Maneuvers - No. 79
I Have Gifts
for You
Faithful one, what was the last gift you received that made you feel really loved?
And what was it about that gift that made you feel so cared for?
• Was it expensive—did the giver have to sacrifice a lot to get it for you?
• Was it perfect for you, indicating they put a lot of time and thought into it?
• Was it a total surprise, revealing that you’re often on their mind?
Gifts have a special way of making us feel loved and helping us express the love we feel for others. Could that be why our heavenly Father created the very concept of gift-giving? And why he himself loves to give generously?
After all, our Jesus gives us his life, his time, his attention, his care, his wisdom, his joy, his kindness, and his peace. He even allows us to share in his sufferings, giving us a deeper intimacy with him than we could ever have experienced otherwise.
This week’s FLAG Message is all about receiving those incredible, life-changing gifts from God—gifts he’s already given and gifts yet to come.
A word of caution, though—receiving Jesus’ gifts sometimes means letting go of preconceived notions and ideas of what we believe is best.
And sometimes it means letting him change our hearts so we can experience the rich and abundant life he has in store.
Are we willing to receive? Let’s listen…
01.
The Message
“Receive the gifts I give you. Reach out your hands. I have more to give you at this moment. A life of abundance. A life of richness. A life of beauty. I am running toward you now, and I shower upon you all my love. Everything I have is yours as I celebrate your life and delight in your presence with me. My joy is your joy. My perspective is your perspective if you want it.
“Do you want to surrender your vantage point for mine? Do you want to think bigger, more broadly? Do you want to open up your mind, heart, and receive? So there is small thinking, and there is expansive thinking of the kingdom I am giving you—the kingdom where life does not end and I provide all for you. Which thinking do you want to have?
“This life now, this life of time passing, of years going by—of aging bodies and hardship and disease, of trials and suffering, of wounds plunging deep—I will be taking away, dear one. You do not have to endure pain forever. And there is something I want you to know. I am here now.
“The kingdom of life and heaven has come down with my Son. His life gives you life—so all that you endure you can give to Him. He can take it. He can withstand it. He can hold you up. He can fight your fights. He can provide for your needs. He can give you wisdom. He can heal your wounds. You are reborn in his death–and life. You must remember, child, all is possible, and all will be good again.
“So, dear one, consider how you are holding back. As I run to you, which way do you turn? As I hold my arms to you, my smile stretching across my face as I look at you, where do you go, what do you do? Does your heart tremble? Does it hide? Does it rejoice? Does it pause and wonder? As you see me running, consider pausing for a moment. Let me hold you close. Let me help you hear my beating heart. Let me be the Lord you need. Let me give you that new perspective of life and hope and joy. It is all for you to receive.”
02.
Listen
What’s your first thought after reading this week’s message? What questions, praises, and feelings spring up in your heart? Let’s express those in a written prayer to the Lord.
03.
Think
“I don’t want to hear any of you bragging about yourself or anyone else. Everything is already yours as a gift—Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, the future—all of it is yours, and you are privileged to be in union with Christ, who is in union with God” (1 Corinthians 3:21-23, MSG).
1. Where does the enemy tempt you to believe that Jesus is holding out on you? How does that cause you, in turn, to hold back from the Lord?
2. In what areas of your life do you hunger for more of God? Where do you want him to expand your thinking?
3. What struggles are prompting you to deepen your relationship with God? How is God using even those hardships for your good?
04.
Trust
Do you want to know something amazing, friend? We don’t serve a stingy God. Instead, we serve a God who is more generous than we could imagine. He loves to give, to bless, to provide, and to lavish us with grace. It’s just who he is!
But sometimes in this world of ours—with all its terrors and frustrations and lies—we can lose sight of that truth. We can forget the many things our King has already given us, and we forget that there is still so much more for us to receive.
So today, can we remind ourselves of some of those precious gifts? To start, let’s go ahead and read Ephesians 1:3-8 (NLT):
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son. He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins. He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.
Now, let’s write down every gift from Jesus that we can find in this passage. Here’s how we started our list…
1. Jesus has blessed me with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.
2. Jesus made me united with him!
3. God loved me and chose me before he even created the world.
4. …
What other blessings are on your list, friend? Feel free to add blessings and gifts from other Scriptures, too!
Once we’ve finished our lists, let’s read through them one more time, pausing to reflect on what each gift means to us personally.
As we do, let’s prayerfully ask, “God, what does this gift show me about your love for me? About your character? What other personal gifts have you given me that I’ve missed? Where am I holding back from receiving gifts you want to give me?”
And now, let’s close in prayer…
05.
Pray
Heavenly Father, thank you for every incredible gift you’ve given to me through your Son. Your kindness and generosity are overwhelming—so much more than I deserve!
You say you want to be my everything—my wisdom in the confusion, my provision in need, my peace in the chaos. I believe you, and I receive your gifts.
Open my heart to hear you and follow you as you lead. Help me exchange my earthly perspective for your heavenly one.
I love you, Lord. Thank you for never, ever giving up on me.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Waving the banner with you,
