Three Gifts From God

 You exist. 

As we head towards Christmas, our kids are dreaming of the presents they will get. Maybe you are dreaming of a few yourself. However, have you taken time to think about, and thank God, for the three most important gifts He has given you? Maybe you haven’t really thought about them. Maybe you were never taught that it is God who gave them to you. Unless you are a child of God, you actually only have one of them. Let’s talk about that one today.

This is the first of the three most important gifts that God can ever give to everyone. He gives this one to everyone. Simply put, you exist.

We read this is Palms.

"Your hands have made and fashioned me, give me understanding that I may learn your commandments." Psalm 119:73

And here is Psalm 139:13-17

"For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows them very well.

My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret, intricately woven in the depths of the earth.

Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.

How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them!"

God tells us.

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you," Jeremiah 1:5

God knew who you were before your mother met your Father. For me, He said I will be this tall. I will have this built. I will have brown eyes and brown hair. I will have this plan and purpose for my life. I shall be called Peter. As we talked about in a past sermon, my mother and father never really got along. He left when I was 13 months old. But that's OK. It was not his job to raise me. It was his job to bring me about. I'll say that again. I really feel like someone needs to get this. It was not my earthly father's job to raise me. In my case, it was not my mother's job either. It was my grandmother's. It was my father and mother's job to bring me into the world. That is what God chose for them. Me. I know, sounds arrogant right? But it is true.

Look at Zechariah and Elizabeth. Look at Joseph and Mary. God brought these couples together for one main reason. John the Baptist, and Jesus. None of these four people were truly special. Zechariah was a Priest, and Joseph was a Carpenter, or perhaps a Mason, some argue this point but neither really matters. Elizabeth was old, and Mary was a virgin young woman who pledged to be married to Joseph. God performed miraculous pregnancies in both Elizabeth, who was barren and well past the birthing age, and Mary who was a virgin.

In God’s Book, He wrote out how John would be, brought Zechariah and Elizabeth together, and formed John in Elizabeth’s womb. In the meantime, God arranged for Mary, a virgin, to become pregnant with The Word, who would become flesh. Look here,

“In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!” Luke 1:39-42

As a side note, it was not a clump of cells or a fetus that leaped for joy, it was the person John who did that. Make no mistake about it. God did the same to bring you, me, and everyone else into the world. Well, not the virgin part but you get the point.

In Romans, we find the five steps of an anointed life.

"And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to His purpose. For those whom He foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom He predestined He also called, and those whom He called He also justified, and those whom He justified He also glorified." Romans 8:28-31

Again, God,

1 "For those whom He foreknew," He knew you before you were even conceived. He wrote your members in His Book. You were fashioned, or formed, the way God chose you to be.

2 "He also predestined," He set up a plan and a purpose for you to accept Jesus's sacrifice and be called into the family of God. He has plans for you.

Every human being that has ever walked this earth has received this gift. It does not matter if you believe in God or accept God or not. He is the great “I Am,” and He created you. Jesus tells us that we should never fear. Not only does God love us, as His children,

"Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows." Luke 12:7

More on that next time. Every human that has ever been born receives this gift. Life. Existence. God knew you and brought you into the world and has a plan and a purpose for you and your life. Then step three.

3 "And those whom He predestined He also called," This is where you come in. God calls you. You are reading this for a reason. You accepted the invitation to go to Church with family or friends this or past holiday season for a reason. God is calling you.

If you say No. Nothing will change. There will be no hail of fire and brimstone falling down on your head. No demons will be slithering up through the ground to suck you into Hell. Truth is, things will go on for you pretty much as normal. You will either fail or succeed in your life. You will still be the choices you make. However, there is a big difference at the end of your time here on Earth. You will find that all you hear is true when you are standing before God Himself. Then it is too late.

If you say yes, then you receive that second most important gift that God can ever give you. Peace. Love. Assurance. We will discuss this in detail next time. For now, just breathe. Stand outside and feel the Sun on your face. Listen to the running waters of the creek. Look at the birds in the air. Watch the rabbit hop around the field or the deer grazing. Look at a spider in its web. Feel the rain, see the snow. Look up into the night and see the vastness of the stars. There is a Creator. Romans 1 tells us this.

“For what can be known about God is plain to them, {To us. All of us.} because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So, they {we} are without excuse.” Romans 1:19-20

When I look at a painting. I see the beauty. I see the brush strokes, the colors, and the beautiful arrangement of images on the canvas. I may not understand it. I may not know who the artist was that painted it. I am sure of one thing, there was an artist. It did not come from nothing. Neither did our universe nor did we.

 
God created all things for us. Then He created us to enjoy them. The Word declares that we, along with all things, were created by and for Jesus.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not anything that was made. ... And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-3, 14

We should take care of this gift we were given. We should enjoy this gift we were given. We can enjoy it even more with Jesus.

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” John 10:10

Slow down. Stop even. Breathe in the air. It is your air. It was created for you. We are only here for a short time. We are but a mist. Here one moment and gone the next. Do not waste it. Do not take it for granted.

Just the fact you exist is a gift from God. Another gift He gave you was free will. Now the choice is yours to make. Remember the five steps of an anointed life are these. God foreknew you. He created you with a plan and purpose. Now, He calls you. This is where you come in. “No?” Live on and follow the path you feel is best, which without Him, will lead to death and destruction, or “Yes?” Then say this prayer, wherever you are, say it with me or in your own words.

"Oh, heavenly Father, Lord God. I am a sinner. I know this. I know there is nothing I can do to change that. But I know you can. I accept Jesus's sacrifice for me. I believed He rose from the dead. I repent my sins. Please send the Spirit of Adoption into my life. Help me to get to know the real you. Save me. Please. In the name of Jesus, Amen!"

That's it. It really is that simple. Now go tell someone what you have just done. "That if you shall confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in your heart that God hath raised him from the dead, you shall be saved." Romans 10:9. You need to find a Church that God leads you to and be Baptized the way Jesus said to be. You are now a Child of God. A New Creature. You "have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him." Colossians 3:10

Now you can go on to steps 4 and 5.

4 "and those whom He called He also justified,"

5 "them He also glorified." God will glorify you in the end.

Email if you wish to contact me, it's truthbygod1@gmail.com

May the comfort of the Holy Ghost, and the peace of our Lord Jesus, be with you all. May God bless and be with you, always.

Until next time, be blessed, be a blessing, and Jesus is Lord!