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The Gift-Giver Makes The Rules
The Gift Giver Makes the Rules
The parents gave strict and specific instructions when gifting their sons BB guns for Christmas: Do not shoot animals, do not shoot at each other, and do not shoot at the house”. As the old saying goes, “Two out of three ain’t bad”. Small holes in the siding provided the evidence. Thankfully no one shot their eye out! The point of this story is, parents who give the gift have the right to determine how the gift can and cannot be used.
People claiming to be following God have for centuries forgotten that.
Paul wrote,
“For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love.” (HCSB Galatians 5:13)
Peter claimed the same,
“As God’s slaves, live as free people, but don’t use your freedom as a way to conceal evil.” (HCSB 1 Peter 2:16)
God, our Father, decides what is “good”, “inappropriate”, or “evil”. Not us. Otherwise, we become our own god, culture becomes our Bible, and society and churches crumble under the weight of their own exuberant ignorance.
Because God is the gift giver, our Father decides how His gifts are to be used, and not us.
• Someone might be gifted in music; but God decides how, what, where, and when.
• Someone might be gifted in cooking; but God decides how, what, where, and when.
• Someone might be gifted in teaching; but again, God decides how, what, where, and when.
• Someone might be gifted in making money; but God decides how, what, where, and when.
Personally, I have to be careful about humor, how, what, where, and when. There’s a follow-up joke I could make, but….
Each of these could be expanded and the list could be longer. Each should use their God-given gifts. And each should remember that the Parental Giver gets to set the rules.
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