Unopened Gifts Part 3

Unopened Gifts Part 3

Today I want to conclude our short series on Unopened Gifts. As I began this message with the thought that God is a gracious giver. Everything He gives is on the basis of His grace and goodness not our worthiness to receive. Grasping this important Bible truth is crucial if we are going to pursue the fullness of our inheritance in Christ. There will always be times when we come to God feeling as though we are unworthy to ask or receive His goodness and blessings. It is in those times, when we are so aware of our weaknesses and shortcomings that we need to remind ourselves of His grace and mercy! Thankfully, the entire package of salvation has been given through grace and is received by faith in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross.

Secondly, we talked about God being a generous giver. According to 2 Peter 1:2-3, He has already given to us a glorious inheritance which covers every area of life. It encompasses every spiritual component and every natural or real-life ordinated issue.  We have be given righteousness, joy, fellowship with the Father, spiritual authority, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, the wisdom of God, and every other spiritual empowerment necessary to be victorious in our walk with God.

We have also, been given healing, peace of mind, the promise of material blessings, the assurance of the salvation of our families, God’s divine favor upon our daily endeavors…all we need to be successful and fruitful in our daily lives.

As we open up the Word of God and discover the gifts that we have been given, open them up and walk in the reality of them, we will see our lives flourish and prosper.

Thirdly, I said that He gives to us in abundance so that we can share them with others. Every gift we receive from God should be shared with others. This is why the concept of tithing is so important. It is an acknowledgment that everything I have comes from God and a willingness to honor God by returning a portion back to Him. In reality we are only giving back a small portion of what already belongs to Him. It is about teaching us that we are stewards, not owners. However, this isn’t just about money, it is about life.

This is about EVERY GIFT God has given to us. The talents we have been blessed with are not to sit as unopened gifts…they are designed to bless others. The grace we have received we meant to be distributed to others…the love we’ve been showered with is intended to be shared with others; the gifts of the spirit are designed to edify and build up others; when He gave us forgiveness, He envisioned is forgiving others-that’s the reason He said, if we don’t forgive we won’t be forgiven of our trespasses. Every gift given from His storehouse of blessing has been given to enhance our life and to provide a bounty out of which we bring blessing into the lives of others.

The fourth principle I addressed was the ideal that we do with these gifts will determine the degree to which we experience the fullness of them. If we are faithful to manage them well, God will increase our capacity and enlarge impact.

Last week I talked about the parable of the talents. In this story, a wealthy man, symbolic of God, give three servants different talents, or various amounts of money, and then departs for a long period of time. When He returns, the servants are required to give an accounting of what they have done with the treasures they were entrusted with. The first servant who had received 5 talents invested it and doubled its value.  The second servant was given 2 talents. He invested them and doubled their value as well. The third servant was only given 1 talent. Instead of investing it and trying to accumulate more, he was afraid and buried it. When the servants are audited, the first two are commended for their faithfulness and given greater responsibility. The third servant had his talent taken from him and given to another. He was rebuked and cast out of the presence of the Lord. The story ends with the Master saying to the faithful, in Matthew 25:23, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.  You’ve been faithful with a few things. I’ll put you in charge of many things.  Come and share your master’s happiness.’”

This is where I ended last week. I want to pick up here today. I want to focus on one particular aspect of this today. These talents or symbols of value can represent all of God’s gifts to us, as well as the message of truth we have been commissioned to share with the world.

Today, I want to use this concept to address the individual gifts God has granted each of us. I believe that every one of us has been given a talent, a special gift, an ability that sets us apart and makes us unique. God wants us to find it, develop it and use it for His glory. When we do, it brings glory to God, blesses others and causes us to experience a level of joy that we would never know otherwise. It also opens the abundance of God upon our lives and enlarges our capacity to receive His blessings and goodness.

You were ordained to live a fruitful life. God created with the ability to be a person of impact and importance. It is the will of the Father for every believer to live life to the fullest! He wants us to achieve success in every area. Success isn’t the size of your house or the brand of your clothes. It is fulfilling the purpose of God in your family, marriage, ministry, finances, body, etc.

Life was originally intended to be a daily adventure-a walk with God down the path of limitless possibilities leading to the destiny, fruitfulness and fulfillment. Life was meant to be engaged, enjoyed, experienced and lived to the max. God intends for us to maximize our potential.

