‘Therefore, I urge
you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a
living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper
worship’ (Rom 12:1).
'If we have received from God "His unspeakable gift,"
what great thing is it, if we give a few perishing gifts for His sake?
(Jamieson-Fausset-Brown). Jesus has been given to all mankind as God’s
indescribable gift, but every individual’s response to this gift determines his
future in this life and the life after. This lesson focuses on what man’s
response should be, towards God’s indescribable gift to him. Below are a few
points that illustrate how God wants us to respond to His indescribable gift
for us.
1. Be
thankful and live with an attitude of gratitude: What if God did not give
Christ to die for mankind? Eph 3:1-6 talks about the mystery of Christ. The
great mystery hidden in all ages past - the making of Jews and Gentiles one new
body (the Church which is His body) - Finis Dake. It was through Christ that
Adam’s whole race was restored to their original Dominion. We were all slaves
to the devil, bound in chains in darkness.
2. Accept
the gift: This means accepting Jesus not only as your personal Savior but
also as the Lord or master of your life. Loving Him and surrendering our entire
lives to Him (Romans 12:1-3). This Indescribable gift did not come in a
presentable form, He ended up in a manger but not a palace, so the Jews that
were expecting Him to come in the form of a great physical warrior rejected
Him. Even today, many are still rejecting Him.
3. Uncover
the gift: Seek Him and know Him. Be hungry for Him and pursue Him. Many
have received Him but are not uncovering the package to know what is in there.
Uncovering this package (Knowing Christ) is a life long journey that requires a
continuous effort. AW Tozer said, ‘Our problem is that we
go from toy to toy rather than from glory to glory." In Psalm 63:8 the Psalmist says, ‘my soul will
follow hard after you’. I pray that this will be your prayer today.
4. Value
the gift: Fear Him and see Him as He is. Realize what you have, revere Him
and acknowledge Him. 'The secrets of the Lord are with those who fear Him'
(Psalm 25:14). In this contest, fear denotes respect and value. Anything you
love you value. The value you place on something depends on your love for it.
Mat 13:45-46 talks about a merchant who found one pearl of great price and
because he valued it more than any other, he went and sold all his possessions
to purchase it. Do not trample on your faith in Jesus and your salvation,
protect it.
5. Use
or utilize it: everyone that gives a gift is delighted to see it been used.
So is our God. In 2 Tim 2:1 Paul told Timothy to ‘be strong in the grace that
is in Christ Jesus’. Paul’s message to the church in Rome throws more light on
the message he was conveying to his son Timothy above. In Romans 12:6 he said, ‘having
then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let
us use them’. Here Paul’s message is clear, use the measure of
Grace and the gifts you have received. Note, this is different from the saving
grace that leads to ones salvation (Eph 2:8).
6. Share it:
After one has encountered Christ, sharing the gospel becomes His great
commission. It is through evangelism that the contents of this indescribable
gift are revealed (Mat 28:19). One of the mysteries of evangelism is that, it
is one of the weapons of our warfare. Anyone who shares the gospel is protected
from the enemy (Eph 6:10-15).
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