Gift of GodSample

Day 1: On a Mission

About six years ago I went on a mission trip with my church to a little country in South Africa called Swaziland (now called Eswatini). The locals had such a love and joy about life, greeting us with open arms and big smiles. I made a group of friends and they called me Siphiwe (pronounced see-pea-we), which is Siswati (their native language) for the word "gift." While other girls' names were "happiness" or "purity" or "advice," mine was gift. They told me I was a gift from God and that I was special from the rest. 

When someone tells you you’re a gift, it can be hard to believe. Every voice in you wants to deny it. God constantly tells us we are His creation and His gift. He tells us in Genesis 1:27 that “[He] created human beings in His image. In the image of God, He created them; male and female, He created them.” We are made in His image! We hear this so often, yet so many of us refuse to believe it. 

Why can’t we see that we are perfect through our imperfections? Why do we so often fall victim to Satan's lies? Well, the answer is simple, isn’t it? Satan's lies are so close to God's truth that it’s hard to tell them apart. God is the only one who can create, but Satan's imitations are remakes that are difficult to distinguish. God provides us small gifts to help us, but so often we are not aware or willing to accept them. 

When I was called Siphiwe (gift), my mind instantly rejected the compliment because the devil interjected, knowing it was true. Each one of us are gifts of God. He created us to imitate himself and to give us each our own unique gifts. When we insult ourselves, we are insulting God and His wonderful creation. Things happen for a reason and at that time I had no idea what God had in store for me. It was a realization moment that we often take God's gifts for granted. 

Hopefully, through this next week, we can slowly start recognizing all that God has in store for us.

Discuss:

1) How do you feel after you receive a gift? What do you normally say to that person? Take time today to thank God for what He has given you.

2) How are you going to start identifying the gifts God has given you? How are you going to bless others with those gifts?