Look with me for a moment at Paul’s perception of life as he expressed it in his final letter to Timothy. “For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:6-7)

Paul likened his life to the ceremonial drink offering administered by the priest in the Old Testament rituals of the temple, in which the priest filled a cup with wine and ceremonially poured it out at intervals in the service until the cup was completely empty. Using this example, Paul gives a very effective illustration of how our lives should be lived.

Your life is like a cup of drink served to the world by our great Creator. The drink is the awesome, untapped, valuable, destiny-filled treasure, gifts, and talents of potential buried within you. Every minute, day, month, and year is an interval of opportunity provided by God for the pouring out of another portion of yourself until you have exposed all His precious treasure that makes you unique.

How tragic that most of the nearly seven billion people on this planet will settle for an average life limited only by their unwillingness to stretch themselves to the summit of their potential. Anything less than the maximum is mediocrity.

Someone once said, “mediocrity may be defined as the region of our lives bounded on the north by compromise, on the south by indecision, on the east by past thinking, and on the west by a lack of vision. Mediocrity is the spirit of the average, the anthem of the norm, and the heartbeat of the ordinary. Mediocrity is so common and pervasive that those who are labeled as genius or exceptional have to do only a little extra.”

You were called to be exceptional. To do what has never been done…to go where others are afraid to go…to be successful where others have failed…to be all you can be for His glory! You were created to live the extraordinary life…to be a world changer and a history maker.

God wants you to be fruitful in life. Look at John 15:16 “You did not choose me but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain…” Remember Jesus said that He came to bring us ‘life in abundance…”

However, Proverbs 29:18 (NKJV) says,  “Where there is no revelation, (ongoing prophetic vision) the people cast off restraint…” vision means a “mental sight or a revealed word from God.”

v  The Word restraint refers to the absence of clear guidance or definite direction.”

v  Hebrew idea of “restraint” – describes a bit in the mouth of a horse; used not to bind him but to direct him and enable him to use his immense power in a constructive manner.

In other words when we lack a mental picture…a revelation of God’s purpose for our lives we will be without direction, having no means of receiving His guidance in the various areas of life. We perish or fail in those areas and never know the fullness God has promised.

Billy Sunday-“More men fail through lack of purpose than through lack of talent.”

1. The first thing is, we must dedicate our lives

Proverbs 16:3 says, “Commit your work to the LORD, and then your plans will succeed.”  Undedicated gifts have the habit of corrupting those who possess them. I am talking about consciously acknowledging that everything comes from God and then offering them back to Him.

I Corinthians 4:7 “…And what do you have that you did not receive? Now if you did indeed receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? “

• John 3:27 “”…A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.”
• I Corinthians 10:31 “Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. Give no offense, either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God, just as I also please all men in all things, not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.

Whether it is athletic ability, a singing voice,  a  musical talent, an administrative gift, the ability to communicate, whatever it is dedicate it and yourself to God and you will move from just being successful to being significant. We are here for more than just making enough money to retire early and move to Florida. There is more to life than that. God wants to use you to establish His plan in the earth. You are His body. He has called you, chosen you and gifted you to fulfill a part in the Kingdom.

It is nice if you have a nice home and raise good kids but what about the lost who have never heard? The bound who want freedom? The hurting who cannot help themselves? We are responsible for them as well.  

• This was the testimony of Paul. On the Road to Damascus God called him and told him he would preach the gospel to the Gentiles and in Acts 26:12-19 he tells King Agrippa, “I did not disobey the heavenly vision…” He lived his entire life with a sense of assignment or obligation to the purpose of the Father. It was a pleasure not a burden.
• Gifts that are not dedicated to God will generally end up destroying the one who possess it. [Elvis, Whitney Houston, Katy Perry, Usher so many others.] Greed, divorce, family strife, depression, suicide.
• Everything you have is a gift from God. It all has to be done for the glory of God.

2. Then we must discover our purpose

Some would reverse these two. I say, begin from the premise that all I have is God’s and go from there…it’s much safer!

This then bring us to step number two…you have to know what you are all about; what your desires are, what your gifts are, what you are effective at. Nobody does everything well, but everyone does something well. Take the time to find out what you do well and do it to the glory of God!

