Sacred Gifts and their Sacred Use

As followers of Jesus, you and I find ourselves to be in Sacred Relationship with God. As I

wrote last month that Sacred Relationship involves a Sacred Calling, Sacred Gifting, Sacred Service, and Sacred Generosity. To review, Each of us is created to have a Sacred Calling that gives us significance and purpose. We were created for a reason. God would never create us for a purpose without giving us the tools necessary to fulfill that purpose, hence, He makes available to us Sacred Gifting, empowered by His Spirit. As I shared February 18, the Spirit of God comes upon us for special circumstances and lives within us to guide us, comfort us and prepare us for living.

A key part of living is learning to live in community, with others, our families and the

Church. I would encourage you to read 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, 1 Peter 4:10-11. In

those passages it’s clear that God gives us Sacred Gifts to edify or build up those

communities. Spiritual gifts are not given to build us up, but others. God gives those gifts and distributes them as they are needed in the community of faith. Some suggest that we should demand of God certain gifts. Paul suggests that we seek Faith, Hope and Love. In my reading, I’ve become convinced that celibacy is a spiritual gift. I’ve never heard a sermon about seeking that gift. Aside from desiring to serve the body with your gift, demanding a certain gift from God reminds me of the petulant child demanding that one gift (or many) for Christmas. You’ve been there, perhaps as a child, and certainly as a parent or grandparent.

The giving of Sacred Gifts calls for Sacred use of those gifts and the wisdom to use them to the edification of others. I am always amazed that whenever God gives us something or requires something of us, He also makes a way for us. We need wisdom, and so James 1:5-8 encourages us to ask for it and that God will respond by giving us wisdom, wisdom beyond our need. Good golly, Miss Molloy, ain’t God great!

Based upon your reading and reflecting on His Word, what Sacred Gifts has God given you? How do you think God wants you to use them in the context of your Sacred Call. Think on it. God will respond.

Pastor Brian

The Shoreline

As followers of Christ, you and I have entered in to a sacred relationship with God. That

sacred relationship involves a sacred call, sacred gifting, sacred service, and sacred

generosity.

I would encourage you to read Exodus 3. There you will find God’s call upon the life of

Moses. When God said to Moses “you will lead my people out of bondage”, the natural

response of Moses was to say “I’m not worthy or qualified”. I think that we all might

respond in this way. I felt the same way when God called me to ministry. God had to show me as He did Moses that he had a plan for me (Ps 139) and that He would equip me for that plan as He had promised Moses. I felt as Jeremiah (4:19), that I could not keep silent and was called to proclaim God’s word. I would like to suggest that God has a sacred calling for our church as well. It’s been around for awhile, wouldn’t you agree? We have continued to proclaim the name of Jesus. Lives have been changed. We have the sacred call as a church to make disciples. This sacred calling is not just for our church, it is for us as well, as individuals. You and I might respond but I’m not worthy or qualified. If we will surrender to His sacred call He will equip us and empower us to such a life.

I might have shared this illustration with some of you previously but repetition is good for our memory? I own a pickup truck and I’ve been known to pick up other folk’s rejected furniture from the curb, perhaps here I’ll join my cousin at the dump. Yes, I’m a curb shopper. When I find these castoffs, I view them as treasures. I take them home and in my workshop restore them to beauty and usefulness. I think that God might just own a pickup as well. His is probably paid for. He drives it around and looks for other folk’s castoffs and takes them to His workshop redeeming them to beauty and usefulness. And so it is with God’s sacred call upon our lives.

ThanksLIVING!!!

Dear Friends in Jesus,

“Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, let the earth hear His voice!

Praise the Lord, Praise the Lord, let the people rejoice!

O come to the Father through Jesus the Son,

and give Him the glory, great things He has done.”

How many times have we sung this hymn to express our joy and thanksgiving to Christ?

These words show the gratitude that is in our hearts for the wonderful privilege of knowing the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior, Lord, and Friend. It is my hope that you can join in praise and thanksgiving at this time of the year for the many blessings that come to us each day because we are children of the King.

We can praise Him for the free gift of salvation from sin—the joy of praying and inviting Jesus into our lives and experiencing the cleansing away of all our sin and a whole new life in

Christ.

We can praise Him for the assurance of a heavenly home—to know that when we die we will be with our Lord forever.(2 Corinthians 5:6–9)

We can praise Him that He is with us every day and under all circumstances.(Matthew 28:20)

We can praise Him for He provides for all our needs as we daily depend upon

Him.(Philippians 4:19)

We can praise Him for the privilege of living in a country of freedom and opportunity.

We can praise Him for family and friends who love us.

We can praise Him for a loving and caring church family where the life giving message of the Gospel of Christ is central.

We can praise Him for ———————————————————(you fill in the blank(s)

In this season of thanksgiving may we truly count our blessings but not confine our

thankfulness to just this time of the year! Every day we should show our gratitude and praise to our living Christ by the way we live our lives! That’s called “THANKSLIVING!! And that’s the way to LIVE!!

Your friend in our Lord,

Bob Hinckley

Interim Pastor