Your Precious Gift

Your Precious Gift

Foundational Text: Eph 4:8, 11 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

Have you ever thought about just exactly what makes a ¡§precious gift¡¨ precious? Meaning of great value, or to be held in great esteem? If we were to go around the room this morning, we could come up with a few things, not to be an exhaustive list, but a list all the same.

„« One of the things that determines the great value, or holding a gift in great esteem would be who is giving it to you. Example: Ladies, what if a total stranger were to give you an engagement ring. Would that gift be held in high esteem? Would there be great value placed upon that gift? In light of all the implications attached to such a ring, a wise Proverbs 31 woman would refuse such a gift from a total stranger. However, you place that same ring back into its box. Now, instead of a total stranger purchasing that ring, the absolute love of her life. A man who is the complete answer to her prayers unto God. Someone who she has courted, fallen deeply in love with, and she knows beyond a shadow of a doubt, loves her in return. They have shared their most intimate thoughts, visions and desires, even to the point of seriously discussing marriage, and spending the rest of her life with this Godly man. This same-boxed ring is purchased by him, and given to her as a covenant token of promise. Will that gift have greater value? Will that gift be held in higher esteem?

„« I must know what the gift is, and how it functions to be able to hold in high esteem. In order to put high value upon something, I must know what it is and how to use it. Example: What if you were to go into a foreign, third world nation, and find a tribe of people who were living in jungle like conditions. They did not possess clothing, do not even understand even the concept of electricity, having never seen anything electrical. Still very primitive in their culture. The item that they view as being ¡§modern¡¨ is fire. You then give to the chief of this tribe of natives an IBM state of the art lap-top computer with satellite internet capabilities, CD and DVD burner, top of the line, most expensive computer on the market. Will that be held in high esteem? Will there be great value placed upon such a gift given? What if you were to give that same lap-top to a small business owner, who is still working with a computer with windows 95, doesn¡¦t even have CD capabilities, much less a burner, and no modem so no hope of internet service, even dial-up. Would such a gift given be held in high esteem? Would there be a higher value placed upon such a gift?

„« Another item that may determine the great value, or the holding of a gift in great esteem could be the need the person has for the gift that is given. Example: Guys, someone gets you the absolute best motorcycle helmet. This helmet has the absolute best test results to consumer digest. It is the top of the line, name brand racing helmet. It just happens to be your favorite color, and it fits your big melon head snug as a bug in a rug. I mean when you put that helmet on you are one with that helmet. The most expensive helmet that there is on the market today! However, you do not own a motorcycle.

„« Finally, an item that could determine the great value, or the high esteem of the gift would be the authenticity of the gift. Which simply put, is this gift genuine? Example: Ladies, if you were given a ring that looked like real gold, and real diamonds within the setting of the ring. Only to find out that within the first day of wearing the ring, your finger turns green and you break the stone, while washing dishes, into a million pieces. Question: Do you rent safety deposit boxes for your custom jewelry, or your authentic, or genuine jewelry? Why? You place a higher value, you hold the real in high esteem. ¡§If someone breaks into my house, they can have the custom jewelry, but to get the real, they gotta break into First National Bank.¡¨

I want to show you this evening just how precious a gift of the pastoral office is to you. Keeping in mind just these four, of many reasons, for a precious gift. So we will endeavor to teach concerning the pastoral office. You will have faith, or beliefs instilled to receive all that this gift provides for you, and then draw from it.