Any tool or instrument that is used or operated in a manner that is different than what it was originally designed by the manufacturer to do will not only fail to maximize its potential but will also be ineffective and will generally be damaged in the process.

• Can use a sax to shovel snow-will work to some degree, but will be ineffective and will damage a wonderful instrument.

EXAMPLE: Use a wrench to drive a nail- too lazy to go get e hammer-mar the tool and the wall. It is not what it was intended to do. Same with life – many are not functioning or flowing in the thing they were created for and as a result are ineffective and usually end up being hurt in the effort. We need to be reminded that God has a purpose for our lives. There is something designed for you and something you are designed to do. Your life is ordained to have meaning.

Ephesians 2:10 says, “For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” (New Living Translation)

• Workmanship- “poem; masterful work of art; Hand-crafted design of a master craftsman.”
• We are supposed to have rhyme, reason, order and symmetry. God has some specific things mapped out for us to live and walk in. We are not here by accident or coincidence but are hand chose, ordained, designed by God to be who we are, and when we exist for His desire to be fulfilled in us!
• You are created with destiny, purpose and design. God has an assignment for your life.

Several observations about destiny and purpose:

A.    Your purpose is a discovery not a decision! The manufacturer decides the purpose of the creation. If we try to be or do anything other than what we were created for we will be ineffective, unfulfilled and ultimately miserable. The creator decides what He has intended you to become. The creation merely determines the degree of obedience and cooperation he is willing to give.

It is amazing how many try to be what they are not called to be. [Singers, preachers, the boss, etc.] Life is an ongoing discovery of God’s intention and investment in me. Sometimes there is a defining moment-suddenly you realize you were created for this, this is your future!

Other times it is a steady growing conviction that you are called to a certain purpose-like the sunrise-you go from darkness to light in such small increments that it is almost imperceptible. You just know! Irrefutable!  You have to know who you are and what you are supposed to do!

Orison Swett Marden said, “There’s no greater sight in the world than that of a person fired with a great purpose, dominated by one unwavering aim.”

John the Baptist- “Who are you?” Response- “The voice one of crying in the wilderness…”

Jesus-“Who do men say that I am?” People won’t always see you as God created you to be or as you see yourself. This is why they cannot define your purpose-they don’t know what God has deposited within-they only see the exterior-God sees the interior!

When others fail to see your potential they try to make you something that serves their purpose, not God’s! Whether you are a Pastor, musician, teacher, doctor, secretary, carpenter, etc. you need to be able to say, this is who I am and what I do! You need to be confident that you are living God’s plan for your life.

 B.     You are the solution to someone’s problem.  God always prepares solutions before He permits problems to manifest.

Jehovah-Jireh – “Sees ahead and has already provided…”

Isaiah 41:4 “Who has performed and done it, calling (determining) the generations from the beginning? ‘ I, the Lord, am the first; and with the last I am He.’ “

Remember that everything God created is woven into this incredible circle of life in which every living thing is dependent upon ever other living thing to some degree or other to flourish. Every created thing solves a problem. God wanted fellowship so He created man-problem solved-new problem-man; became hungry- fruits and vegetables, and later gave approval to the consumption of animals; needed a companion-Eve-they need posterity-solution-children-sin-covering-sacrifice-etc.

Eye-see; ears-hear; mouth-speaks, hands-hold; feet-walk; nose-smells.

• Glasses- improves vision; microphone-improves sound-etc.
• Mechanics solve car problems; Dentist solve tooth problems; Lawyers solve legal problems; Mothers solve-every problem; Accountants solve tax problems; Christians solve human problems.

Somebody is waiting for you to discover your purpose and use your God-given gift to solve the problems in their lives!

C.    Your Individual purpose is directly connected to God’s corporate purpose in the earth. This is why God places you in a Body of believers. As each member uses his or her gifts, the cause of the Kingdom is advanced.

Too often ministry or service becomes self-serving, self-indulgent, and self-promoting. It is all about “ME.” In reality unless I am serving the need of another I have no significance. In a larger sense we should be asking, “Lord what is YOUR PURPOSE for my life?” God is weaving this amazing tapestry that has to do with the redemption of mankind.

