Category Archives: Gifts

Bible, Blessed, Blessing, Gifts, Giving, Scripture

BLESSED BY BLESSING

PHILIPPIANS 4:17

“Not that I seek the gift itself, but I seek the profit which increases to your account.”

Every time I give to someone or to some ministry, I am blessed beyond measure. I only wish I could give more. I have a couple of dear brothers in Africa right now who need resources to build new church buildings. I am not talking about extravagant halls complete with coffee bars and flashing lights. All they desire is four walls and a roof. I would love to write them a check to just go buy the property and build those buildings. How fun would that be and how blessed would I be! (if you would like to give to that, let me know)

Paul uses some words in today’s verse that bring out this message of being blessed by blessing. The word translated “profit” is actually the Greek word for fruit. We know that fruit is always for others and not ourselves. And the word “increases” is a word that means more than enough or surpasses. I want to show you the other occurrences of this word in the New Testament so you can get a fuller idea of it.

APPLICATION

The Topical Lexicon explains it this way. “Scripture employs it to describe both the multiplication of sin and, more triumphantly, the super-abounding of grace, faith, love, thanksgiving, fruit, and virtue. In every instance the word underscores God’s intention that what begins in His people should not remain static but should grow past ordinary limits.”

In the New Testament, we see it used (This is also from the Topical Lexicon):

• Romans 5:20; 6:1 – sin increases, yet grace surpasses it
• 2 Corinthians 4:15 – grace spreads so that thanksgiving overflows
• 2 Corinthians 8:15 – no one has excess or lack when God distributes provision
• 1 Thessalonians 3:12 – love is to “increase and overflow” among believers
• 2 Thessalonians 1:3 – faith “grows more and more,” love “is increasing”
• Philippians 4:17 – Paul seeks fruit that “may be credited” (growing interest) to the church’s account
• 2 Peter 1:8 – possessing and “increasing” in virtue keeps believers from unfruitfulness

Rest assured the Lord knows your heart as you give. He will bless you, not according to the measure of your gift, but rather according to the heart of your gift. Go ahead, see what He will do. Be blessed by being a blessing. Let the Lord give you the joy of giving joy to others.

Lord, show me today to whom I should I give. I know that You will bless my pure and undefiled motives in my giving.

You can make an investment in our ministry at www.twr.org/carl-willis

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Bible, Gifts, Ministry, Offering, Repetition, Scripture, Tithe

REPEAT GIVERS

PHILIPPIANS 4:16

“for even in Thessalonica you sent a gift more than once for my needs.”

The life blood of a missionary’s support are those individuals who commit to give on a regular basis, whether that be monthly, quarterly or annually. Being able to depend on that regular gift allows the missionary to concentrate on the work of the ministry and not constantly raising support. Don’t get me wrong, every gift is appreciated. I have several supporters who have blessed us with major gifts who are not monthly or annual givers. Every gift is needed and used for His glory.

These Philippian believers obviously believed in what Paul was doing and wanted to help support his work. In Acts 18:1-5 we read that at one point in his ministry Paul was helping with his own support by making tents. But when Silas and Timothy arrived in Corinth from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself full-time to the ministry. Did Silas and Timothy bring a gift from the Philippians when they came? We don’t know exactly when Paul received their gifts (there were more than one), nor do we know the amount or exactly what the gift was. The point was they were regular supporters of his ministry.

APPLICATION

Before you shut down and stop reading this blog, this is not a blog about tithing. It is, however, a blog about supporting God’s work. That might be in your local church where you give you regular tithe and offering. That might be by supporting a missionary you know who serves domestically or internationally. It might be a special project in your community. However the Lord leads you, do it.

In 2 Corinthians 9:10-12, Paul gives us some instructions regarding this giving. “10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; 11 you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God. 12 For the ministry of this service is not only fully supplying the needs of the saints, but is also overflowing through many thanksgivings to God.”

