(Further reflections on "First Fruits"--Sunday 8-May-2022)
Imagine if someone challenges you to hold your breath for 60secs, you will have $100, but if you continue to hold it up to 120secs, you will have $300. Now if you stop there, you will only have $1. But if you keep going until 24 min 37.36 secs, you will be entitled for World Guinness record. Now if you just go for 10 second more, you will have $1 million. Come on just another 10 seconds! Will you go for this?
Air, as an example, was a good and perfect gift from the Creator to created beings. It was given graciously, mercifully, and lovingly. It does not challenge nor entice, trick with strings attached, guilt-trip, deplete or deprive or deprave or dehumanize you, or deform your identity in Christ Jesus.
You see, our human nature is prone to take challenges, we want to earn it by taking on anything that can prove our worth, so that we feel good about our sinful-self--a self-made successful person. As it happened in the Garden of Eden, all it took was a challenges from the Serpent. Eve was deceived. Adam deliberately sinned. Self-deception and sinfulness is at the core of humanity. Unless Jesus is the core of our being or center of our life, we will remain unchanged.
One good practice for us today to discern what is good and perfect gift from the Lord our God is to check whether the business offer/deal or promotion or entering in a serious relationship (getting married) have those enticing (wicked) traits. If it does have them, stay away from it. No lingering. Don't think twice. Don't be double-minded.
Reflecting on this, now a good and perfect gift from the Lord cannot be received by hearing only, but by responding to what was heard. It needs faith to experience it and enjoy it. It needs time and space and a heart and mind of Christ to really understand and appreciate all the qualities of God's good and perfect gifts to those who trust Him and live according to His word.
Another example. Both singleness and marriage are God's gifts. The former must have a clear calling and doing it with joy and without feeling tempted or deprived of anything or not because of fear being divorced or afraid of getting hurt). Now the latter embarks on 'thorn-in-the-flesh (cf. 2 Cor 12:7-10) journey with the Lord and His body--the church in order to see and taste one of many God's good and perfect gifts, the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) So His good and perfect gift can only be experienced through living in Him and His word.
There are so many other examples, but here is the last practical one regarding your vocation/profession/career development. A good and perfect gift from God for your works will not take you away from the Lord and His Body. It will not make you FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) on anything. It will not turn a married woman to be a "widow" due to all-about-work-busy husband. It will not make you "MIA" (Missing In Action) dad to your children. It will not make the singles deceived into thinking that they have more time for their career-development if they stay unmarried. In fact, the opposite is true that the singles should have more time relationship-development (just a matter of emphasis--everyone needs this) with the Lord and His church.
One caveat remains. Everyone likes a good and perfect gift from the Lord. But not everyone trust Him wholeheartedly and dare to follow and live according to His word as they would rather rely on their gifts/talents than His immense power and ability. May the Holy Spirit cut, convince, convict, and conform us into the image of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
Love and blessings.
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Pastor Lap
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