What He has called and gifted each of us to do somehow fits into the overall plan He is orchestrating in the earth. My purpose is an extension of His universal purpose. You may build, organize, write, sing, serve, persuade others through speaking, build, or any other vocation. But, you need to ask, “How does this fit into God’s greater plan in the earth?”

How?

• Identify your passion
• Evaluate your areas of effectiveness
• Recognize the things that bring fulfillment
• Consult with spiritual leadership

3. Thirdly, we must develop our gift

Once we discover our purpose and dedicate your lives, then we must develop the gift necessary to fulfill it!

I Chronicles 5:18 “The sons of Reuben, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh had forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty valiant men, men able to bear shield and sword, to shoot with the bow, and skillful in war, who went to war…”

Your capacity is being decided by your commitment to take what you have been given and develop it. So many people are given gifts that are unopened, or just opened a little. They either take them for granted or are content to operate them at a low level. God wants us to develop these gifts and maximize their potential. How do you develop you gift?

•  Learn it-study your gift and see how it works. Understand the dynamic of what makes one with this gifting successful. Read books, take classes, watch others, ask questions…hone and polish the gift God has given you.

Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.” Realize can refer to a bribe or money gift. Also, a truth throughout the book that generosity opens opportunities. The gift God has given you opens a door that would not be open otherwise. It gives you opportunity. It will be used by God to promote you in life.

Read verse 15  “The heart of the prudent acquires knowledge, And the ear of the wise seeks knowledge.” Never stop learning. A wise man will seek as much knowledge as he can pertaining to the gift and graces in his

• Use it~ Hebrew 5:14 “But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.”

Whatever it is you have been given, it must be exercised. Romans 12:6 says “having gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us let us use them…”

• Muscles-lose them, musical ability-lose finger placement, calluses, etc.
• Most are waiting for the big thing to shine-shine in the small things and God will promote you. Waiting for their big break-their ship to come in-swim out to it. Sing in the shower-improve!

When I began in ministry, I was terrible. I improved as I studied, took classes, watched other preachers, asked them questions about preparation, presentation, and so forth. In the beginning I preached to 6 people; one time I preached to 12 people every night for 3 weeks think two or three were dead. With every message I became more and more comfortable operating in my calling.

One of the world’s greatest violinists, Paganini was born in the city of Genoa, Italy and became very sick at the young age of 40 only living to be 58. Some accused him of being in league with the devil because his finger moved so fast. Towards the end of his life he donated his violin to the city with the stipulation that it never again be played. Within a few years the instrument which had brought such joy to thousands was stored in a museum. In a few short years it was rotten and termite ridden until useless.

• What are you doing with your gifts?

3.) Develop Discipline

I Corinthians 9:24 “Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it. And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown, but we for an imperishable crown. Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air. But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified…”

• Olympics they work hard to get a prize, a trophy, a laurel wreath, that turns to dust. They don’t decide 2 weeks before the meets to work out-“I think I could do that.” They work for years. Sacrifice and discipline their bodies-if a writer-write-singer-sing, preacher-preach, etc.
• Make time for what you value.

4.) How you respond to criticism, circumstance and correction will determine the outcome

of your life

Criticism – When you are criticized, evaluate, forgive, learn

Circumstances – Don’t allow adversity to knock you off track. Keep the faith and learn to praise in the face of opposition.

Correction – When correction is given, receive it with humility. Be willing to change- it is part of the preparation season in your life. God will always try to expose the things keeping you where you are. Be open to learn and improve. Allow others to speak into your life and share what they have already learned. It will save you many wounds and failures and accelerate your growth.

Today, in this room, there are numerous gifts lying under your spiritual tree unopened. As we embark upon a new year, let’s make a decision to open them up. Let’s dedicate our lives, find our purpose, and develop our gifts so that we can bring glory to God, bless others and experience the joy that only comes from faithful management of God’s resources.

