,
“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world
but the spirit which
is of God; that we might know the
things that are
freely given to us of God.”
1 Corinthians 2:12
(KJV)
“Now we have
received. . . “In order for us to receive anything we must be humble and
accept that item from a benefactor, a birthday gift, an anniversary present, or
a surprise given to us.
“. . . not the spirit
of the world. . .” We are in this world, not of this world. When we belong
to Jesus, our hearts become broken by the activities we see—robbery, child
molestation, and murder. All we need to do is pick up a newspaper and scan the
headlines to get a picture of the state of our world. This exercise would be a
good place to begin to pray for others.
“. . . but the spirit
which is of God. . .” When we gave our heart to Jesus, we received a bit of
God’s spirit. He placed it in our hearts. When His spirit takes root in us, we
notice that we feel differently about certain issues in our surroundings. God,
through His Holy Spirit, guides us as we maneuver through our days. All the
many things He does for us are gifts.
“. . . that we might
know . . .” We can know with certainty that God has graciously entered into
our hearts. People around us will know that we belong to Jesus.
“. . . the things . .
. freely given to us of God.” God gives us many things just because He
loves us. A few days before I composed these thoughts, a friend’s mother--a
woman in her 80s-- told how she and her sister, when they were girls, would
take a blanket out into their yard, spread it out and lay down and watch the
sky. They would watch the clouds as they changed formation. As she spoke of
this memory, I saw a glint in her eye and a smile across her face. Anyone who
happened to listen could hear the calmness and love in her voice. God gave her
a memory. This was one of her free gifts from God. Her sharing it with me was
one of mine.
Have you received any gifts from God lately?
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photo from 123rf.com/
* special note: When I searched for a photo, I looked for 'receiving hands' and then 'giving hands'. I found the same basic photos. When we pray we can hold our hands open before us and both give God our concerns and receive from Him what He has for us. Isn't that neat?
Freely, Freely you have received
It is not always things... sometimes I receive favor, or courage or an open door. I love it when that happens. God is good.
ReplyDeleteThank you Cecelia for this post.
Thank you, Marja. You are right in your thought. We receive more than things from God. Even His smile gives me pause and causes me to reflect on all He has done for me.
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