And I really like what Paul said in the same letter in the previous chapter (2 Corinthians 8:7). “But just as you excel in everything, in faith, speaking, knowledge, and in all earnestness and in the love we inspired in you, see that you also excel in this grace of giving.” Have you ever thought about your giving being a work of grace? Me either, but there it is. As you pray about to whom and how you give, make it a regular practice, be graceful about it.

Thank You, Lord, for the privilege to give to others. Bless my gift today and make it fruitful.

You can make an investment in our ministry at www.twr.org/carl-willis

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Bible, Gifts, Jesus, Law, Righteousness, Scripture

GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS

PHILIPPIANS 3:9

“and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith,”

Sorry to have to tell you this, but you are not righteous – on your own. Neither am I, not even close. My late brother-in-law who was a pastor used to tell his congregation, “If I knew you like God knows you, I wouldn’t bother to come preach to you. And if you knew me like God knows me, you wouldn’t bother to come hear me.” In other words, our flesh is wicked. If we only knew each other’s hearts, we would be horrified.

But praise be to God, He has made a way for us to become righteous. See, Paul knew the futility of the flesh. He even says in Romans 3:10, “as it is written: ‘There is no righteous person, not even on;’” This is a thought shared in the Psalms in two places, 14:1-3 and 53:1-3. They both say there is no one who does good. Paul points us to the only, truly righteous person who ever walked this earth, Jesus Christ. He is the reason God can declare us as righteous.

APPLICATION

Righteousness is a term we see all throughout Scripture. In the Old Testament, the Hebrew words tsedeq and tsedaqah are used to describe the moral and ethical standards expected by God. Topical Lexicon says, “These Hebrew terms provide the Old Testament background for the New Testament understanding of dikaiosyne, highlighting the continuity of God’s righteous standards and His provision for humanity’s right standing with Him through faith.”

Dikaiosyne which is the Greek word for “righteousness” is used almost 100 times in the New Testament. This is an important word for us to understand when it comes to our relationship with God. Take a look at Romans where Paul uses this word over 30 times. Righteousness does not come through keeping some set of rules or laws. It only comes from God as His gift to us having received His Son as our Savior and Lord.

Romans 5:17 calls righteousness a gift. I love that. A gift is something I do not obtain on my own merits. It is given freely by the gift giver. In this case, Jesus gave us the gift of salvation, thus ascribing to us His righteousness. He took on Himself the sins of the world in order for us to have the privilege of receiving this precious gift. We have to accept it. He won’t force it on us. Have you received this gift of righteousness through His Son?

Father, I know I am seen as righteous in Your eyes only because of what Your Son has done for me.

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Bible, Gifts, Scripture, Struggles, Suffering, Trust

THE GIFT OF SUFFERING

PHILIPPIANS 1:29

“For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer on His behalf,”

Have you ever gotten a gift that you really didn’t ask for or want? You know, that pair of socks from your grandma for Christmas, for example. My wife always wanted to make sure our two kids got equal amounts of gifts at Christmas. One year she was one short for my son, so she picked up a flannel shirt for him. Now, my son wouldn’t have been caught dead wearing flannel back then, lol. You could just see it when he opened the gift. He was gracious, but…

Well, today Paul mentions a gift that no one asks for and really do not want – the gift of suffering. He says it pretty clearly, “it has been granted.” We know Paul knew a little bit about suffering. Yet he still calls it a gift. Why? Because he knew the result of suffering was a deeper dependence on Almighty God. Suffering was part of his initial calling as we see in Acts 9:15-16. The Lord was giving instructions to Ananias to tell Paul. “15 But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer in behalf of My name.’”

APPLICATION

In Luke 7:21, the same Greek word for “granted” which we see in today’s verse is translated as “gave” when Luke describes Jesus’ actions to the blind. “At that very time He cured many people of diseases and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind.’ 

Over in 1 Corinthians 2:12 we see the word translated as “freely given.” “Now we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God.” 

Granted, gave, and freely given all point to one thing – a gift given graciously by Jesus. Will you accept this gift of suffering for Christ’s sake? Embrace it. His suffering is always perfect. It is never too much. It will bring us closer to Him. Do you believe that? He will love you through it all.

