Gifts of the Spirit

This month was full of gifts. As we look forward to a New Year, let’s focus on how we are using those gifts we received.

Last week we spoke about gifts from God and the role of Jesus Christ as that central and most important gift in our lives. To further this discussion, let’s talk about the spiritual gifts God gives us.

The scriptures speak of spiritual gifts such as, wisdom, healing, tongues, etc (1Corinthians 12 & Moroni 10:1-19). I would venture to say that spiritual gifts might also extend beyond the talents and blessings listed in these scriptures. To God all things are spiritual because all things are given of Him and are meant for His purposes (Doctrine & Covenants 29:34). So, in a way, all gifts, talents and blessings are really Gifts of the Spirit. I do not say this to take away from those gifts listed in the scriptures, but rather to open your mind to potential gifts that you personally have received from God.

What God Expects

To help us better understand spiritual gifts and what God expects us to do with them, let's turn to the parable of the talents. In the scriptures, the Savior tells of a lord with three servants, whom he provides with a portion of money. The first servant receives five talents (or money), the second receives two talents and the third receives one.  The first and the second both used the lord’s talents wisely to double their increase for the lord. "But he that had received one went and digged in the earth, and hid his lord’s money (Matthew 25:18)."

When the lord followed up with the servants, the first two had great things to report, but the last explained, “…I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine (Matthew 25:25).” In other words, this servant assumed that it would be better to hold onto the talent than to risk losing it. The lord was not happy with this explanation and responded:

Matthew 25:26-30 

26 ….Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:
 27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.
 28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.
 29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.
 30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Why did the lord respond this way? The servant was only trying to ensure that he took good care of what was given to him and not lose it. But that was not the point. The lord did not give him the talent to simply maintain it—he could have done that himself.

The lord gave this man a single talent because he wanted him to cultivate it and increase his gain. At the very least He wanted the servant to try--even if he gained nothing. This is why the lord called him “slothful” and an “unprofitable servant.” The point of the servant receiving this talent was cultivate it and provide and effort to make a profit, not just sit on it. But the servant did not even try. Instead, he gave way to his fears rather than exercising faith in the trust the lord placed in him. The same sometimes holds true in our own lives. 

Applying It To Our Own Lives

What I love about this story is that the money is called “talents.” It provides an easy comparison to our own lives. How is this story true for you? How many of us have God-given talents or opportunities that we ignore, hide, bury, pass-by, forget, neglect or do not take the time to discover?

God has given unique talents and opportunities to each of us personally. What have we done with them? Have we been profitable with our talents? If one talent came to a dead end after a sincere effort, did we just give up on it or refuse to put our efforts into other talents? Not just temporally, but also mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. We should use our talents to increase both the quality and quantity of each. All of us hold different talents and play a unique and equally important role in God’s comprehensive plan of happiness.

1 Corinthians 12:12 

For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.

As we move forward into this New Year and think of resolutions for ourselves, reflect on those talents, gifts and blessings that God has already given you and use them for your benefit, for the benefit of others, and for God.

Have a very happy New Year!

Gifts God Gives Us: A Tribute to Stephanie Jeppsen Bennett

Tonight my thoughts are with my wife's extended family. Just this morning my wife got a phone call from her mother about her cousin. Yesterday, she went to the hospital with pains thought to be related to her pregnancy, but once the baby was born, they found she had passed away.

Although I knew her only briefly through occasional family gatherings, my heart breaks no less for her and her husband, children, family and friends.

What can be said more about love and sacrifice than a mother who gives her life for the birth of a child? Few acts of love and sacrifice are even comparable, let alone comprehendible. The reality of life at times like these may seem blurred, but two things should remain clear—her selflessness and God's love.

What a gift this young mother was from God to her family and friends, but losing her in this life is not a gift lost forever, because of the gift of Jesus Christ.

The birth of the Savior Jesus Christ was only an earthly beginning. The greatest gift God gave mankind came through Jesus Christ’s life, ministry and His atoning sacrifice in our behalf. This act alone broke the bonds of sin and death for all mankind, making it possible for all of us to live with God and our loved ones again, if we will but follow Him.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Jesus Christ took upon Him not only all of our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, He took upon Himself our pains, afflictions, sorrows, and burdens. His love is real. If we can turn to Him, He can take these pains from us. If we pour out our hearts to Him, He will help us see more clearly the brightness tomorrow holds. He will give us hope in all the goodness that surrounds us, even when the day seems dark or dim. Jesus Christ paid recompense in our behalf to bring to pass our salvation.

Through the heartache of this young mother’s passing, I pray that her newborn child may stand as a symbol of her sacrifice and love, of the Savior’s atoning sacrifice, and of God’s love for all of us. How beautiful is the life of this newborn child.

