Wasted Gifts

We are certainly at the countdown.  It is nearly too late to shop for last minute gifts.  Gift giving can be such a rewarding experience.  Sadly most times giver worry if the recipient will  want or like or use the gift.  No matter who you are shopping for you probably have anguished over the idea of buying the perfect gift. Nothing is more disheartening than giving a gift that is ill-received.  It can cause an awkward situation for both people.  

Let's face it...trying to interpret someone else's sense of style.  Selecting the right color or material can take the joy out of giving.   Ever shop for a teenager and they never wear or use the gift?  They take it and act like it is a good gift, but their actions speak volumes to the contrary.  Not to mention the person who 'has everything' on your list who expects you to get them something.   After so many futile attempts to get it correct with everyone, you might just resign yourself to the fact that you cannot please these people no matter what you get them. 

Let's think about the gifts we have all been given that we don't use.  We have been blessed with gifts that we never asked for...and rarely show gratitude for.  

Gift of Sight
Most of us were blessed with 2 eyes.  Our eyes are the primary way for us to see the sadness, oppression, and pain.  But how do we use our eyes?  We use our eyes to see what we want to see. Consequently we miss chances to see what God wants us to see.  We waste the gift of sight.  

Gift of Hearing
God thought hearing was very important and he gave each of us 2 years.   With these ears we need to listen to the cries of the need; listen for to hear the distress in the voice of the victims; listen for the voice of God about our lives.   Once again, we abuse this gift by listening to our own intuition, conscience, leading, or voice.  We go to friends and family member for advice  and guidance all the while ignoring the Holy Spirit who is speaking.  We waste the gift of hearing. 

Gift of Salvation
You've been there.  You have a Christmas party with a gift exchange and you forgot to buy a gift.  What are you to do?  Well you look around your home and find something you really did not want and you wrap it and re-gift it.  You in essence select something that is of no value to you to give to someone and pass it along as something of worth.  

Imagine how God feels.  He has given to each of us the gift of Salvation through a relationship with Jesus Christ.  But like that teenager we thumb our noses at God's gift.   If you are into re-gifting why not help someone to seek a relationship with God so that they can get the gift of Salvation that is free, one size fits all...perfect gift!  Jesus gave us an commission to 'go out and teach and preach in His name...to make sure everyone knows who Jesus is and how He came to save all.  Everyone needs the gift of Salvation and it might be you who will let someone know that the payment has been made...all they need to do is to  jump right in.  Let's not waste the gift of Salvation!

God has given us everything we need to live and live abundantly.  We need to learn how to discern the gifts God has given us and use them for His glory.  God Bless....

In His Service,
Reba

Proverbs 31

OMG...Do you know what tomorrow is?  Yes, it is Halloween.  Guess again?  Tomorrow is October 31st which means we are at the end of Proverbs.  I don't know about you, but I have really enjoyed reading and discussing the Proverbs with many of you.  Proverbs 30 was a great.  Chances are you will run into people who don't believe that there is a God.  Well, in Proverbs 30 we were given some good advice about those kind of people.  

Have you invited your friends and/or family to read Proverbs?  Let others know what you have gained by reading this book of the Bible.  Maybe they will enjoy it as well.  

On to Proverbs 31....
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Speak Out for Justice

The words of King Lemuel,

the strong advice his mother gave him:

2-3“Oh, son of mine, what can you be thinking of!

Child whom I bore! The son I dedicated to God!

Don’t dissipate your virility on fortune-hunting women,

promiscuous women who shipwreck leaders.

4-7“Leaders can’t afford to make fools of themselves,

gulping wine and swilling beer,

Lest, hung over, they don’t know right from wrong,

and the people who depend on them are hurt.

Use wine and beer only as sedatives,

to kill the pain and dull the ache

Of the terminally ill,

for whom life is a living death.

8-9“Speak up for the people who have no voice,

for the rights of all the down-and-outers.

Speak out for justice!

Stand up for the poor and destitute!”

Hymn to a Good Wife

10-31A good woman is hard to find,

and worth far more than diamonds.

Her husband trusts her without reserve,

and never has reason to regret it.

Never spiteful, she treats him generously

all her life long.

She shops around for the best yarns and cottons,

and enjoys knitting and sewing.

She’s like a trading ship that sails to faraway places

and brings back exotic surprises.

She’s up before dawn, preparing breakfast

for her family and organizing her day.

She looks over a field and buys it,

then, with money she’s put aside, plants a garden.

First thing in the morning, she dresses for work,

rolls up her sleeves, eager to get started.

