You Have Received

A few days ago, the Spirit spoke to me, saying,

"Thomas, you have to realize that Christianity is a religion of receiving, not of giving."

Huh.  That was an interesting way to put it; there was some context involved here! Recently I've been studying the major differences between Christianity and other belief systems.  While the differences seem clear (and are!), it's been a good, important review of things.

We need to remember that Yahshua said, "freely you have received".  We tend to overlook this message in our impulsive attempts to overemphasize the second half of it.  We make His command more a message dictating us than an essence pointing to Him.

It's not about us, it's about Him (though He thinks you're wonderful, and you should too)!  However, for things to be about Him, blessings must also be directed to you.  Don't you realize that you're an extension of Him?  It's about getting ourselves aligned with the perspective of God.

Once we're aligned, we'll realize that this reception of Yah's goodness will lead to thankfulness, joyfulness, happiness, peace, love.  His mind couldn't lead to anything else.

If we focus on the receiving of Heaven from Him, then we'll be able to freely give.  Why?  Because we won't even think of it?  We'll be so distracted by God that we can't help but give.



Other religions might be summed up like this:

Give to others, so that you may receive from God.

Or,  Become Holy, so you can be like God.

Or,  Pray as much as you can, so you can be near to God.



In true Christianity, this trend is reversed.  It's time to take our focus off of ourselves and be overwhelmed by our Heavenly Father.  It's time to focus more on receiving -- all that we have, will, and want to receive -- so that we can believe enough to have an overflow to give from.  Christianity says

You are like God, so be holy.

Or,  You are near God, so pray to your heart's delight!

Or,  You have received, so continue receiving even while you give.  It's not about your efforts, it's about His.

Living in Thanks

"I will sacrifice a thank offering to you and call on the name of Yahweh"   ~Psalm 107:22

So many things in our lives can be sanctified by thanksgiving.  Whether we are waking up in the morning, working, or folding laundry doesn't really matter--we can experience the holiness weaved into each moment by awakening to a state of thanksgiving.

When we call on the name of Yahweh, we're really also calling on all that goes with it.  We are calling on a force greater and more noble than ourselves.  We are calling for a spirit of thankfulness and gratitude to overtake us.

So many rituals in the Old Testament point to future spiritual parallels found in the New (Colossians 2:17), It's our job, not God's, to become appropriately thankful for all the things He's already done.  Thanks offerings are still a part of the righteous person's walk.

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful."

We're no longer on the other side of the fence, offering sacrifices to a distant, overarching God. Yahshua has come!  Instead, we can let Christ in us commune with the Father in the same way He did while on earth in bodily form.  We're one with Him, and He's one with us, even One with all who believe.  Thankfulness can be our natural state of being.  It's part of our calling, and it's a medium through which more specialized aspects of our Father's plans are directed.  God doesn't always make things easy, but He does make things easier.

...But Willingly

"Shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but willingly, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness"  

~1 Peter 5:2

"Not under compulsion, but willingly".  The Holy Spirit has been bringing up that short phrase again and again.  It doesn't just have to do with giving, or praying, or even shepherding.  Our Heavenly Father wants our every act to be done, not under compulsion, but willingly.  

When we do anything for God, we're giving Him something.  Our time, talent, attention--whatever it is, it's a gift to Him.  We choose to sacrifice our own plans and commit to His.

"With a freewill offering I will sacrifice to you; I will give thanks to your name, Yahweh, for it is good."        ~Psalm 54:6

It's our free will offering that Yahweh wants.  Remember that the natural came first, and then the spiritual (1 Cor. 15:46).  He wants us to willingly offer up ourselves and all the gifts He's given us. And He wants us to do so thankfully!

"When you sacrifice a thank offering to the LORD, sacrifice it in such a way that it will be accepted on your behalf."

~Leviticus 22:29

It's not enough to just go through the motions in our service to God.  We need to be willing, and thankful.  We can present to Him our acceptable sacrifice (Romans 12:1).  Once we have aligned ourselves with the knowledge of Messiah and His sacrifice, then we can gratefully present ours.  Our life can be full of choices where we happily choose our Father's perfect will.