannot pay it back. The death on the cross was a sacrifice, from God for everyone one of us. Some choose to accept the gift, others choose not to. Some abuse the gift and others are faithful. God knows that we could not possibly do anything that could equal what he did for us so it is not about repaying the loan or giving God a gift in return, it is about valuing the opportunity we have at an abundant life in him. It is about living a life that is pleasing and acceptable to God our father; not pleasing to our family, our friends, or us; but pleasing to God. Delighting in the Lord (Delight thyself also in the LORD…Psalm 37:4) in the steps that have been assigned to our lives. (The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way. Psalm 37:23)
Spiritual Gifts and Abilities – We have all been given some sort of gift(s) from God that is spiritual, for the advancement of God’s Kingdom, or for edifying the body, reaching the lost, and for strengthening ourselves in the Lord. How we use these gifts is important. First we must recognize the giver of the gift(s) and realize we do not deserve the gift and you owe it to the giver to value what has been given. Using the gift for any other reason than it was intended is abuse (abnormal use) and saying to the giver, “I don’t value your gift to me.”
Ex - Imagine giving someone a pair of shoes, and one day they are working around the house building a wall and cannot find their hammer. They grab one of the shoes you gave them to beat a nail into a piece of wood. Or again, you buy someone a pair of shoes and now they feel that they are the best dresser in the city. No one can match them because no one has the shoes they were given as a gift so they become proud and arrogant.
We must allow the gift to be more important, or think that because we have the gift we are so better than those who may not have that gift or that we have the gift because we are so good, or because we even deserved it. Another abnormal use is not recognizing the gift that has been given. Not using a gift is just as bad as using a gift the wrong way. Using a gift shows again you have value the giver and the gift. God is watching us to see that we are using what he has given to us. And those who may choose to not use the gifts; he will take them away and give them to someone who is using their gifts. (Talents, Matthew 25:25-30)
Natural Gifts – These gifts have been given to us to provide increase and income so we may provide for ourselves, our family, the less fortunate, and to sow into the kingdom. How we handle these gifts is again, a sign of how we value God, and what he has given to us. The scripture says, “Your gift will make room for you and bring you before great men.” I believe that is our gift being used in the proper place determined by God, and maximizing the gift to bring about an increase. God wants us to advance and we must seek him to find the assignment or the place we can utilize and maximize our gifts.
People – We have been given various types of people in our lives: fathers, mothers, siblings, children, other family, friends, mates, spiritual family, etc. How we handle these gifts is another message to God. I believe this is the area where abuse the most. Either we do not see the person as a gift, or we are so focused on ourselves we cannot see past us. So we only see how we feel, we only see what we need, what we want. We expect to be given to, but we do not expect to give. We expect a breakthrough, but we do not want to breakthrough for someone else. God has given people to help us get to our next level(s), and to help them get to where they must go. If we do not value the people God has given to us he will take them away from us, or they will not be the blessing they could be to us. Another reason I believe we do not value people is because of our past. Most people are wounded for countless reasons, so we either do not trust anyone else, or we are trying to find something in someone they cannot provide, or we simply cannot connect because we are so in touch with what we are missing or the hurt of our past. Even though it may be due to hurt, and pain we are still abusing the gifts God has given to us.
Jesus says this in Matthew 6:19-21
19Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: 21For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
You will know what we value by how we treat what we have. Our heart will be seen clearly in it. In this passage Jesus is not speaking about natural things, but we can use the same principal to know the value we place on things based on how we act accordingly. We can find ourselves focused on those things we deem important. Would to God we would handle the things of God with care, and find our hearts desire is to please He whom has sent us.
I was inspired by the Lord to write this, I had no unction other than through Him to write on such a subject. The more I began to write, I began reflect on my life and how I have shown God how little I appreciate the gifts he has given to me. It sounds bad to say that and most of us would not want to admit it, but as I looked over my life I have not always valued these 5 areas where God has given gifts to me; Life, Salvation, Spiritual & Natural gifts, and people. Not just that the gifts of people; people have given gifts of time, energy, money, sacrifices, friendship, commitment, faithfulness, loyalty, and love. I am sorry to say I have not valued all that has been given to me. As I continued to write, I began to repent and ask God to forgive me for not valuing him, and for not valuing his gifts. And I now repent and ask anyone who may read this who has been a gift to me, please accept my sincere apology for not valuing you or your gift(s) to me.
I encourage everyone reading this to do as I have done…look deep within and judge yourself. If you feel that you have not valued God or his gifts to you ask God to forgive you, and then make the decision to value and not abuse God or gifts. At that point you can then, “Let the Healing Begin.” (Bishop Paul Morton – Season’s Change #11)
