every good and perfect gift

my favorite christmas present, probably of all time, is the bible my mom (or santa if in the presence of my 7 year old brother) gave to me this year. i could spend all day reading it... why? it has the new international version side by side with the message translation. absolutely amazing.

i am basically a bible scholar so the message just affirms how wonderfully i can translate the niv into terms more applicable to today... so, maybe not. actually i appreciate being in church and getting to read along with the niv, but also getting the personal touch that is found in the message.

presents are always so fun to get, but as i've gotten older i realize it is much more fun to give, and to give a gift that is used and loved. i receive devotionals in my email daily, i read a devotional book every morning, and my new gifted bible at night before bed and you know who loves to give gifts more than any one of us? Him. and somehow His gifts are much greater than anything i have to give my loved ones.

we know we are made in His image as we desire for someone to love and to use our gift to them.
"Do not neglect your gift..." 1 Timothy 4:14 a

God loves to give so much that He spends several chapters discussing the gifts that He is blessing His people with. does he bless all of His people in the same way? no, of course not.
"Now you are the body of Christ, and each and everyone of you is a part of it. ... Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts" 1 Corinthians 12:27-31

we all function differently, but it is this difference that keeps things working. if everyone was good at math, who would write the books that taught us those numbers and theorems in an interesting way. if all painted and no one calculated, how would our houses and buildings stand? your gift makes you different, yes, but that difference allows for function. but looking back to 1 Timothy 4:14, are you neglecting the beautiful, perfect gift that God tailored just for your life, your circumstance?

as i spend time writing i realize this is my gift. my desire to put my thought into words. my wish to bless others through my thoughts and my meditation upon His words. never before have i looked at such a motivation as a gift, but as the word says in James 1:17, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly light, who does not change like shifting shadows."

cherish your good and perfect gift today and always.

song of the day:
"made for you" - chris taylor

something about his lyrics are so raw. it's like a child wrote them and he sings.

"everything about me was made for you
everything inside me is all for you
it's deeper than we know right now
but we've got the time to figure out
just how, everything about me was made for you."

everything about us is for Him. and as much as we don't know it now, we do have time to figure it out. once we find that calling, it's time to put it to use, and see God's great and perfect plan unfold. by recognizing His gift to us, we, as a body of Christ, can work in synchronicitie with one another according to His will to bring glory to Him.

with love, am