41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things.42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”
The gospel is free but it cost God the blood of His Son.
Paul spent and was spent for God.
David could not give God what was cheap.
Is there anything you cannot give to God?
Give your best to God in all you do and it will come back to you, good measure, shaken together, pressed down and running over.
23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.Col3:23
22 Now Araunah said to David, “Let my lord the king take and offer up whatever seems good to him. Look, here are oxen for burnt sacrifice, and threshing implements and the yokes of the oxen for wood.23 All these, O king, Araunah has given to the king.”
And Araunah said to the king, “May the LORD your God accept you.”
24 Then the king said to Araunah, “No, but I will surely buy it from you for a price; nor will I offer burnt offerings to the LORD my God with that which costs me nothing.” So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.25 And David built there an altar to the LORD, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the LORD heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel.1Sam24:22-25
Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.1Tim4:14-15
and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
Ex4: 1 Then Moses answered and said, “But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The LORD has not appeared to you.’ “
2 So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand?”
He said, “A rod.”
And He said, “Cast it on the ground.” So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.Ex4:1-3
15 And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward.16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen.18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”
Ex14:15-18
Col2:10
Pursue love, and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy.
But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men. 1Cor14:1,3
Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God,6 who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. 2Cor3:5-6
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. 2Cor4:7
But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 1Cor12:7-11
Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.1Tim4:14-15
Start Stirring…and Don’t Stop (1)
Word for Today
‘…Stir up the gift of God…in you…’ 2 Timothy 1:6
God gave you your talent, but it’s your job to develop it. And it’s not that complicated, because your gift usually relates to something that excites you. Think about it: God made you; He hardwired the desires of your heart. Knowing that helps you to understand why the things you find rewarding involve your innate talents and abilities. One author says: ‘It’s natural for a hunting dog to hunt. Coop him up and he’ll lie around with no enthusiasm. But when he realises he’s going hunting, he comes alive. That’s because God designed hunting dogs that way. They have that passion inside them…They don’t have to get themselves worked up…or say, “Let me go listen to a sermon or motivational message so I can work up some zest and zeal.” No, when those dogs know they’re going hunting they’re naturally excited…And when we’re doing what we know we’re called to do, enthusiasm and excitement exude from us naturally. We may not jump up and down…but deep within, we know, “This is what I was called to do. This is why I was born.” On the other hand, if you’re doing something that’s not natural, it’s a struggle. If you try, train, practice and push and you still can’t master a skill; recognise that it may not be in your nature. Of course we must persevere…push through and learn hard things… but in general, life shouldn’t be a constant struggle.’ When you’re fulfilling your purpose, one of the most noticeable results is how rewarding it feels to ‘stir up the gift of God…in you’ by utilising your natural abilities.
What is in your hands? 15 And the LORD said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16 But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea. 17 And I indeed will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they shall follow them. So I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” 19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them. 20 So it came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Israel. Thus it was a cloud and darkness to the one, and it gave light by night to the other, so that the one did not come near the other all that night. 21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea; and the LORD caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night, and made the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 So the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea on the dry ground, and the waters were a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.
Ex14::15-22
No one comes empty. God has endowed everyone with something. They may not know what it is; they may not know the fullness of what it is even when they know what it is. Nevertheless, there is something God has given you and given me that will make us stand out from others even as we are all unique.
13 For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb.
14 I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.
15 My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.
Ps139:13-15
Yes, what God has given you and I may need to not only to be discovered, it also needs to be honed to yield its full potential. For David, amongst other gifts was the gift of playing his musical instrument. As he practised in the secret, it brought him into the limelight and he was commissioned to play for king Saul when an evil spirit troubled him. And what was the result? As David played for the King, he was healed, refreshed and delivered. This is the three-fold ministry of the Psalmist. That was another tool in the armoury of David. He was gifted with song-writing and wrote most of the psalms and was known as the sweet psalmist of Israel. He had the spirit of excellence and that was why he shone and his gift made room for him.
