In my reading this morning, I am led to meditate on “spiritual gifts.” What is their importance according to God’s will, plan, and purpose? Often, I find myself pursuing tasks that in the end brought only disappointment and failure. The effort I put into the endeavor is exhausting and degrading. I remember reading (I wish I could remember where) the “natural movement of the Holy Spirit,” and I like this because most of my life has been laboring to do or be something that I was not designed to do or be. Each one of us has been hand-crafted by God, fearfully and wonderfully made in His image, so that we could glorify God and enjoy our heavenly Father forever. It is really simple yet I make it so complex!
2 Kings 4:1-7 (ESV) tells of a poor, in-debt widow. Her husband was one of the sons of the prophets who feared God or rather was in awe of God, reverent, and a faithful servant of God. The creditor had come to take her two children to be their slaves. She went to Elisha, the prophet, for help and Elisha asked her, “What shall I do for you? Tell me; what do you have in the house?” The widow replied that she had nothing in the house except for a jar of oil. Elisha told the widow to visit her neighbors and collect as many empty vessels as she could and he stressed, “not too few!” He then told her to go back home, “close the door behind yourself and your sons and pour into all the vessels and when one is full, set it aside and continue filling. The widow and her sons filled all the empty vessels and when there was none left to fill, “the oil stopped flowing.” It was then that the man of God, Elisha, told the widow “sell the oil and pay your debts, and you and your sons can live on the rest.”
Psalm 37:23-26 explains further:
“The steps of a man are established by the LORD,
When he delights in his way;
Though he fall, he shall not be cast headlong,
For the LORD upholds his hand.
I have been young, and now am old,
Yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken
Or his children begging for bread.
He is ever lending generously,
And his children become a blessing.”
We are to look for and collect empty lost souls, share our spiritual gifts, and fill them up with God’s love and goodness. By the Holy Spirit’s work in and through us, we can do this (read the Bible daily and pray always)! We continuously look and collect and God continuously fills up!! There is no end to His provision but we have got to keep our eyes open for those who need to hear and experience the Savior’s love for them.
God will not abandon His “godly ones” nor their children. The righteous are known by their deeds of mercy and generosity. God will not forsake His saints. They are preserved forever, they shall inherit the land and dwell upon it forever…the law of God is in his heart and his steps do not slip (Ps. 37:28,29,31).
In reading this passage of Scripture from 2 Kings 4, I am thankful for my identity in Jesus Christ. That it is His work on the Cross, His resurrection, His propitiation that clothes God’s children in righteousness. We are seen not as we see ourselves but as God sees His Son. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, are well hidden in our Lord and Savior, unblemished, in the clear of all sin (past, present, and future) born again into a new life, and all because of the shed blood of Jesus who is our Redeemer. A second birth, raised from our sins and trespasses, out of the darkness, and into the glorious light of God, and progressively transformed into the likeness of our Mediator, Jesus Christ, and one day we will be glorified and forever walking with the Father like we have never experienced before. We taste heaven in our earthly bodies but to be immersed in it is a totally different story!
The day is coming!!
Amazing grace!!
What have I learned from 2 Kings 4? In my dependence on God, I am able to hang on to His promise that I ( and all the righteous) will not be rejected, neglected, or cast off. We will not be left alone in our temptations, trials, and in our pursuit of our heavenly home. We have all we will ever need and we are supplied abundantly by the hand of Almighty God. Where we start is not where we will end. We are in a constant state of supernatural change once the Holy Spirit enters the heart; we become true Christians. We cannot be taken from God, we will never be separated from God’s love, and the plans He has for us are good and cannot be altered by anyone nor by our mistakes and offenses. Our sins are forgiven, and forgotten; we have the privilege, because of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus, to confess and repent and we can move on in the hopes to do better next time. No matter what we do, God has made our way straight which does not mean we can do what we want. It also does not mean we face no consequences for ungodly behavior. If we have been converted, we do not want those things that are displeasing to God. If we are Christians, we will show evidence of our changed life with Christ. This is good and it alleviates the stress I put on myself and I pray it does the same for you!
The second lesson I took from 2 Kings 4 is the fact that Elisha did not just hand over provision to the widow which would have served well in the instance but what happens when that provision runs out? Is she to go back to Elisha and ask for the same? Elisha gave her specific instructions on what she was to do in order to pay her debt and live well with her children. He expected the widow to follow his instructions and to apply his wisdom daily so that she and her family would be well supplied and comfortable.
God is the same! He instructs us through the Bible, which He inspired through its authors, it is true, without error, and it is alive. As one reads it, seeds of wisdom are deposited into the prepared heart, God brings along understanding; we are providentially open and ready for it and enabled to apply it in our own life as well as in the life of others, and all of this is for His glory. It is in this perfected process that we become knowledgeable of God. Our worship of Him deepens, our faith grows and we cannot help but look for Him everywhere and in everything. Our vision switches from our physical eyes to the spiritual eyes of our softened, Spirit indwelt heart. God becomes our constant conversation within and in time, He is all we talk about, for He is worthy, and He is truly man’s life-saving, glorious gift!
God has supplied and will continue to supply all that we will ever need to serve Him and people well. The gifts He has given are not to be used as we see fit but how He sees fit. Each one of us is tailor-made to carry out a portion of God’s work in this world. Some are known and some are not! We see the result at times and other times, we see nothing, but by faith and for the sheer joy of pleasing our LORD, we march on praising Him because He is our ultimate heavenly prize.
“Biblical Doctrine,” edited by John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue explains spiritual gifts this way:
“Spiritual gifts uniquely equip each believer to minister to the corporate body of Christ, the resulting way in which those in the church edify each other testifies effectively to God’s power before a watching world. When believers exercise their giftedness, they also exhibit Christlike behavior. As God incarnate, the Lord Jesus possessed these qualities in perfect completeness. Believers put Him on display as they employ these gifts for the sake of His body, the church, through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
We must be grateful for the gifts God has given us. One is not inferior to the other. All gifts are created equal (in my opinion) to accomplish God’s work not our own. We must not waste our time striving to attain those things that God has not ordained for each one of us.
Lord, help us wait patiently for Your guidance and instruction, help us to apply our gifts as You empower, and help us trust that as we carry out Your desires, You will bring whatever it is that we are doing to completion.
Why oh why was I so hard at work achieving those things that did not come from God. How “easy” life has just become. I do not mean this in a lazy fashion, but when gifted with something, how easy it is to share! The way to increase what we have is to use it. We give of ourselves (time, energy, prayers, love, counsel, compassion, joy…) and the Lord will multiply. Blessing, upon blessing, upon blessing. The heart becomes full, joy cannot be self-contained, and the God of love bursts forth for everyone to see and feel!
In summary, we all have gifts and talents we can give to others so let us thank God for His work in and through us, and let us always be praising God for all He has done, is doing, and will do in our lives and in this world. This day does not have to be dark, seek God, and you shall see light.
In Jesus’ Name, I pray, Amen!!
God Bless You!
*This post is inspired by “The Reformation Study Bible,” and “Matthew Henry’s Commentary.”
Our Heavenly Prize 