QUALIFYING YOUR GIFTS

QUALIFYING YOUR GIFTS

Posted on November 26, 2016 Updated on November 22, 2016

   By Pastor Enoch Adeboye

Memorise: “Men that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 15:26)

Read: Acts 15:25-26

According to Ephesians 5:26, water is a type of the word. In 2 Samuel 23:14-17, David who was in a hideout requested for the water from the well by the gate of Bethlehem instead of one from the enemy’s territory. As pastors and leaders, the quality of God’s word that is dished to members during each meeting should be of the highest quality, oven-fresh, sizzling and garnished with Holy Ghost spices. There is a hunger in the heart of every genuinely born again Christian.

If you are able to satisfy that hunger, not by acrobatics and worldly eloquence and philosophy, but by the sincere milk of the word backed by the Holy Spirit, they will stay. There will be no need for them to seek water elsewhere. But if you present them with dry, stale and cold dishes, expect member migration to other assemblies. What are you doing to improve the quality of your church services to ensure everything members encounter in your assembly helps to promote their growth?

Another significant thing about David and his mighty men here is that after he declared his need for the water at Bethlehem, and some brave men risked their lives and brought the water to him, he saw it as the blood of these men and rather offered the water to the Lord. Water was offered but it was being taken as blood. What does this mean?

A gift that is offered can change form depending on the prevailing conditions under which it was offered. The eventual value of a gift is a function of the level of sacrifice put into it. Because the three men risked their lives to bring that water to David, its value suddenly shot up, and was rated in the same class with blood – the value of a man.

Any gift you present to God without some risk or sacrifice automatically devalues. For instance, if you have N100 million and you offer N1 million to God, its worth may be reduced to N10,000 or even less because no real risk was involved. If you endangered your life or family to be able to raise N500 and you offer it to God, its value automatically could be up to N1 million to God.

Stop devaluing your gifts! Ensure the element of risk or sacrifice is ever present in any gift you present to the Lord from today. Sacrifice is a positive qualifier and value raiser. Employ it always. Paul and Barnabas always included this ingredient of sacrifice.

Always blend your offerings with spices of sacrifice. Great dividends will follow.