Unopened Gifts

Unopened Gifts

“Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17 (NJKV)

“Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.” James 1:17 (NLT)

Today I want to begin a short series of messages I’m entitling, “Unopened Gifts.” A few years ago Mimi and the kids bought me a beautiful scarf and glove set for Christmas. There were lots of gifts and as the tradition goes in the Walker house we allow the kids to open their gifts one after the other and Mimi and I only open ours when the children push us to open something from them. In the process of opening gifts and cleaning up the aftermath, somehow, my gift box was slid under the snow covering and forgotten. To be totally honest, it warmed up for a couple of days and I didn’t ask for them and I guess Mimi totally forgot to remind me until the next cold spell came through.  I ended up buying another pair of gloves that weren’t as nice and just went on as though I had not received the gift. About three weeks later, when we were taking down the tree, I found my gift. Later, I was thinking about what had transpired. I had what I wanted and needed but had failed to open it and so I was living as though I didn’t have it. I think this is the story with lots of Christians today. God has already provided everything we need but because we fail to investigate and search out what He has given to us, we are living as though we have not received His full provision. Today, I want to challenge you to open your gifts and enjoy the fullness God has given us as His children.

Before I begin to explore this further, I want to make a few observations:

1. God is a gracious giver. In fact, the Bible is a litany of His grace in action. What is grace?

Grace – Grace is usually defined as “unmerited favor; God giving us what we don’t deserve and so forth.” I want to add to the definition of grace… “the willingness of God to demonstrate His power on behalf of those who don’t deserve it; the divine empowerment of the believer; the motivation and the means through which God gives to His people.” 

Look at Ephesians 2:8-9…

“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not of works, lest anyone should boast…”

Also, 2 Peter 1:2-3…

“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, ³ as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness…”

Acts 20:32 from the Amplified Bible…

“And now [brethren], I commit you to God [I deposit you in His charge, entrusting you to His protection and care]. And I commend you to the Word of His grace [to the commands and counsels and promises of His unmerited favor]. It is able to build you up and to give you [your rightful] inheritance among all God’s set-apart ones (those consecrated, purified, and transformed of soul).”

From Genesis to Revelation we see this amazing contrast…we find God giving and man receiving, although mankind is unworthy and undeserving. From the first glimpse of mankind’s interaction with God, it is God initiating this relationship of blessing and grace. Everything God gives is given on the basis of grace. He gives physical and spiritual life, total provision, protection, wisdom, grace, love, mercy, comfort and joy. All that mankind needs is available through the grace of God. He even sent His Son, Jesus to go to the Cross to die in our place and to reconcile mankind back to Himself. He then sent the Holy Spirit, called the Spirit of grace to reveal and to minister the provisions of the New Covenant. God is a gracious giver!

Some would ask why is it so important to focus on the fact that God is good and merciful, full of grace and mercy. Many have false perceptions of the Father. I’ve noticed that there are four common misconceptions about God.  I’ve talked to thousands of people about God personally over the years.  The misconceptions that people have tend to fall in one of four categories.  I have no doubt that many of you here today have been deluded about one of these myths about God

A. For instance, there are some who think that God is unreasonable.  They believe that He puts unreasonable demands on their lives that they could never possibly live up to.  They think that all He wants to do is make their lives tough, and establish rules, regulations and restrictions that remove all of the fun, enjoyment, happiness.  They see God as some kind of cosmic killjoy.  They see Him as too demanding and more of a dictator and avenger for every mistake they make in life.

B. Others see Him as unreliable.  They have been hurt and disappointed in people, churches, leaders or even their earthly father and transfer that resentment towards the Heavenly Father.  It’s an interesting characteristic of human behavior; often times when a person gets hurt, abused, attacked they not only blame the person who hurt them, but they also blame God for allowing it.  Many carry bitterness and resentment in their hearts toward God blaming Him for all of the bad things that have happened in their lives.  “Why did that happen, God?  If that’s the kind of God You are, no thanks, God!”  So you resist it because you think, He’s not unreasonable, but He’s unreliable.  “I can’t trust Him.”  When you’ve been hurt a lot you say, “I’m not going to trust anybody and I’m certainly not going to trust God!”

God has given each of us the freedom to choose.  That’s one of God’s greatest gifts to us.  He could have made you a puppet where you didn’t have a choice between good and evil.  You could only do good.  God could have kept people from hurting you by taking away their freedom to choose.  But He didn’t.  And because He’s given us the freedom to choose, people make the wrong decisions and they hurt other people.  You’ve been hurt by people who make bad decisions.  God could have taken away their freedom to do that, but He also would have, to be fair, taken away your freedom and you wouldn’t have liked that.

