The Gift of God

Romans 6:23



New King James Version (NKJV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Few Christians that I know of are aware of the enormous implications of this verse. In scripture every word has importance and for that reason it is vital that we make careful choice about the multitude of translations that we choose from to get our meat. If all you want is milk then I suppose any of them will do but the real meat is revealed in the fine print and can be difficult to discover. Diligent and prayerful search is the only answer because without the aid of the Holy Spirit no one is going to learn the deep things of God. I have said all that because I want to point out one of those deeper things that is usually passed right over in our haste to get to the good stuff or that which stimulates our interest.

The above passage says the Gift of God is eternal life and that is true but what is usually understood is that God has given you a present or thing that assures you of a place in heaven along with a certificate that is like a fire  insurance policy and as long as you behave yourself it will remain in force, though some people think that they do not even need to behave themselves. The part that is missed is in the tiny word "of" sandwiched in between "gift and God". Please note that the word is "of, rather than from". Therein lies a huge difference. A gift from God is something that can be categorized or quantified. It can be unwrapped and worn or put in a drawer or on a bookshelf or stored in the freezer. However the "gift of God" is the person of God Himself and must be regarded in an entirely different manner. Just because you cannot see Him or necessarily feel Him in a physical sense does not mean that He is any less real. We are not intended to feel Him nor see Him, otherwise where would faith be? God cannot be categorized, quantified or contained in a few words. He is infinite, everywhere, all knowing and I could go on an on. The point being that nothing is impossible with God and when He comes and takes up residence in you then your future possiblilities are also infinite and far beyond your capacity to imagine what He can do in you, for you or with you. The only requirement is that His goals must become your goals and He's not going to tell you what His goals are except His desire for your childlike love and obedience.

This knowledge should shake us to the very root of our being and instill a holy fear in us. Not a fear of judgement but a fear of failure to regard this holy presence in the proper sense. God knows our frame and He knows our sinful selfish nature and He chose a wonderful way to deal with it. First He issued the Moses law so the people could see the holiness that would please God but to also learn that no person could possibly meet that expectation. I guess it was in a way God's way of humbling us. Then He says "now that you are able to understand that you cannot please me on your own I will come down and enter into each of you that are willing to accept me and I will live my holy life out from within you and you will become transformed. Can you begin to grasp the enormity of that? The very God who says "if you see my face you will die" has come down to you in another form but with the same purpose "To Kill You" That is to kill the sin nature in you that you cannot control and to bring forth His nature so that when people look at you they will see Christ. This is the great mystery of God.

Colossians 1:27



New King James Version (NKJV)
27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Real spiritual growth always start with a change of mind, something that affects the way we think and view life around us or within ourselves. I hope and pray that this will be stimulus for some who read it to begin to view their relationship with the Lord in a new light. He is as close as your thoughts but deeper than your heart. You have to open up, give up, look up and pray up. He's listening not only to every prayer but knows every un-uttered thought so there's no secrets and you might just as well talk to Him about those things that are hindering you because He already knows and is just waiting for you to admit that they are there and willing to be rid of them. The unhindered life of God in you will produce a life beyond your imagination, you simply must be willing to let Him lead. Many are seeking to do something for God and some even say like Peter "I would die for You" but they are not willing to die to self. They have determined for themselves how they want to serve God and are pursuing that course and expect Him to bless their plans but it works the other way around. He says "FOLLOW ME AND I WILL MAKE YOU FISHERS OF MEN".

It is my prayer that you learn that lesson well because God does not need great preachers and teachers or great missionaries but He does need simple men and women that will follow Him and lay themselves down to be a channel for His goodness and love and power to flow through them in ways that they will not even understand. There's a great revival coming right along with the great tribulation that we've all heard so much about and it is not the professionals that will be at the forefront but rather the simple deacons (layman) that will be doing the works and miracles. For more info read the book of Acts. Some of the greatest works wore performed by those who were chosen as deacons to wait on tables.

Be blessed and be a blessing my friends,
john

Comments: email justjohn@eoni.com