Lord, I do not want suffering, but if You allow it I know it is for my good. I will receive it.

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Bible, Blessing, Body, Church, Gifts, Purpose, Scripture

THE GIFTS THAT KEEP ON GIVING

EPHESIANS 4:11

“And He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, some as pastors and teachers,”

Don’t you like getting gifts? I sure do. I am not a materialistic kind of guy, but when someone gifts me, I am happy to accept. Opening that package is exciting. Depending on the size of the box (like the size of a new pickup, lol), it is even more exciting. Why would God treat us any differently? He wants us to receive the gifts He gives with a cheerful heart.

In today’s verse, Paul begins a sentence that runs through verse 13. He is telling the Ephesians how God has given as gifts to the church certain roles. It is interesting he says here “He gave” which literally means to give a gift. Then Paul begins to name these gifts. I am not going to dissect each of these “gifts.” You need to do a little deep dive yourself if you want to know more. But I do want to show you where else Paul talks about this very thing.

APPLICATION

In 1 Corinthians 12:28 we see Paul talking about these offices. Notice, however, the different verb he uses – “appointed.” This passage is directed to those who have received these gifts.  “And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, and various kinds of tongues.” The addition or deletion of certain roles does not mean Paul necessarily valued one over the other. Every part of the body of Christ is valuable and necessary for the kingdom work.

The third time we see Paul talk about these gifts is in Romans 12:6-8 “6 However, since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them properly: if prophecy, in proportion to one’s faith; 7 if service, in the act of serving; or the one who teaches, in the act of teaching; 8 or the one who exhorts, in the work of exhortation; the one who gives, with generosity; the one who is in leadership, with diligence; the one who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

The question I want to ask you today is what is your gift? How has God gifted you? As a believer, God has saved you for a purpose. He wants to use you as a part of His body. You have a role to play. You may not be a pastor or teacher or an evangelist, but in some unique way God has gifted you. If you aren’t sure what that is, ask Him. He’ll be glad to tell you.

Father, thank You for my gifts of administration and teaching. These give me pleasure as I exercise them in serving You.

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Bible, Gifts, Scripture, Triumphant, Victors

HE IS VICTORIOUS

EPHESIANS 4:8

“Therefore it says, ‘WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE THE CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO PEOPLE.’

As I write this blog, the 2024 Olympic Summer Games are taking place in Paris, France. The world is watching as athlete after athlete either wins or loses in their competition. Some will come away with gold, silver or bronze medals. The  rest, well they go home empty handed. Victorious or defeated. It’s one or the other. There are no “ties.”

Aren’t you glad that Jesus is the Victor? He reigns supremely. Paul is quoting from Psalm 68:18 which says, “You have ascended on high, You have led captive Your captives; You have received gifts among people,” Most scholars agree this Psalm is a reference to 2 Samuel 6’s story of David bringing up the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. You might want to take a minute or two and read that whole chapter.

APPLICATION

What does this mean for us? How can we apply Christ’s victory over His enemies to our lives today? I think one good explanation is given in Ellicott’s Commentary. “St. Paul accordingly uses it with a bold variation suiting his context. The key to this use is found in the truth enunciated of our Lord in Acts 2:33, that ‘being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He hath shed forth this.’ Our Lord, as the Head of humanity, receives only in order to give.”

That’s it! Christ was victorious in order to bestow on us His gifts. What are those gifts? Romans 5:17 shows us one. “For if by the offense of the one, death reigned through the one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.” He has made us righteous!

We saw in yesterday’s verse (4:7) that we are given the gift of grace. We know we are given our salvation through Christ alone. He was victorious over sin and the grave in order to bestow eternal life on all who follow Him. Pretend you’re on that Olympic stage today holding your own gold medal and give praise to the one and only true Victor, Jesus Christ.

I will give You praise for the victories You have won on my behalf.

