Gifts and Calling!

(Romans 11:29) “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

Life is full of gifts from God, our senses; taste, touch, sight, hearing and smell. Most of society has received these gifts from God. We also have the ability to reason, the list could go on and on, but let’s call these communal or common gifts. The world as a rule has received the same God given abilities with slightly different measures as we move from person to person. Line up a bunch of children and ask them to kick a soccer ball and some will be more prominent than others, all had no problem kicking the ball, but it will be clear that some would never make it professionally, while others if nurtured and if they begin to exercise their gift, can go far. Life then is about finding out what we do best and then pursuing it, or as adults helping our children discover their gifts, then to lead and encourage them in that direction.

Let me hone in on the concept of gifts; do we give gifts to reward? Sometime that is what we use to motivate the individual to achieve. Receiving a gift then can be performance based. I remember for passing my final matric year my mom gave me a car, that was the deal. Does God reason like this? I believe we must conclude that He does? But let me be careful to explain my reasoning on this subject.

We understand that we can never earn salvation, or do we? The gift of God, that is eternal life cannot be bought with money, it cannot be earned! The Apostle Paul is clear on the subject and teachers this without any wiggle room; “But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:4-9)   

It is then very clear that salvation is a gift that can never be earned; God gives it as an act of mercy. We are born we sight, we had nothing to do with earning it. In like manner salvation is a gift of God. However not all find salvation, but that is another topic for another day. But once we have realized our gift what do we then do with it? Does a blind man who receives his sight, run into a dark room and remain there or does he run around shouting, “I can see, I can see”? If we disobey God does He remove our sight? We know he disciplines those who he loves. How does he do that? “Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged.” (1Corinthians 11:28-31)

So then, self-examination is an intricate part to our lives and God does reward those who seek out His will in faith; “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6)   

Although we can never earn salvation, we must live out our lives in faith believing God for every provision He promises us in His word and that He will reward those who live by this rule.

Back to the gift we received at salvation; this then is not a common gift but a special gift that the world cannot receive. When we were born again God gave me and you a particular talent of gift if you like. Now we are responsible for what we do with it, we will have to account for it. Do you remember the parable of the talents? Those who receive them and where faithful with them receive even more but the one who buried his talent had a dismal end; “He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.' But his master answered him, 'You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'” (Matthew 25:24-30)

We all received some special gift at salvation and it is up to the individual to seek out God’s face in faith so that we may nurture that which we have received and it is for the sake of the church, the body of Christ, with the intention of finding unity in love. It is up to us to supply and not only to receive. How then should we supply?

“But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Therefore it says, "When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men."  (In saying, "He ascended," what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth? He who descended is the one who also ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things.) And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.” (Ephesians 4:7-14)

One may say, but that specifically relates to ministering brethren and not everyone. Let me then use another scripture to remove any wiggle room; "For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” (Romans 12:4-10)

Although we can never earn salvation as it is a gift from God, the gift we receive at salvation, whatever that may be, we will have to account for. This is a serious consideration!

“For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (permanent).” Or as the "KJV" Bible puts it; “For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.”

Therefore this gift could never be earned, but it is imperative that we nurture it for we will give an account of what we have done with it!

Signing off

Tyrone