“and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” 2 Cor. 5:15…………
I am blessed on a fairly regular basis through the years and especially in recent ones to hear loving, lovely, and encouraging feedback on my writing. Regardless of the words people use, whether “beautiful”, “powerful”, “well-written”, “good writing”, or any other kind and gracious descriptions, the comments have come over and again when it comes to feedback from friends, family, and strangers alike about what I write. I am thrilled and ecstatic and rejoice in this for ONE SINGLE REASON, and in this ONE SINGLE REASON is a mighty powerful and critical lesson for each and every single one of us.
The ONE SINGLE REASON is this. EVERY SINGLE OUNCE OF GLORY – without ANY EXCEPTION – belongs to God almighty through the Lord Jesus Christ! The GIFT of writing I have been given is FROM THE LORD and is FOR THE LORD and is FOR YOU whom He leads to read it. My writing is a GIFT from God. And where for so very long I used this gift to prove myself, and to obtain money, praise, and glory for myself, the Lord led me to repentance and this gift of writing is now used for the Lord Jesus Christ and very specifically to help people to find and forever follow Him. It is used to share the Gospel, to proclaim Christ to the world, to help build God’s Kingdom, to love and encourage the unsaved and the saved, to inspire and help people on a day to day basis to know what it means and to put into practice the act of not merely believing in Christ as Lord but to literally follow Jesus in thought, emotion, word, decision, and action. To humbly bow down before Him as Lord in all things forevermore!
Do I enjoy writing? I enjoy writing more than you can possibly fathom. I have loved writing since I was a little girl. It was in the very fabric of my being right from the start. But I love writing in a way I never loved it before. I love it because for me it is an act of worship to God, and because it is a vehicle He has called me to use to love and worship and serve Him and to love and serve you my precious readers.
Is there a message in this for you? ABSOLUTELY! What is it?
GOD’S GIFTS ARE FOR GOD’S GLORY. Not for us, though most assuredly we may be blessed as I am to thoroughly enjoy them, not for the devil, as so many of us have been known to use our gifts for, not for the world in the sense that we should not use our gifts to build up the wickedness in this world, but FOR THE LORD and FOR OTHERS that at the end of the day GOD may receive praise, honor, and glory for and through the gifts He has given us.
Long ago, I repented quite literally for how I had used my work life for myself. I dedicated it to Him. Little did I know I needed to repent of every single way in which I had used absolutely everything He had given me for myself, writing included, and to dedicate EVERYTHING He had given me and ALL OF ME, heart and mind included, FOR THE LORD.
Is the Holy Spirit speaking to you right now? Have you given Him the gifts He has given you? Have you given Him EVERYTHING? Have you given the Lord ALL OF YOU? It all BEGINS with repenting and believing Christ is the Son of God, and is Lord, and died on the cross for you and was raised from the dead, truly devoting your life to Christ, and receiving the promise of a forever relationship with God through Christ. But this is ONLY THE BEGINNING. Our ENTIRE LIVES are to be devoted to Christ as LORD.
Is yours? Gifts included? May this very moment for you be a brand new beginning. The beginning of giving your ALL IN ALL to Christ who gave HIS ALL IN ALL so those who repent and trust in Him as Lord and live for Him utterly will be with Him forever.