The gift of God - June 9, 2009

Luke 11:11-13 “…Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” NIV

What a great gift is the Holy Spirit in our lives. He is our Helper, Counselor, Comforter, Intercessor, Standby, Advocate and Strengthener. Every good and perfect gift comes from the Father (James 1:17). Jesus said it was better for us that He would go to the Father so He could send the Holy Spirit (John 16:7)! With the general context of the Holy Spirit in mind as the greatest gift of God, there are many gifts that God pours out graciously on His people. Just think about spiritual gifts, friendships, revelation, His Word, marriage, children, testing, hardship, discipline (an act of love: Heb.12:6),… So, in this context, let’s follow a couple streams of ideas concerning the gift of God.
What is the gift of God without the timing of God? If we look at Acts 2 we see that the early disciples – following the instructions of Jesus (God is wise enough to provide a manual with the gift) - were waiting on the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. The gift of God without the timing of God is worthless. God’s timing is such a great refining tool cleansing our hearts to be able to fully embrace His gift and divine purposes, just look at the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and so many heroes of the faith. God’s timing added to the gift glorifies God more purely.
If we look at the nature of the gift of God we can see that the gift reveals the nature of the Giver (John 14:25), it is a testimony (it also prophesies of things to come that are on His heart) of the heart of God, the gift is a releaser of the presence of God to your individual life but also to the lives of others around you. Just like revelation is a token of the heart of the Father, touching and unlocking our hearts, the gift of God is a precious token from His heart that He chooses to invest in earthen vessels. The gift of God makes you see God more fully, hear His voice clearer, makes you hungry to know Him even more, is a testimony of His truth, is a reminder and witness of His faithful Words and promises and makes you love Him and the ones He loves more.
The gift of God is to be treasured and must be abiding within the Vine, the gift of God operating apart from, without lively connection to the Giver does not bring glory to the Giver. Over time, if you allow times of waiting, testing and brokenness the gift of God in our lives will not return empty but will prosper, it will bear fruit. Brokenness is such a precious gift, the Holy Spirit sometimes takes the form of this friend named brokenness; embracing Him when He comes is the fastest way to the fulfilment of the purposes of God in you. His intentions are so pure, His results so beautiful –If we see waiting, testing and brokenness as a gift, as a friend who does everything for our good, it changes our perspective of what God’s intention with the gift is, it makes us more like His Son Jesus. This shifts the focus of the gift from us to Him, just like the seeds of the a sunflowerplant do not make the dirt in which it is planted feel good, but the seed will grow up in the Son. God is sowing into us His heart, His dreams and desires; the Spirit in us prepares us to be Jesus’ beautiful bride, without spot or rinkle, equally yoked with the Man who was acquainted with our suffering, whose delight is in the fear of the Lord, whose eyes of fire are gazing at us. Lord, thank you for your awesome gifts, may they bring a smile to your face as we embrace them!