We always tend to focus on how people have hurt us.  Have you ever focused on the fact that you’ve hurt a lot of people?  And God never stopped you.  You’ve hurt many people through your own selfishness and self-centeredness.  We blame God for our hurts, as if He caused it all.  He didn’t cause those hurts – people did.  It happened because we’ve all been given the freedom of choice.  He wants you to choose what’s good.

C. Others think God is unconcerned.  I’ve heard, “Yes, I believe there is a God.  He’s just too busy to bother with me.  How could God be possibly interested in me?  God’s got big things to worry about, like universes to create.  How could He be concerned about my job, my kids, my family, my career, my schooling, my education, my boyfriend?”  Those things seem petty so you think God is unconcerned.  If you think He’s unconcerned, you’re not going to seek His wisdom and council in your decisions and daily choices. They see God as out there… aloof.  Like the Better Midler song, “God is watching us from a distance.”  Not up close but backed off… from a distance.

Today, I want you to open up your mind and allow all of the concepts you’ve had about God to this date to be set on a shelf for a minute.  Instead, we’re going to look at what God says about Himself in the word, in the truth, in the Bible. The Scriptures tell us that He is caring, close, consistent and competent.

Look at our text for a minute… James 1:17

“Every good and perfect gift is from the Father who does not change like shifting shadows.” 

The truth is, earthy fathers are unpredictable.  Some of them are incredibly unpredictable and fickle.  I know some teenagers who feel like, “I never know what to expect from my dad.  It changes so much from one day to the other depending entirely on the mood he’s in.  One day he’s silent and the next day he’s violent.  One day he’s a good guy and the next day he’s a tough guy.  I don’t know what to expect.”  Inconsistent fathers produce insecure kids.  They are afraid to approach him. Our Father is good all the time…consistently good and consistently giving good…”every good (helpful, favorable or beneficial gift is from above and comes down (is constantly coming down) from the Father…”

One of the greatest causes of resentment and rebellion in kids is broken promises.  Some of you still have thoughts of times when your parents broke a promise and you still have thoughts of times when you broke a promise to your kids because we are all imperfect.  That feeling of “….  But you promised!”  The good news is God always keeps His promises.  That’s the kind of Father that He is.  Romans 11:29 “God will never go back on His promises.” You can count on Him every single time.  We have a God who is a gracious giver.

2. He is a generous giver-As I said a few weeks ago, He is not stingy or tightfisted. He is generous and showers His people with abundance.

Psalm 68:19… “He daily loads us with benefits…”  Psalm 145:16 says, God, “you open your hand and satisfy the desires of every living thing” (NIV). The Message translation is, “Generous to a fault, you lavish your favor on all creatures.” Not only do we as humans experience God’s generosity, but all living things, plants and animals, experience it. God lavished beauty, complexity and grandeur in creating the world. Did you know that there are 600 varieties of asters and 25,000 varieties of orchids? Those are just two of 270,000 species of flowers. Why so many? What extravagance! What lavish, overwhelming beauty! God of the open hand has poured out his blessing in creation.

Think about the phrase “Father of Lights…” I am overwhelmed by the grandeur of God’s creation. A thousand stars in the sky would be plenty. I can only keep track of a half dozen or so by name. We can actually see about 5,000 stars with the naked eye. Surely that would be enough. But our galaxy has 400 billion stars. And there are now 10 billion galaxies within reach of our most powerful telescopes. There are 70 sextillion stars (7 with 22 zeroes). To think of it another way, there are 10 times as many stars as all the grains of sand on all the world’s beaches and in all the world’s deserts. God of the open hand lavished complexity and majesty in the creation of the universe and the earth.

Why such grandeur, such beauty, such intricacy in God’s creation? God says, “I made it for you to enjoy, to contemplate, to fire your imagination and to saturate your soul.” In Genesis 2:16, the Lord completed the Garden of Eden and gave it to Adam. “Here it is. For you. You are free to eat of any tree of the garden. Enjoy.” One tree Adam and Eve were not to eat from, but that’s another story.

“Earth is drenched in God’s affectionate satisfaction” Psalm 33:5 (MSG). The description of God’s generous, extravagant creation continues: “The skies were made by God’s command; he breathed the word and the stars popped out. He scooped Sea into his jug, put Ocean in his keg” (Psalm 33:6-7 The Message).

