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Dec.28.05 - Light for the Day - "God's Gifts to Us"

-- Rom 12:6a
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. ...

-- Galatians 5:22-23
But the fruit of the Spirit is 
love, joy, peace, 
patience, kindness, goodness, 
faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 
Against such things there is no law.

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If you are a parent you've undoubtedly had the experience of having your children complain after Christmas is over, disappointed they didn't get the gift they wanted or bored with the ones they received. It's not an easy problem to solve!

God our Father has given gift to each of us, and I pray we may never become discontent or bored with them. The greatest gift of all, of course, is the gift of His Son. (Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.) 

But the Bible also teaches God has given us other gifts -- gifts that come from the Holy Spirit's ministry in our lives. These are the gifts of the Spirit, and they include everything from the gift of preaching to the gift of hospitality. None of us has every gift, but every Christian has at least one, to be used for one purpose: to build up Christ's body, His Church (Eph. 4:11-12).

What spiritual gift has God given you? Don't worry about those you don't have. Be content with those God has given you, and use them for His Glory.

-- Billy Graham

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-- Ephesians 4:11-15
11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ,
13 till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head -- Christ --.

-- Romans 12:4-9
4 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5 so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
9 Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good.

-- 2 Corinthians 9:15 
Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!