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Abundance, Bible, Body, Gifts, Grace, Measure, Scripture

A GRANDMA SCOOP

EPHESIANS 4:7

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

When I was a little boy, I used to love sleepovers at Grandma Carter’s house. She was my mom’s mom. Anyway, she had this big, ole farmhouse about ten or twelve miles from town. Boy, she could cook. I really liked how she would fix our plates for us because a grandma-sized scoop of food was a whole lot more than a mama-sized scoop. She loved to cook for us and loved to watch us eat. We each got a scoop of whatever she was serving, but she didn’t give my sisters as much as she gave me and my brother. I guess she figured we boys needed more sustenance. Man, I wish I had a grandma-sized scoop of one of her desserts right now.

In today’s verse, Paul uses a phrase, “according to the measure of Christ’s gift.” He had just said, “to each one of us grace was given.” So, what is the measuring cup that Christ uses to dispense grace to us? Is it fair that some people seem to get more than others? How does Christ decide who gets how much?

APPLICATION

Have you ever thought about this verse and got a little mad because you felt cheated? We tend to complain about things far too easily. We are not grateful for what Christ has given us. The verse today says grace is given to us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. The Pulpit Commentary says this, “In the Church all do not get alike; grace is not given in equal measures as the manna in the wilderness; Christ, as the great Bestower, measures out his gifts, and each receives according to his measure.”

That’s kind of like my Grandma Carter’s scoops of food. She loved each of us the same, but she measured out her scoops according to the needs of each of us. Look at these verses from Romans 12. “3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 6 However, since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to use them properly:”

In other words, if you are a believer in Christ, He has given you a measure of grace and gifts to accompany that. What are you doing with? How are you serving the kingdom with your gift? Don’t sit there and tell me you don’t have a gift. If you are saved, you have a gift. You are part of the body. The body needs you to exercise your gift in order to make the body whole. Will you do that today?

Lord, I thank You for the measure of grace You have bestowed on me.

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Access, Atonement, Belief, Eternity, Faith, Forgiveness, Gifts, Grace, Scripture

SAVED BY GRACE

EPHESIANS 2:8

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;” 

One of my memory passages is Ephesians 2:8-9. It is basic to our beliefs. In fact, it is fundamental. You are saved in no other way (we will see more on this tomorrow). It is through the grace of God that any of us can claim salvation and a hope for eternal life. In today’s verse, we see part one of this truth. God’s grace is sufficient for our salvation.

What exactly does Paul mean by this statement, “by grace you have been saved through faith”? HELPS Word-studies defines it this way. “Xáris is preeminently used of the Lord’s favor – freely extended to give Himself away to people (because He is “always leaning toward them”).” Paul knew, better than most, the magnitude of God’s grace. It had been given to him, a murderer of Christians, to give him access to the Father.

APPLICATION

But we can’t stop with just this one statement about being saved by grace through faith. Look at the last part of this verse – “it is the gift of God;…” Theologians have wrestled with this verse for centuries. Is grace the gift or is faith the gift? I believe if we look at the construction of the Greek, the answer is there.

Paul says “by grace you have been saved.” We saw this same phrase back in verse 5 of this chapter, but I wanted to wait for today’s verse to explain it. The Greek for this phrase reads, “by grace you are being saved through faith.” The verb is in the Present Indicative Active. It is an ongoing event. It is through your faith that God continues to save you because He is always leaning towards us.

I believe, as many others, that the real gift here is not grace, but faith. We are told in Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.” Isn’t that just like a gift? We hope for it, but we know it’s coming. God’s gifts to us are sure. Faith is one of them. He gives it freely to all who believe. Do you believe? Have you accepted this gift of faith which yields God’s grace to us?

O Lord, thank You for the gift of faith which allows me to tap into Your grace and my salvation.

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Access, Belief, Bible, Following, Gifts, Knowledge, Scripture, Wisdom

WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE

EPHESIANS 1:17

“that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”

Who doesn’t want to be wise and have knowledge? I guarantee you every student who is about to sit down and take an exam in school is praying for it. Who says there can’t be prayer in school, lol? But wisdom and knowledge are more than just knowing stuff and understanding things. The Bible says so much about wisdom and knowledge. In fact, we have whole sections of the Bible that are called the Wisdom section.

