The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe
"The Giver"
To be a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ is to be a receiver of the Lord Jesus Christ.
"As many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name" (John 1:12).
"As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in Him" (Colossians 2:6).
The grace that spiritually birthed us when we trusted the Savior serves as the means by which we continue to "walk by faith" (II Corinthians 5:7). Consider the Apostle Paul, who did so much for his Lord, but confessed that all proceeded from God's doings on his behalf (and the behalf of all to whom Paul ministered):
"We have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for His name" (Romans 1:5).
Paul the doer was synonymous with Paul the receiver. His "obedience to the faith" originated and proceeded with God's ongoing generosity and provision whereby the Apostle continued as he began. This constitutes the essence of the Christian life, namely, the life of Christ freely given not only to enliven in birth, but to empower in growth and life. Our calling involves recognition of the truth, and the humbling of ourselves to acknowledge our utter dependence, and even more, God's unwavering determination and devotion to give that which we must receive. "God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (II Corinthians 9:8).
Far more important than our receiving is our Lord's giving. Indeed, we only properly live as recipients to the degree we know and respond to the truth of His giving. He made us as supplicants because He so loves to bestow His abundance. His very nature involves being and doing what others require, even as the name "Jehovah Jireh" means, "God will provide" (Genesis 22:8). We know Him rightly only as we see Him in this holy light of a heart eternally devoted to giving, even as our hearts must be eternally devoted to receiving from the One who "giveth to all life and breath and all things" (Acts 17:25). We glorify Him thereby, serving as the lamps who absorb and reflect the light of His sublime devotion to be all His creation needs Him to be. Indeed, the Lord who "loveth a cheerful giver" is Himself the most cheerful of all benefactors, and the One who grants to others the blessing of serving as the conduits of His giving (II Corinthians 9:7). "It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom" (Luke 12:32).
We would not exist apart from the gift of God. Nor would we consist (Psalm 100:3; Colossians 1:17). This reveals a vital truth we must know in order to rightly relate to our Lord, rightly view ourselves, and rightly live as those who do much, but who always as those who act as did Paul by accessing the grace required for "obedience to the faith" (Romans 5:2). No truth more shines in the pages of Scripture, but no truth is more challenged by our spiritual enemies as we seek to walk with God by faith. "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you… having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?" (Galatians 3:1;3). Let us therefore often remember and affirm our nature as recipients, and even more, God's nature as a giver - the Giver - whose generosity will require eternity to discover. But it won't be long enough…
"But God, who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved), and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus."
(Ephesians 2:4-7)
Weekly Memory Verse
"Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness, He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous."
(Psalm 112:4)
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