She senses the worth of her work,

is in no hurry to call it quits for the day.

She’s skilled in the crafts of home and hearth,

diligent in homemaking.

She’s quick to assist anyone in need,

reaches out to help the poor.

She doesn’t worry about her family when it snows;

their winter clothes are all mended and ready to wear.

She makes her own clothing,

and dresses in colorful linens and silks.

Her husband is greatly respected

when he deliberates with the city fathers.

She designs gowns and sells them,

brings the sweaters she knits to the dress shops.

Her clothes are well-made and elegant,

and she always faces tomorrow with a smile.

When she speaks she has something worthwhile to say,

and she always says it kindly.

She keeps an eye on everyone in her household,

and keeps them all busy and productive.

Her children respect and bless her;

her husband joins in with words of praise:

“Many women have done wonderful things,

but you’ve outclassed them all!”

Charm can mislead and beauty soon fades.

The woman to be admired and praised

is the woman who lives in the Fear-of-God.

Give her everything she deserves!

Festoon her life with praises!

Proverbs 30

If people can't see what God is doing...finish that sentence.   The issue is that in order to see what God is doing it takes prayer and discernment and a willingness to wait and listen!  It is not easy but it is worth it!  As I read this Proverb the verse that stuck out for me was verse 25.  It reads, "The fear of human opinion disables; trusting in God protects".  Whew!!!  

On to Proverbs 30
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The Words of Agur Ben Yakeh

God? Who Needs Him?

1-2The skeptic swore, “There is no God!

No God!—I can do anything I want!

I’m more animal than human;

so-called human intelligence escapes me.

3-4“I flunked ‘wisdom.’

I see no evidence of a holy God.

Has anyone ever seen Anyone

climb into Heaven and take charge?

grab the winds and control them?

gather the rains in his bucket?

stake out the ends of the earth?

Just tell me his name, tell me the names of his sons.

Come on now—tell me!”

5-6The believer replied, “Every promise of God proves true;

he protects everyone who runs to him for help.

So don’t second-guess him;

he might take you to task and show up your lies.”

7-9And then he prayed, “God, I’m asking for two things

before I die; don’t refuse me—

Banish lies from my lips

and liars from my presence.

Give me enough food to live on,

neither too much nor too little.

If I’m too full, I might get independent,

saying, ‘God? Who needs him?’

If I’m poor, I might steal

and dishonor the name of my God.”

10Don’t blow the whistle on your fellow workers

behind their backs;

They’ll accuse you of being underhanded,

and then you’ll be the guilty one!

11Don’t curse your father

or fail to bless your mother.

12Don’t imagine yourself to be quite presentable

when you haven’t had a bath in weeks.

13Don’t be stuck-up

and think you’re better than everyone else.

14Don’t be greedy,

merciless and cruel as wolves,

Tearing into the poor and feasting on them,

shredding the needy to pieces only to discard them.

15-16A leech has twin daughters

named “Gimme” and “Gimme more.”

Four Insatiables

Three things are never satisfied,

no, there are four that never say, “That’s enough, thank you!”—

hell,

a barren womb,

a parched land,

a forest fire.

17An eye that disdains a father

and despises a mother—

that eye will be plucked out by wild vultures

and consumed by young eagles.

Four Mysteries

18-19Three things amaze me,

no, four things I’ll never understand—

how an eagle flies so high in the sky,

how a snake glides over a rock,

how a ship navigates the ocean,

why adolescents act the way they do.

20Here’s how a prostitute operates:

she has sex with her client,

Takes a bath,

then asks, “Who’s next?”

Four Intolerables

21-23Three things are too much for even the earth to bear,

yes, four things shake its foundations—

when the janitor becomes the boss,

when a fool gets rich,

when a whore is voted “woman of the year,”

when a “girlfriend” replaces a faithful wife.

Four Small Wonders

24-28There are four small creatures,

wisest of the wise they are—

ants—frail as they are,

get plenty of food in for the winter;

marmots—vulnerable as they are,

manage to arrange for rock-solid homes;

locusts—leaderless insects,

yet they strip the field like an army regiment;

lizards—easy enough to catch,

but they sneak past vigilant palace guards.

Four Dignitaries

29-31There are three solemn dignitaries,

four that are impressive in their bearing—

a lion, king of the beasts, deferring to none;

a rooster, proud and strutting;

a billy goat;

a head of state in stately procession.

32-33If you’re dumb enough to call attention to yourself

by offending people and making rude gestures,

Don’t be surprised if someone bloodies your nose.

Churned milk turns into butter;

riled emotions turn into fist fights.