MORE THAN WORDS ON THE PAGE
“God, you awake?”
“Isaiah 40:28.”
“I looked it up. You mean you never get tired or weary? I bet you get tired and weary after our conversations.”
“Nope. Not even after talking to you.”
“Want to hear a funny? I’ll just go ahead and tell you: I just got a present labeled, 'From Mom and Dad,' and I know darn well that Dad has no idea what's inside. Isn’t that a hoot?”
“Does that remind …”
“You’re going to turn this into a lesson, aren’t you?”
“I might if I thought you were listening.“
“I am all ears.”
“Do you know all the gifts I have given you?”
“Well, ….. I know Bill is a gift from you. The kids, grandkids, friends, ..”
“Yes, these were all gifts, but what about the other gifts?”
“I am confused. ….”
“You confused? What a shocker.”
“Okay. Okay. Are you done now? I don’t remember gifts all wrapped and tied with a nice bow and a gift card saying, “From God.” When did I get these gifts?”
“They were not wrapped. I thought that was a good idea until the Angels Union pointed out how much wrapping paper costs and the amount of trash it would add to landfills. That means my gifts come unwrapped.
But the fruit of the
Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness and self-control. Against
such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22-23
“I like the joy gift. I try to use these, but the self-control one causes my mouth a bit of a problem. Just the other day ..”
“I know about the other day. Your interaction with the telemarketer was way overboard. They are annoying, but next time, try a bit of self-control.”
“My goodness, do you know everything I say and do?”
“We need to wrap this up -- get it, wrap this up -- or your readers will get tired and miss the good part.
You have many gifts available and they will free you from sin. They will lead you to be kind and gentle towards others. They will increase your faithfulness and give you peace. You have been given the gift of love and joy.
When did you receive these gifts? The moment you walked down the aisle on a Sunday so many, many years ago, confessed your sins, and accepted Jesus into your heart.”
“I remember that Sunday. I remember feeling so free because Jesus became mine. Mine. Not because my Grandma wanted me to believe. Not because my Sunday School teacher wanted me to believe. I just flat out believed!!!”
“And at that moment, every gift I have for you — the Fruits of the Spirit, mercy, grace, forgiveness, …”
“God, if you list them all, this blog will never end. So, make it quick.”
“You are getting a bit bossy. The cliff notes: I want each of my children to believe — to have faith — to feel the love I have for them — to accept and use my gifts.”
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Are you still reading? Bless your heart. I decided to have a conversation with God, and He decided that 5:00 AM would be a good time to talk. God has given you gifts to help you as you navigate every day!! Don’t forget about his gifts. Remember them and use them. They are worthless; if you close your Bible and leave them as just printed words on a page. Especially when a telemarketer calls.
A challenge: Keep a notepad with your Bible and write down
every gift you come across. You might be
surprised how long the list will get. I’ll
give you the first one: God’s love.