How does God give?

According to James 1:5 “God gives to all generously and ungrudgingly.”  This word translated as generously means, “to give liberally, lavishly, abundantly, and without holding back, or seeking self –gain or personal recognition.” It is the idea of giving your best as often as possible from the goodness of your heart. In practical terms it means to do the best you can because it is an expression of your heart of love and concern. The idea of “ungrudgingly,” is He doesn’t taunt you, or throw it up in your face, reminding you that you are unworthy or undeserving. He takes joy in blessing His people…

Our God is generous! He is generous in grace, mercy, love and blessing… “able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we could ask or even think.” He is a big, generous God!

3. The third observation is, He gives to us and then ask of us that we return a portion of what we have received back.

Look at I Chronicles 29:14 in the Living Bible says, “Everything we have has come from You, Lord.  We can only give You what’s Yours already.”  In reality everything already belongs to God.  We need to remember it’s all God’s.  We don’t really own anything.  It wasn’t yours before you were born.  It’s not going to be yours after you die.  God just loans it to you for about seventy-five or eighty years.  Then He says I’ll loan it to somebody else.  Then He’ll loan it to somebody else.  You don’t really own anything.  You didn’t bring anything on to this planet.  And you’re not taking anything out of this planet.  It’s all just on loan. We are just stewards or managers over His resources. How well we manage it will determine how much H can trust us with!

Jesus said in Luke 6:38 from the Message Bible, “If you give you will receive and your gift will return to you in full measure and running over.  Whatever measure you use in giving will be used to measure when it’s given back to you.”  Hear what God’s saying there.  God is saying that you and I get to choose the level of blessing that we will receive in our lives.  The limits on how much God is able to give back to us is determined by our measure of giving.

We have all heard the passage in Malachi preached where the prophet says that when we don’t honor God with our tithes we are “robbing God.”  Have you ever wondered how that works?  How is it that robbing God is to not tithe?

Beloved, God doesn’t need my money.  What am I robbing God of?  I’m robbing Him of His opportunity to bless me, His opportunity to do things in my life that He wants to do.

I want to go back and quote again what my dad said in a message several years ago. He said, “Giving is not God’s way of getting our money. If He needed something He would just create it or take it because it is all His anyway. He has such wealth He paves Heaven’s streets with gold. It is His way of doing 4 things;

1. He is trying to teach us the principle of sowing and reaping which is the most important law of success and blessing in the universe. In fact every living thing depends upon it to survive and proliferate.

2. He is trying to teach us the principle of generosity, for it really is more blessed to give then it is to receive. He wants us to reflect Him and by doing so understand that what we have is entrusted to us so that we can distribute God’s bounty of blessings in the earth. WOW!

3. He is trying to teach us the principles of faith. Do we trust God enough to be a liberal giver, or are we so bound by fear that we hold tight to all that we have fearful that we will never have more?

4. He is trying to teach us stewardship-that all we have is God’s and what we do with it determines whether He can give us more, or whether this is all we can be trusted with. What we do with our resources; our time, investment, money, and talents demonstrate where are devotions are and what our priorities are.”

Stingy people miss out on many of God’s blessings.  If you look at a stingy person you will find a person who is empty, alone, unfulfilled and otherwise miserable. They’re missing out on so many of God’s blessings. 

The Bible says in Deuteronomy 15:10 “Give generously and do so without a grudging heart.  Then because of this God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.”  Don’t let Satan rob you of one more minute of blessing.

2 Corinthians 9:11 “You will be enriched in every way for all your generosity.”  I’ve just told you a couple promises from the Bible about generosity.  The truth of the matter is there are more promises in the Bible about giving than about anything else.

Now this is the beautiful part of this ideal. This isn’t just about money! In fact the passage in Luke 6:38 is taking about forgiveness and grace being given to those who have hurt us and mistreated us. He says as we give grace, mercy and forgiveness, it will be given back to us…good measure, pressed down and running over.

