HOW DO YOU LIKE YOUR GIFT?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward
love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some
are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and
all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
(Hebrews 10:24-25)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever had something that was very special to you? It may
seem insignificant to others, but it was something you cherished.
Although it was important to you, did you put it away to keep it
safe, and kind of forget about it over the years.

You knew it was always available (somewhere), but you lost the
strong desire to see it, and enjoy it as frequently as you once did.
Other things demanded your attention and as a result, your
cherished treasure became less important to you.

However, one day you thought about it and went to get it, but you
couldn’t find it. You thought you knew exactly where you had put
it, but no matter how much you searched for it, it was gone and you
had little hope of ever finding it again. You regretted not spending
more time enjoying it.

You may have had thoughts like:
    “If I had spent more time with it, I would know exactly
      where it is. Not only that, but I would know the very
      moment I lost it, because it was an important part of
      my life”

As believers, God has given us a special gift. It is the kind of gift
that we should be cherishing daily. Because of His love, mercy,
and grace, He has given us His free gift of ‘salvation’. If we can
remember the day we chose to accept His gift, we can recall how
overwhelmed and excited we were in knowing that our Creator
had given us would give us His gift of ‘eternal life’.

When we first received His gift, we were overflowing with our
gratefulness and we wanted everyone to know how our life had
been changed. We also looked forward to spending time with
Him and when we were reading the bible, the words seemed to
leap off the pages and have a positive impact on our lives.

The things that were important to us had been ‘flipped’. Worldly
things had taken a backseat because our desire to spend time with
the Lord was increasing daily. We looked forward to joining with
other believers at least once a week to hear more about the Lord
and His Words to mankind. We were on a ‘spiritual high’!

But as time passed, our enthusiasm waned and other things began
to replace our time spent with the Lord. It may have begun in a
subtle as a result of any number of things such as:
    – A sickness that prevented us from going
        to church one or more Sundays.
    – Our job required us to work on Sundays.
    – Some activity we wanted to participate in,
        conflicted with the worship service.

Whatever the reason, we gradually began to lose our strong desire
to meet with others for worshipping and praising the Lord. It was
a gradual shift of priorities that led to our justifying the reasons for
not spending more time with other believers, and with the Lord.

Paul was diligent about persecuting those who worshipped the Lord,
but when he had an encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus,
it changed his life forever. His passion was redirected to praising and
serving the Lord. When we read more about Paul in God’s Word, we
can see the magnitude of his changed life, which should inspire us.
    His passion, desire, and enthusiasm for praising the Lord,
    didn’t decrease over the years; but instead it increased as
    he lived and served God. Even though he was beaten and
    thrown into prison as a result of his faith, Paul could never
    stop thanking the Lord for his changed life!

After being released from prison,
look at these words from Paul in a letter to Timothy:
    I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength,
    that he considered me trustworthy, appointing me to his
    service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a
    persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because
    I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord
    was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and
    love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying
    that deserves full acceptance:
       Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of
       whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was
       shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ
       Jesus might display his immense patience as an example
       for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.
       Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God,
       be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
    (1 Timothy 1:12-17)

Paul cherished his salvation gift from God and he was not going
to allow anything to come between him and the time he wanted
to spend with the Lord. After Paul ‘met’ the Lord, his life was
changed completely; he was ‘all in’ in his new relationship with
Jesus!

Paul’s desire to grow closer to the Lord was so strong that he
would easily recognize anything that threatened to replace his
new relationship with God and His Son.

Even though Paul felt his persecution of Christians was out of his
ignorance and unbelief in the Lord, he realized that God loved him
and had poured out His grace on him. As a result, God showed Paul
how to love his heavenly Father (and others) in the same manner as
Jesus.

Paul now had a type of faith and love that’s not natural for sinful
people. His natural tendencies and desires had been replaced with
a new attitude, which included a faith that can only be achieved
when Jesus Christ is ‘Lord’ of a person’s life.

Now, back to the cherished gift you misplaced. Remember the cold
chill you had when you realized it was gone forever? The same thing
can happen with our freedom to assemble together to worship the Lord.
If we don’t commit to the Lord during times of peace, how will we grow
closer to Him during times of turmoil?

Satan and his ‘angels’ are busy in their efforts to destroy Christianity.
The results of their efforts are impacting the lives of many, and we can
see how evilness is increasing daily. Satan is causing many people to be
more dedicated to doing the wrong things, than some Christians are
determined to doing the right things (including worship and praise of
the Lord).

In our world today, we can see how evilness has caused some people
to do anything they can (including abuse, torture, murder and many
other perverted acts of violence) in their efforts to discourage others
from attending church. Satan’s influence on many has caused them
to want to ultimately destroy the church.

If they are successful with their efforts, we will lose our cherished gift
of freedom to assemble as a family of God. We will lose opportunities
to meet with others to praise and thank the Lord for His gracious and
merciful gift of salvation, which He has made available to all who will
surrender their lives to Him.

In the blink of an eye, we could lose our gift of free worship, which
could cause many to allow worldly things to become a replacement
for their time spent with the Lord. Some have already left their first
love of the Lord, and apathy has the potential to cause many more
to forsake their fellowship with the Lord. Remember these words:
    not giving up meeting together,
    as some are in the habit of doing

ACTION:
Do you have an all-consuming thankfulness for the gift God
has given you? Have you chosen to be ‘all in’ in the same way
Paul was, after God changed his life? Have you allowed other
things to replace your desire to praise and worship the Lord?

If your freedom to worship with other believers was removed
forever, how would it impact your life? Would it have a major
or minor change on your current lifestyle? Can identify any
areas where the Lord has not only changed you, but is also
continuing to change you daily? Have you become less selfish
and more selfless? Have you become less critical and more
encouraging?

How much are you influenced by the things striving for your
attention which will draw you away from following the Lord?
How grateful are you for God’s mercy and grace? Does your
gratefulness for His salvation gift to you increase your desire
to spend time with Him? Are you fully committed to your new
relationship and fellowship with the Lord?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your Word and how it opens
my eyes to the importance of my relationship with You. Forgive
me if I fail to adequately show You how thankful I am for Your
gift of salvation. I want to have the same kind of commitment and
dedication that Paul had for You. Create in me a renewed desire
to be ‘all in’ with my faith and fellowship with You. Thank You
for the freedom to worship You with my brothers and sisters in
Christ. Forgive me if I have taken for granted anything You have
given me. I don’t want to find out one day that I can no longer
worship You with other believers. Teach me to enjoy the freedom
I have right now, and to make worship a part of my life. I love You,
and I want everyone else (including You) to see my faith and love
is real through my actions, and not merely by my words alone.”

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