The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"Takers and Givers"
Through Christ, takers become givers.
"Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labor, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth" (Ephesians 4:28).
Consider the saint on the cross (often referred to as "the thief on the cross" before he repented and believed - Luke 23:39-43). The Roman government nailed him to a tree as a taker from others. However, for 2,000 years, his conversion and confession have given glory to the Lord Jesus Christ and provided hope to multitudes who thought it too late to receive the Savior. Salvation changed the man's earthly life in his last moments, and his legacy forevermore. Indeed, we do not know how many unfortunate people lost things pilfered by the former thief. Even more, we do not know how many blessed recipients of grace now dwell in the Heavenlies, having been moved in their last hour through the hope given by God through the taker who became a giver.
The Holy Spirit serves as the great change agent of God's eternal purpose in Christ. As in the days of the old creation when He moved upon the waters to bring forth light, substance, and form, He now moves upon hearts to bring forth the new creation of grace, truth, and salvation in the Lord Jesus (Genesis 1; II Corinthians 5:17). As with the former thief/forever saint, God moves within us to replace selfishness with unselfish devotion to the Lord and others. The greatest commands - to love God and others - reveal that the Holy Spirit's purpose involves changing our hearts from a black hole that draws all things to itself to a bright and shining sun that radiates light away from itself to the glory of God and the blessing of others. Actually, He births a new heart within us when we trust the Lord Jesus, spiritually forming a "new man, created in righteousness and true holiness" (Ephesians 4:24). He births a giver.
Presently, we can still live as takers if we succumb to devilish, worldly, and fleshly temptations of self-centeredness. We can act as thieves, as it were, despite being those now spiritually constituted as self-sacrificial givers. "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us… I delight in the law of God after the inward man" (Romans 5:5; 7:22). Remembering the example of a saint of God who spent a lifetime taking, but who will forever joyfully give encourages us to spend our days in the same love of Christ...
"Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor."
(Ephesians 5:2)
"Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others."
(Philippians 2:4)
Weekly Memory Verse
Walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given Himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savor."
(Ephesians 5:2)
7336
No comments:
Post a Comment