16 A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men. Prov18:16 29Do you see a man who excels in his work? He will stand before kings; He will not stand before unknown men. Prov22:29
Another armament in the quiver of David is the sling and stone. When Goliath taunted, terrorised and tormented Israel, making them quake in their boots for forty days it was little David who came of the battle field and saw Goliath through the eyes of God. He saw Goliath as an uncircumcised Philistine. He knew that the circumcision spoke of their covenant with God and that covenant guaranteed their protection from the enemy; it protected them from trespass on their property. This perspective enabled David to recall the mercies of God toward him in times past. And as he reviewed the past he was strengthened with might in his inner being and was able to take on Goliath. (1Sam17:26)
When Goliath was bragging about himself, David was bragging about what God can do through him.
King Saul wanted to give David his armour but after David put it on he could hardly move. And David said, ’ I have not proved it.’ He then resorted to go with his gift, his unction, what he had in his hands and it was more than enough because God was in it. One with God is majority.
(1Sam17:34-37,39)
So what do you have in your hands? Know that it is more than enough. Do not envy others and their gifts. What God has given you is the best for you, tailors to your personality and your holy calling.
15 When it was evening, His disciples came to Him, saying, “This is a deserted place, and the hour is already late. Send the multitudes away, that they may go into the villages and buy themselves food.”
16 But Jesus said to them, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 And they said to Him, “We have here only five loaves and two fish.”
18 He said, “Bring them here to Me.”
19 Then He commanded the multitudes to sit down on the grass. And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed and broke and gave the loaves to the disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitudes.
20 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments that remained.
21Now those who had eaten were about five thousand men, besides women and children. Matt14:15-21
Feeding the Four Thousand
32 Now Jesus called His disciples to Himself and said, “I have compassion on the multitude, because they have now continued with Me three days and have nothing to eat. And I do not want to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.”
33 Then His disciples said to Him, “Where could we get enough bread in the wilderness to fill such a great multitude?”
34 Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few little fish.”
35 So He commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.
36 And He took the seven loaves and the fish and gave thanks, broke them and gave them to His disciples; and the disciples gave to the multitude.
37 So they all ate and were filled, and they took up seven large baskets full of the fragments that were left.
38 Now those who ate were four thousand men, besides women and children.
Matt15:32-38
The disciples though two fish and five loaves were too small but the Master’s touch made a difference and five thousand men were fed. Notice that if they counted the women and the children they must have been at least ten thousand. That is a demonstration of the power of God. Little is much when God is in it.
Moses had a rod and he forgot when the Israelites were confronted by the Red sea. As He went to God, God reminded him and he used what he had in his hands, stretched it out and the sea was parted and the children of Israel walked through on dry ground. It was with that Moses struck the rock and water came out.
Joseph hand the rod of administration in his hands and with it he excelled in Potiphar’s house and went on to administer the whole nation of Egypt in his finest hour in the day of severe famine and at the time appointed for him, in the Day of His very purpose.
What do you have in your house?
The Widow’s Olive Oil
4 The wife of a man from the company of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant my husband is dead, and you know that he revered the LORD. But now his creditor is coming to take my two boys as his slaves.”
2 Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”
“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”
3 Elisha said, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.
2Kings4:1-3
God always makes a way where there seems to be no way. As we wait on Him He will open our eyes to see what we have. And as we use what we have He will increase it, strengthen it make it more than enough.
This widow was destitute even as her husband left her and her children in debt after he died. He had no insurance for them and the bailiffs came to take the children to make them slaves to pay up what the man of God owed.
She thought she had nothing but as we see from the passage, it takes the Holy Spirit to open your eyes to what you have. She did not appreciate what she had as most of us do.
The prophet gave her a command: “Go around and ask all your neighbours for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few.
He had told her not to borrow a few vessels. She did but she did not borrow enough and when she sated pouring the oil in the vessels she had, soon she ran out of vessels and the oil stopped coming out.
So my friend, discover what is in your hands, hone it, develop it and make it sharp with a cutting edge. Be the best in that area you have been called to. Be diligent, excellent and proficient so that you are headhunted. Discover you gift and sift it till it is in its finest so that it gives you a lift beyond mediocrity. Discover what is in your house and use it wisely to take you where you want to be. When you do not know what you have in your house you may end up going to buy it in the market and waste money. That is why we need to look hard and take stock of what we have as to make the most of every opportunity God brings our way.
There is something in your house. There is something in your hand. Look for it. Treasure it, trade with it, and rise to a New Dimension.
Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”1Cor2:9
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