The Special of the Day… From the Orange Moon Cafe…
"The Giver and His Gifts"
"We are laborers together with God" (I Corinthians 3:9).
The Apostle Paul referenced he and Apollos as united in ministry, likely because divisive factions had arisen around both men. "He that planteth and he that watereth are one" declared Paul regarding he and his brother's shared determination and effort (I Corinthians 3:8).
Of far greater significance, Paul declared the labors of brothers to be exercised "with God." Indeed, it is one thing to work with people, a blessed experience when led by the love of the Lord Jesus Christ. However, to perceive ourselves as laboring with God constitutes another matter altogether. The Apostle Peter referenced this sublime wonder regarding communication of the Gospel.
"Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Spirit sent down from heaven" (I Peter 1:12).
God does not call us to the extraordinary life mandated by Scripture without supplying the grace necessary for its fulfillment. What is this grace? The sublime and breathtaking answer is Himself. "But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:19; emphasis added). Our Heavenly Father has no impersonal supply to give, regardless of what our need may be. The Giver comes with the gift. The Giver serves as the very heart of the gift as His presence accompanies His provision. Paul and Apollos, completely dependent on God's promise of "With Him" to fulfill their calling, found Him to be present, active, and engaged as the very Life of their lives. The same truth graces every believer regarding the callings and doings of our lives. We rarely sense such a wonder as we "walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians 5:7). The truth, the living Truth, abides nevertheless as our Lord's indwelling life leads, motivates, and enables us.
"I will dwell in them and walk in them" (II Corinthians 6:16).
We see this in fellow believers far more than in ourselves. How often has a brother or sister in Christ shined so brightly with His love and goodness that we knew their humanity served as the vivid expression of His divinity? Having lived most of my life among Christians, I can attest with absolute certainty that I have seen, heard, and been blessed by the presence of Lord Jesus in His spiritual body no less than had He been physically at hand. The Giver comes with His gifts, particularly His bestowals of grace as known in people. "I am the Light of the world… ye shine as lights in the world" (John 8:12; Philippians 2:15).
"All your need… by Christ Jesus." We do well to plant this truth deeply in our hearts, even as we acknowledge the great challenge of understanding the gift with our minds. Our next breath, declared by Scripture as God's provision, somehow blesses us not only with air, but with its Maker and Provider (Acts 17:25). The Lord Jesus saturates our existence in ways far beyond our capacity to perceive and comprehend as "in Him we live and move and have our being" (Acts 17:28). We will understand this better by and by. For now, we believe. And sometimes as we do, sights, sounds, faces, and voices fade in the bright light of realization that the Giver comes with His gifts.
"Thou art my portion, o Lord."
(Psalm 119:57)
Weekly Memory Verse
Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.
(Proverbs 16:3)
7641
Weekly Memory Verse
Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be established.
(Proverbs 16:3)
7641
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