Paul says in his prayer (that he mentioned in yesterday’s verse) that he is praying that God will give the Ephesians “wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him.”But what exactly is he asking for? The Greeks loved acquiring wisdom and knowledge, but Paul is speaking more about them knowing how to use it. Notice he said, “a spirit of…” This wisdom and knowledge needed to make an inner change in them. That’s his prayer for them.

APPLICATION

We are probably all familiar with Solomon’s famous prayer to God when asked by God what he wanted now that he was king of Israel. Solomon said in 1 Kings 3:9, “‘So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people, to discern between good and evil. For who is capable of judging this great people of Yours?’” 1 Kings 4:29-30 tells us of God’s blessing on Solomon. “29 Now God gave Solomon wisdom and very great discernment and breadth of  mind, like the sand that is on the seashore. 30 Solomon’s wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the people of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.”

Unfortunately, Solomon ceased using that wisdom and knowledge when he intermarried and starting worshipping other gods. We find this sad end of Solomon’s life in 1 Kings 11:9-10. “9 Now the LORD was angry with Solomon because his heart had turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel, who had appeared to him twice, 10 and had commanded him regarding this thing, that he was not to follow other gods; but he did not comply with what the LORD had commanded.”

My point? It’s not just the attaining of wisdom and knowledge. It’s how you use it and how you continue walking in it. We are all fallible, errant believers. We will never be perfect. But God, Who gives us this wisdom and knowledge, is able to carry us through, if we will allow Him. Will you be a lifelong seeker of wisdom and knowledge?

Father, I know any wisdom and knowledge I have is a gift from You.

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Abundance, Bible, Blessing, Gifts, Giving, Love, Modeling, Pleasure, Scripture

SUPER ABUNDANTLY

EPHESIANS 1:8

“which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and insight”

Have you ever seen an elaborate, over-the-top gift or giving? I remember one time at a children’s home where I served, we had a Christmas party sponsored by a local insurance company. This company had adopted one of the cottages on campus where eight teenage boys lived. When we arrived at the party, each boy had their own round dining room table (you know, the big fold up kind) stacked about four or five feet high with gifts. It literally took four vanloads to get all the gifts back to the cottage. Those boys had been lavishly blessed.

To catch the full context of today’s verse, glance back at the end of verse 7. Paul said, “according to the riches of His grace.” So, Paul is referring to God lavishing His grace on us. That even further intensifies yesterday’s blog. But what does the Greek word for “lavish” mean? According to Strong’s, it means, “to superabound (in quantity or quality), be in excess, be superfluous.” It comes from the Greek word, perissos, which already means “beyond what is anticipated, exceeding expectation.” That means God gives us grace that super exceeds our expectations, more than we can imagine. Hallelujah!

APPLICATION

I found something interesting about this word for “lavished” used in today’s verse. It is the same word used over in Luke 9:17 for “left over.”  “And they all ate and were satisfied; and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full.” Think about that. Jesus not only fed 5,000 men (not counting the women and children), but he lavishly provided leftovers for the crowd. I had missed that in my previous readings of that story.

This word is also used by Paul over in 2 Corinthians 1:5, “For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ.” In this verse, it is translated as “abundance” and “abundant.” We like the last part of that verse but not necessarily the first part. Who wants to be lavishly given sufferings? Not me and probably not you. But there it is, right there in God’s Word.

Don’t worry, though. If God lavishly gives us anything, we know it is for our good and because He loves us. You don’t lavishly give anything to anyone you don’t care about. How can you lavishly love someone today? How can you bless them? I love it when the Lord tells my wife and I to lavishly bless a server at a restaurant. It blesses me that we can bless them that way. Do it today. Lavishly bless someone.

O Lord, You are too, too good to me. Thank You for Your lavish gifts You give to me.

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