GIVE WHAT YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN!

We must realise that whatever we receive from the Holy Spirit, unless specifically personal, is designed to benefit the body of Christ, and is therefore designed to actually be GIVEN to them. That is why it is a body, for each part supplies what the other parts need in order to function properly and in the way God intended. We do not live for ourselves, but for Christ, and thus we need to lay down our lives for each other for that is what He wants.

The service of Christ often demands great cost to ourselves, for that is part of the nature of the cross that Jesus said we would need to take up daily. This is a cost that also requires that we trust Christ, for do we trust that He will give us what we need and what is good for us, no matter the cost we may be asked to endure? We must remember that the service of God is not just a cost though- for there is another side! The power of God, and the reward of God, comes after the cost (and even in the midst of it at times), and is greater than any cost we may have to suffer, and we see that especially in the loss that Jesus suffered on the cross, and then the great reward and gain that He was given and is still to be given in the future.

That does not mean that our service does not have to be done in wisdom or that discernment needs to be put aside. But it does mean that, apart from our own salvation and relationship with Christ and obvious practical needs, that we put Christ's and others' good ahead of our own. Jesus and His Kingdom are more important than us and our wants, and His people are more important than our temporary comforts and rewards. Those two former things are temporary, while eternal concerns are just that- eternal and thus lasting.

In light of all this, to bury the grace, gifts and wisdom we've been given is to be like those servants in the New Testament who buried their talents. Those servants thought that what they were doing was WISE and DISCERNING, but really the only thought they had was for their own welfare and security. Jesus considered this evil. Let me say that again, Jesus considered that EVIL and called such a servant a WICKED SERVANT.

Yes, we need to be led by the Spirit in how and what we serve, but after all is said and done, we need to make sure that we actually serve! We need to make sure we actually go ahead and give to others what we've been given! We don't have the right to be selfish with what we've been given because what we've been given isn't just for us! The Bible is very clear that the manifestation of the Spirit is GIVEN TO ONE, FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL:

1 Cor 12v7:
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

To withold unduly, means that Jesus will take away even what we have. We may gain natural things in the present by our selfish and fleshly wisdom, but we'll suffer spiritual loss in the meantime and in the life to come, along with eternal rewards. The questions are, what are we really valuing and which example are we really following? If we are following Christ's example, then we won't mind if, in the service of God, we are misunderstood, excluded and mistreated by men, and even the people of God, for often so was Jesus and His disciples. They endured this because of what they valued, because they valued God's Kingdom, His righteous, glory, testimony and His precious possession- His people, more than anything else- even their own lives.

How much are we willing to lose in our service for Christ? For often the extent to which we are willing to lose, will be the extent to which we truly come to, not only experience the life that is in Christ and His power, but also to truly know Him, His ways, and His rewards.

Philippians 3v8:
What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