This is about EVERY GIFT God has given to us. The talents we have been blessed with are not to sit as unopened gifts…they are designed to bless others. The grace we have received we meant to be distributed to others…the love we’ve been showered with is intended to be shared with others; the gifts of the spirit are designed to edify and build up others; when He gave us forgiveness, He envisioned is forgiving others-that’s the reason He said, if we don’t forgive we won’t be forgiven of our trespasses. Every gift given from His storehouse of blessing has been given to enhance our life and to provide a bounty out of which we bring blessing into the lives of others.

Someone once said, “You make a living by what you get.  You make a life by what you give.” I will add… “You leave a legacy by what you give…not what you keep.” When your life is over people will remember you for the problems you solve or the problems you cause!”

In Acts 20:35 the Message Bible says, “In everything I’ve done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’” (“There is more happiness in giving than in receiving.”)  I’ve always loved that verse because it’s so honest – there’s more happiness, blessing and joy in giving than in receiving.  Does Jesus say there’s no happiness in receiving?  Of course not.  I don’t know about you, but I enjoy receiving. There is indeed happiness in receiving – no doubt about it. But Jesus says “there’s more happiness in giving.”

That’s the exact opposite of the way much of the world thinks.  Most of the world thinks there’s more happiness in what you get.  Jesus says not true.  There is more happiness in what you give.  You know that’s true – many of you – because of what you’ve given as a church and the things we are able to do for the Kingdom because of it.  It feels good, no great to give.  You want your family to be more joyful?  Then be more generous as a family.  You want to be more joyful in your life?  Then be more generous as a person. I’m asking you to look under the tree and get a firm understanding of what God has blessed you with and begin to share it with others.

Again, I am not just referring to money. Give some extra time to you children and see if it doesn’t bring more joy into your life. Take your wife out on a date, and not to McDonald’s and see if doesn’t make you feel good. Why? Every time you give it enlarges you capacity to receive.

How do we give to God? By sowing into His work and giving to others.

4. Here’s the final observation…whatever and to what proportion we give, we receive back in return.

It’s the principle of harvest: what you sow you’re going to reap. That’s true about money but it’s true about everything else.  If you sow criticism what are you going to get back?  People are going to criticize you.  If you sow gossip, guess what?  They’re going to gossip about you.  Here’s the law of life – whoever gossips to you will also gossip about you.  Never, ever listen to gossip.  The Bible calls it sin.  Don’t listen to it.  Why?  Because you are partaking in stolen goods and in the law someone who receives stolen good is as bad as someone who stole it.  Don’t listen to gossip.  If they tell you they’re going to tell somebody something about you.  A gossip is not your friend.

Whatever you give out you receive back!  Do you need more energy?  You know how to get more energy?  Whatever you need more of give it away.  Do you need more energy?  You have to exercise.  When you exercise you have more energy.  That’s true in every single area of life.  Whatever you need more of, give it away and you’ll get more back.  Do you need more affirmation in your life?  Give it away.  Start affirming other people.  You’re going to get more back. That’s the way God made the world.  For good or for bad, negative or positive.  Whatever you plant you’re going to get more back.  You plant resentment you’re going to get people resenting you.

There are a lot of people who believe they are immune to this law. However, just because it doesn’t happen immediately, doesn’t mean it isn’t going to happen. There’s always delay between planting and harvest.  When you plant a seed in the ground do you get an ear of corn the next day?  No.  Of course not.  You plant in one season and you harvest in another.  The same is true in giving.  You give to other people.  You give to God.  You give your life away and do you instantly reap the results the next day?  No.

There is season of waiting before God gives you the harvest.  Why?  He’s testing your faith.  He’s testing your faith to see if you’ll trust Him while there’s a delay in the planting and harvesting.  You cannot out-give God so you ought to get excited.  It’s not an obligation, it’s an opportunity.  Giving is not a debt we owe, it’s a seed we sow.  The real issue is fear.  Will I trust God?  Will I believe that God will keep His promises?

HE ALWAYS GIVES US MORE than we have given IN RETURN for our obedience. If you take a kernel of corn and you plant it in the ground do you get one kernel back?  No.  I’ve actually planted corn. When you plant one kernel in the ground, you don’t get one kernel back.  You get a stalk with a bunch of ears and thousands of kernels.

Here’s the point – you always get back more than you put in.  You plant an apple seed, what happens? Ask Johnny-you know Johnny Appleseed!

It is time to open your gifts and open the heavens in your life!