THE GREATEST GIVE EVER RECEIVED-PART 2

Originally written several years ago – some content may be dated but the message is timeless.

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I told you in my post yesterday “THE GREATEST GIFT EVER RECEIVED” how I gave my two dachshund dogs a new kind of chew treat.  The little girl, Liesel, took hers and began hiding it here and there.  She could never be comfortable with where she hid it.  She even hid it one place and laid just outside the place and watched it for 15 minutes making sure no one took it, or it didn’t get away somehow.  On the other hand, my boy, Zuckie, took this new chew and began enjoying it immediately under the bench in our dining room. 

I told you I was going to tell you about another direction I wanted to go differently from what I wrote about in yesterday’s post.  So, here I go. 

Now Liesel, after trying to find some place to hide her new chew treat yesterday, finally began chewing on the one Zuckie had but today, she hasn’t touched it.  Hummm… not sure why, but she wants Zuckie’s.  HAHA!  We do have drama around here sometimes. 

As Christians, we tend to take our gifts that God has given us, other than our Greatest Gift of Salvation, and hide them.  We hid them here and there and guard them and protect them, so no one ever sees them or even suspects that we have “that” gift to help on that “committee”.  We hide away some of the most precious things that have been given us by our Heavenly Father.  He has given them to be used in the building up of the body of Christ or out there in the world to tell others about Him.  We should not be hiding our gifts from God.  Spiritual gifts are what I am talking about.

Spiritual gifts consist of:

Administration                       Knowledge

Apostleship                            Leadership

Discernment                           Mercy

Evangelism                             Miracles

Exhortation                            Pastor/Shepherd

Faith                                        Prophecy

Giving                                      Serving/Ministering

Healing                                   Teaching

Interpretation                        Tongues

Wisdom

You can find reference to these gifts in these scriptures:

Romans 12:6-8

⁶ Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; ⁷ or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; ⁸ he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with -diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

1 Corinthians 12:8-10

⁸ for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same^[a] Spirit, ¹⁰ to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.

1 Corinthians 12:27-31

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. ²⁸ And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ But earnestly desire the best^[d] gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Ephesians 4:11

¹¹ And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,

Now surely there is something in that list that you excel in.  I took this information from a website that I got sidetracked on.  Here is the website – SpiritualGiftsTests.com.  On this website you can take a 98-question test that will reveal to you what your spiritual gifts are.  I found it very interesting and encourage you to go to this site and read and discover.  Your spiritual gifts are important to you and to God’s kingdom.  Use them to help others and yourself!

Now as far as my story goes about my two dogs… that was the comparison to Liesel and her hiding her new chew treat.  Never once stopping to enjoy this wonderful gift that she had received.  Instead, frantically finding one place after another to hide it. 

This part will be about Zuckie.  It kind of goes along with the first part and here it is.  Zuckie was enjoying the heck out of his new chew treat yesterday.  He just chewed and chewed and then laid it down to go rest or eat or something else.  Today, he picked it up again and began to chew on it and enjoy it. He would chew on it from time to time today, but always in the safety of the bench against the wall – his “hide-e-hole”.  I so wish he felt the freedom to come out from under the bench and enjoy his toys.  But he is afraid Liesel will take his toys or chew treat.  I have seen her do it… and it began with another little female dachshund that I used to have before Liesel.  She would go under the table and take Zuckie’s “stuff” too.  He will not defend his stuff and I so wish he would so Liesel might quit going under there and stealing it. 

So… do we hide our gift or enjoy it in the quiet safety of our own “hide-e-hole”?  Now it’s a good place for Zuckie but that is not where we are supposed to enjoy our gifts.  God instructs us to use… “use” our gifts.  Meaning to use them to further the Kingdom of Christ.  In the safety of your “hide-e-hole” is not going to benefit anyone but you. 

Please tell others about this wonderful God we serve!  He is an awesome God!  Mighty to Save, He is Mighty to Save!  He loves you so much, after all, He calls you His beloved!
Leah
Le**@My*******.com