Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha
The
Giver of the gifts is more important than the gift. The Giver of the gifts know
when it is necessary to use the gifts, how to use the gifts, where to use the
gifts, and to what purpose to put the gifts. Besides, He knows best what
measure of the gifts to administer at each point in time. Gifts serve specific
purposes and after the specific purposes, they may not be necessary or relevant
again until God wants them used again.
However,
we all need the Giver of the gifts; that is God at all times and at every point
in time in our lives. Without Him, the gifts really would not be effective and
we would not be any different from unbelievers who use their gifts for purposes
that do not glorify God, do not honor or acknowledge God as the Giver of the
gifts and do not use the gifts for His purposes. Unbelievers celebrate their
gifts and believe that the gifts are more important than God; and a
relationship with God. They therefore boast about their exploits from the use
of the gifts and believe that their achievements are based on their own power.
They do not give the honor to God, do not allow God to direct them on the use
of the gift and therefore use it at will and for purposes that do not glorify
God. They then behave like Sennecherib who boasted about his conquests thinking
he conquered those lands in his own might and like Nebuchadnezzar who learnt
the hard way.
Unfortunately,
we are experiencing the same challenges in the Church today. Genuine spirit filled believers, ministers of the
gospel who commenced ministry fully yielded to God progressively ignore God and
His directions to them and begin to emphasize the gifts of God and ministry in
them rather than God who called them and gave them the gifts. That is where
some believers and ministers miss it. It is great to seek the gifts but is best
and greatest to seek and honor the giver of the gifts. This is because in
reality the gifts do not really function outside the Giver of the gifts. So if
you focus on the gifts at the expense of the Giver of the gifts, you may lose
the power and consequently seek power from other sources if you do not make a
quick return to the Giver of the gifts.
A minister who puts ministry ahead of his
relationship with God and family is headed for trouble. The call to ministry is
important but is not more important than your relationship with God. Your
relationship to and with God is much more important than ministry. This is
because God is the One Who calls a person to ministry and therefore deserves
your attention, honor and resources. Besides, He knows exactly what He wants
you to do, how to do it and will therefore guide you on how to do it, when and
where to do it in addition to leading you to the resources you require for
ministry.
Therefore, when you immerse yourself in ministry at
the expense of your relationship with God, you will miss it because you would
have consciously or unconsciously disconnected yourself from God and when you
disconnect yourself from God, you will work in your own flesh and that is where
the problem lies. You will not bear fruits, fruits that are of God, which
should abide. Rather, you will bear your own fruits which definitely will have
no place in God and may never lead to the healing of the nations.
Beloved, a relationship with God, especially a
loving and fervent relationship with God is more important than a supposedly
flourishing ministry that is disconnected from God, Therefore, concentrate
efforts on building a sustainable fervent relationship with God rather than
building a ministry that has no place in God so that you can bring God’s
healing to the nations.
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