Living Thankfully with God's Presents

Tomorrow a fixed commercial ethic will be breached. Stores will be open early Thanksgiving Day morning to kick off the Christmas shopping frenzy! Whether you choose to participate or not, it's only a matter of time before you begin your pursuit of those perfect presents to give your loved ones.

 

And did you know that Giving is divine! The Bible declares that God gives good and perfect presents: everything we need for living a godly life (James 1:17; 2 Pet 1:3-4). Paul fills in the details: the gift of salvation, of eternal life, of grace, and of Jesus Himself. Moreover, Christ has given us gifts to serve and encourage one another.

And if that's not enough, Jesus considers us a gift. Yes, He will “present to Himself a glorious church,” and “present her faultless before God” (Jude 24). Consequently, God asks us to “present our bodies to God as a living and holy sacrifice,” and to “present ourselves approved to God” (Rom 12:1, 2 Tim 2:15). Considering this present-rich environment, is it any wonder the Psalmist happily declares, “In His Presence (or is it presents?) is fullness of joy!” (16:11) Live THANKFULLY!

Quantity vs. Quality of Life

When you’ve been diagnosed with a terminal illness, you think more soberly about “numbering your days” (Ps. 90:12). Chemo/radiation treatments prescribed for cancer patients are not intended to cure, but to extend life. But there’s a downside: these can cause considerable discomfort! (Thank God, mine has been minimal!) Thus, each person, must consider how much pain he is willing to endure to extend “quantity of life” at the expense of “quality of life.”
 
Now here is a spiritual analogy that just screams for a spot on this blog. The Greek word in the phrase “abundant life,” zoe, means a different “quality of life” than bios. Paul says if we’re not “suffering the loss of all things,” we are not going to “gain Christ” (Phil. 3:8). That is, to have the quality of life Christ wants to give us (John 5:21), we must endure some discomfort. But don't worry; our Great Physician will never prescribe treatments that would cause more discomfort than we can bare.

How Do You Smell?

If You Were a Perfume, Would Anyone Want to Wear You?
Wherever we go he uses us to tell others about the Lord and to spread the Good News like a sweet perfume. Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God… a life-giving perfume. (2 Cor. 2:14-16)

If You Were a Letter, Would Anyone Want to Read You?
You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God. (2 Cor. 3:2-3)

If you have ever received a perfumed letter it was no doubt from someone who loved you—a special person who wanted an engaging scent to accompany his or her message. We need to ask ourselves: is my life a sweet fragrance to my family and friends? Is my scent attracting them to my message, or is my smell driving them away?