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A perfect fit
He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.—Ephesians 4:16 NLT
I have gifted all My children, but many do not see or perceive My gifts because they look or perceive with the eyes of man instead of the eyes of the Spirit. They judge according to outward appearance, according to that which is great in their own minds, instead of judging righteous judgment.
I have gifted all My children differently so that they can be as a body fitly joined together, each one doing his part to make My kingdom strong. I have gifted some with many gifts, some with fewer gifts. The important point is not whether there are many or fewer gifts, but that those gifts come from My hand.
You must trust Me to know that I have made you what you need to be and what I want you to be. Your rewards in this life and in the life to come will not be according to the number of gifts you have, nor according to the greatness of the gifts. Your rewards will be according to your faithfulness and what you do with the gifts that I have given you.
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Taste and see that the Lord is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him! … Those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.—Psalm 34:8, 10 NLT
Come unto Me and find rest in My arms. Be filled to overflowing with My love, for I have so much to give! I promise you that I will not fail you. I will be a faithful Husband and a faithful provider. For I am the giver of gifts, I am the supplier of needs, and I am your Husband.
So stay close to Me. Be filled with Me, and I will pour out My Spirit upon you in great measure, that you may be filled, that you may be strengthened, and that you may accomplish My purpose through the gifts and the blessings that I pour upon you.
Faithful servant
To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.—Matthew 25:29 NLT
In My kingdom, in the life to come, you will not be rewarded according to the gifts that you were given, but according to your faithfulness and your yieldedness. Each person will be rewarded according to that which he received from My hand, and that which he returned unto My hand in the way of diligence, faithfulness, fruitfulness, and obedience.
The gifts and talents that a man has are gifts from My hand. Therefore glory not in your gifts and talents, but give Me the glory. Seek diligently and wholeheartedly to do your best with what you have been given, knowing that I will reward you accordingly for a job well done.
I will reward you in this life, and in the life to come I will crown you with a crown of glory!
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Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty. Everything in the heavens and on earth is yours, O Lord, and this is your kingdom. We adore you as the one who is over all things. Wealth and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and at your discretion people are made great and given strength. O our God, we thank you and praise your glorious name! But who am I, and who are my people, that we could give anything to you? Everything we have has come from you, and we give you only what you first gave us!—1 Chronicles 29:11–14 NLT
Your rewards are not a result of what your gifts and talents are or how many you have, but the rewards are a result of what you do with such gifts. I seek not those who are strong and great in themselves but those who are willing to glorify Me. I seek those who are willing to acknowledge that all that they have and all that they are comes from Me—that it is My gift, My blessing, My anointing, My power in their lives.
Someone who has fewer gifts and talents, who acknowledges his weakness and depends upon Me and gives Me all the glory will be more greatly rewarded than one who is strong and mighty and greatly gifted with many talents and skills, yet who leans to his own strength and takes the glory to himself. No matter what your gifts and talents, whether they be many or few, if you give them all to Me and invest them well and are diligent, careful, prayerful, faithful, and do your very best for Me, this will be rewarded.
Called and chosen
God never changes his mind when he gives gifts or when he calls someone.—Romans 11:29 GW
I have ordained you from the very foundation of the world. I have called you, and you have been faithful to heed My call. I appreciate your yieldedness and your sacrifice in giving your time and strength to do My will to serve others. Every deed of kindness, every loving word, every stooping to lift the burden of another is noticed by Me.
I have given you many gifts—strength of body, strength of mind, strength of character—and I will use these gifts even more greatly as you continue to commit your life to Me and to love others. As you continue to look steadfastly to Me and listen to My whispers, I won’t fail to instruct you and guide you in all your ways. Your faithfulness to love others and shower tender raindrops of love and care and diligence are so beautiful to Me. You are very precious and dear to Me.
Returns on the investment
My rewards are not meted out according to the number of gifts and the strength of a man, but according to your faithfulness, yieldedness, and humility. So you see, the rewards do not gauge how much or how little I love a person, for once again, My love is unchanging and constant. I love each person equally, whether they are great or small.
The rewards I pour forth depend upon you and how you live, what you do for Me and others. I have made an original investment in you as an individual, and the returns that you will receive on that investment depend on what you do with it—whether you take the investment and you hide it away and bury it, or whether you use it wisely, consistently, and faithfully.
You are responsible for the rewards, for the returns, and for the blessings that you receive from Me.
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May all the gifts and benefits that come from God our Father, and the Master, Jesus Christ, be yours.Every time I think of you—and I think of you often!—I thank God for your lives of free and open access to God, given by Jesus. … Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale. And not only that, but God himself is right alongside to keep you steady and on track until things are all wrapped up by Jesus. God, who got you started in this spiritual adventure, shares with us the life of his Son and our Master Jesus. He will never give up on you. Never forget that.—1 Corinthians 1:3–9 MSG
Imagine that there is a scale before you. It is a balance, and I took My own Son, the one who is dearest to Me, My one and only Son, and I laid Him on one side of the scale. It tipped so far to that side! Then I took you, with all your weaknesses and your shortcomings and your failings, and all the things about yourself that bother you so much and that you think make you of so little value and that make you so hard to love and unworthy of My love, and I put you—just you—on the other side of the scale. And the scale was perfectly balanced!
I saw that it was a good trade, to put My Son on one side, and you—just you—on the other side. I saw that it was worth it to trade the life of My Son for you, that I might redeem you forever. It was worth it to give My Son just for you. This is how great My love is for you.
Originally published 1997. Updated and republished June 2013. Read by Jon Marc.
Music by Michael Dooley.
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