“Freely you have received, freely give”. (Matthew 5:8).

How generous is God? How gracious is He? Look around you today. Consider His creation. Check out the variety of flowers and shades of beauty He has lavished on us for our thrill. Have you been to the countryside lately? How did you feel? Did you smell the freshness of the air, the breath-taking scenes of the rolling mountains and the sheltered valleys, the hanging cliffs, the tall, shady trees with their musky aroma permeating the air?

Have you seen and heard the roar of a river? Clean and crisp, flowing gently and meandering like a snake and twisting as it begins its majestic walk down the gentle steps on a mountainside? Did you notice how, finally, it tumbled into a deep waterfall, rushing into its path through the forest from where it continues its long journey into the sea? What a beauty to behold? 

Did you hear the birds sing their praises to their Creator for such serenity unequalled on any planet? They chirp and hop from tree to tree, making their nests where they house and feed their young with the abundant provision they do not work for, a measure of His grace and benevolence.

How about the sun that warms and lights our path in the day with its brilliance? And the glory of the moon that brightens the night? Have you taken time to stargaze on a beautiful, still night? Ever sensed His Majesty? Did you see the lightning that lit the skies? How about the deep thunder as the clouds gathered for a heavy downpour to cool the earth – providing life to plants to nourish the animals of the field? By the way, have you stopped to consider their variety and beauty? How can it be that none of the Zebras in East Africa have the same design of strips of black on white? Isn’t God wonderful?

Now, consider how generously He has lavished us with talents that fill every need in our lives: musicians to rouse our emotions, artists to captivate our imagination with the strokes of their brushes, poets to awaken the human in us, talented athletes, and sporting events for our leisure and many more. What else has the Almighty not given us in abundance?

But before you forget, consider His love that brought us His Son, Jesus Christ, to die for us. What grace! How can He care so much about us who had so offended and destroyed the beauty of His world? Why would Jesus come to die for us? Have you experienced His kind of love before? 

O, the gift of His Holy Spirit – His gifts and enablement! He has lavished them on us so richly that each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others (1 Peter 4:10). 

Why then are we sitting on our gifts? Why so parsimonious with them?

As generous as our Creator and Savior Redeemer, Jesus Christ, has given us the grace gifts for building His church, so must we give for His glory. May God bless you as you commit to His service, by finding your place in the church for service in His Kingdom! 

      Express your spirit gift today.