DAILY DEVOTIONAL – May 7, 2020
“Unexpected Gifts“
Prayer: Almighty God, every day is a gift from You – even the bad days. We have the sure promise of Your presence with us and the power of Your Spirit working all things for the good of those who love and trust in Your Son Jesus. Lord, help us to see how You are always working Your love and grace in and through our lives, especially when we find ourselves most challenged. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12:4-7
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
Devotional – “Unexpected Gifts”
When you and I think about receiving a gift, I think we all generally think of getting something we would want, something that would make life better and more enjoyable. Most of us probably don’t think that failure, or an illness or a disability are worthy of being called a ‘gift’, but that is only because of our limited understanding and our inability to see things as God sees them. We tend to look at the challenges and limitations we have in life as just that; limiting, or as some kind of punishment or disadvantage.
Jesus had a much different definition of a gift, and a much different way of looking at those things we view as disabilities; whether they be physical, emotional or spiritual. Take for example what Jesus had to say about a man born blind in John 9. As Jesus and the disciples were leaving the temple to avoid being stoned by the religious leaders, they passed by a man who was blind from birth. This man was clearly known by everyone, begging outside the temple each day to survive. As they passed by him, the disciples asked Jesus, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” 3 Jesus answered, “It was not that this man sinned, or his parents, but that the works of God might be displayed in him.”
While the disciples assumed this man’s blindness to be anything but a gift, even a punishment from God, Jesus made it clear that this blindness was in fact a wonderful gift that would be used to glorify God. And that is exactly what happened. After being healed by Jesus and receiving his sight, this blind man stood in the temple and boldly proclaimed to the religious leaders who insisted this was some sort of trickery, “We know that God does not listen to sinners, but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does his will, God listens to him. 32 Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. 33 If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”
Friends, I want you to take a minute and think about the challenges you have in your life. Is it a physical pain or illness? Is it an emotional struggle? Is it a spiritual obstacle? We are all broken, we are all sinful, we all have disabilities and those things in our life that we would rather not have to deal with and that we would certainly not consider to be a gift. Yet, by God’s grace and His amazing love for us in Jesus, and by faith in God’s goodness and His power and desire to bless us, all of these things are but opportunities that God seeks to use for His glory; even to complete our joy and secure our salvation.
There was once a pastor whose church was facing some financial troubles. One day while in the church storeroom, the pastor discovered several cartons of new bibles that had never been opened and distributed.
So during his Sunday sermon, he asked for three volunteers from the congregation who would be willing to sell the bibles door-to-door for $10 each to raise the desperately needed money for the church. Jack, Paul and Louie all raised their hands to volunteer for the task. The minister knew that Jack and Paul earned a good living as salesmen and were likely capable of selling some bibles. But he had serious doubts about Louie who was a local farmer, who had always kept to himself because he was embarrassed by his speech impediment.
Poor Louie stuttered badly, but not wanting discourage Louie, the minister decided to let him try to sell some bibles anyway. He sent the three of them away with the back seat of their cars stacked with bibles. He asked them to meet with him and report the results of their door-to-door selling efforts the following Sunday.
Anxious to find out how successful they were, the minister immediately asked Jack, “Well, Jack, how did you make out selling our bibles last week?” Proudly handing the pastor an envelope, Jack replied, “Using my sales prowess, I was able to sell 20 bibles, and here’s the $200 I collected on behalf of the church.” “Fine job, Jack!” The minister said, vigorously shaking his hand. “You are indeed a fine salesman and the church is indebted to you.”
Turning to Paul, “And Paul, how many bibles did you sell for the church last week?”
Paul, smiling and sticking out his chest, confidently replied, “I am a professional salesman. I sold 28 bibles on behalf of the church, and here’s $280 I collected.” The minister responded, “That’s absolutely splendid, Paul. You are truly a professional salesman and the church is indebted to you.”
Apprehensively, the minister turned to Louie and said, “And Louie, did you manage to sell any bibles last week?” Louie silently offered the minister a large envelope. The minister opened it and counted the contents. “What is this?!” the minister exclaimed. “Louie, there’s over $3000 in here! Are you suggesting that you sold more than 300 bibles for the church, door to door, in just one week?” Louie just nodded.
“That’s impossible!” both Jack and Paul said in unison. “We are professional salesmen, yet you claim to have sold 10 times as many bibles as we could.” “Yes, this does seem unlikely,” the minister agreed. “I think you’d better explain how you managed to accomplish this, Louie.”
Louie shrugged.. “I-I-I re-re-really do-do-don’t kn-kn-know f-f-f-for sh-sh-sh-sure”
he stammered.
Impatiently, Peter interrupted. “For crying out loud, Louie, just tell us what you said to them when they answered the door!” Louie replied the best he could, “A-a-a-all I-I-I s-s-said wa-wa-was, ‘W-w-w-w-would y-y-y-you l-l-l-l-l-like t-t-to b-b-b-buy th-th-th-this b-b-b-b-bible f-f-for
t-t-ten b-b-b-bucks —o-o-o-or— wo-wo-would yo-you j-j-j-just l-like m-m-me t-t-to st-st-stand h-h-here and r-r-r-r-r-read it t-to y-y-you?”
Friends, the Good News of Jesus Christ and His death and resurrection is that there is nothing more powerful than the love and grace of God. Sin, death and the devil Himself were powerless to keep the Son of God down. His resurrection from the dead means that we not only have the future hope of salvation, but that even our lives now today, in all of their brokenness, have been redeemed that God would glorify Himself in and through us. That is the greatest gift that could ever be given. I pray you would receive it in faith.
Thanks for joining me for another daily devotional in God’s Word, and remember, that God has forgiven yesterday, is with you today and has already taken care of tomorrow. Amen.