Jesus Christ’s willing sacrifice made it possible for all of us—especially this young mother and her little family—to be reunited in God’s eternal realms with our families forever.

The greatest gift God ever gave mankind was Jesus Christ! May we never forget this truth. May we find hope, solace and peace in Him—The Prince of Peace. And may the true spirit of Christ be with us this Christmas.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the Bennett Family this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Please help Stephanie's young family this Christmas by clicking on this link: Stephanie “a mother’s love knows no bounds!”

Gifts We Give God

I was unsure how to approach this week's topic at first. It seems that most of the types of gifts we give to God (at least the ones that come first to my mind) are those that we give to our fellowmen. Like service projects, providing for those in need, preaching the gospel, or donating to a worthy cause--all similar things to last week's topic:

Matthew 25:40  

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

So I turned the question upside-down. Instead of asking what gifts I can give to God, I asked myself, "What gifts am I holding back from God?"

Gifts We Hold Back

Asking this question opened my heart and mind to the types of gifts that we can only give to God. Rather than give my own example of what I mean, let me share a parable from the Lord:

Matthew 19:16-22

16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 

17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.  

18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness,  

19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  

20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet?  

21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me.  

22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.

Do you think this parable was really only about material possessions or giving to the poor? Like this rich young ruler, many of us say to ourselves, “I am doing all the things the Lord has asked me to do.” What holds many of us back are not the things that we are doing (right or wrong), but rather the things that we will not let go of in our hearts.

You know what I am talking about. Those selfish little vices. Those “favorite little sins.” Perhaps there is a person that you have not forgiven. Maybe you have refused to take accountability for something that you did wrong. Perhaps there is a talent you refuse to use or cultivate. For most of us holding our gifts back from the Lord usually boils down to laziness, apathy, doubt, anger or pride.

What We Can We Do About It
Change laziness to diligence. Change apathy to willingness. Change doubt to faith. Change anger to love. Change pride to humility. But how?

Exodus 35:5 

Take ye from among you an offering unto the Lord: whosoever is of a willing heart , let him bring it, an offering of the Lord;...,

As this scripture illustrates, we need two things: 1.) A willing heart. 2.) To bring it to the Lord.

The gifts of the heart that we give to God do not always come instantly because we have been holding onto the polar opposite for so long. Sometimes we can flip the switch and give our hearts to Him all at once. But other times (if not most) we have to consciously work on incrementally giving our hearts to God. We need to simply be willing to try, with a hope and a prayer that He will help you remove the negative and fill it with the positive. Giving our hearts is really just another way to describe faith. 

Just remember that giving God your heart is not all or nothing from the start. It is a willingness to start and actually do it. In truth, He does want all our hearts in the end, but He realizes that it takes time for us to get there. Remember, “The Lord looketh on the heart” (1Samuel 16:7). Which means that the Lord sees your willingness, as well as sincere efforts and desires.

So this Christmas, ask yourself, “What gifts am I holding back from God?” Then you will know the gift you need to start giving to God this year.

May we all find within ourselves a willing heart and bring it to Him this Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Gifts We Give Our Fellowmen

THE GREATEST GIFT IS LOVE

Last week we spoke about why we give gifts and what is a real gift. For the next two weeks we are going to talk about the gifts we give.

In Matthew 22:37-39, Jesus Christ teaches that the two great commandments are to love God and love your neighbor.

We are going to approach this topic backwards, like a countdown.  

God teaches that “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40

What type of gifts do you give others or do others give you?

How do we give this gift of love to others?

One gift of love that I have both given and received recently is forgiveness. A little while ago at a job, I had a boss who praised my efforts and the results I brought the organization. She often told me that in five years she wanted to see me in her position.

Then, over time, attitudes changed as conflicts in the office occurred with co-workers butting heads, myself included.  Everyone complained to my boss and we all looked dumb and childish in retrospect. Long story short, I left the organization after finding a new job with unkind feelings toward my boss for allowing the problem to go on and toward some co-workers for fueling the fire. The irony was that I loved that job and my co-workers more than any other before and since.

Fast forward, I recently went to an event where I knew my former boss would be. I thought that it would be hard if I saw her, but instead of avoiding I chose to forgive by seeking out my former boss and giving her a BIG hug. There is something about forgiveness that helps you find inner peace.

Then, just moments ago, I received a message on Facebook from one of my former co-workers—the person whom I felt fueled the fire more than anyone else. He proceeded to tell me that he had wanted to send me a message for a long time. He said he wanted me to know that he thought I was a wonderful person regardless of our differences. In other words, he was both asking for forgiveness and giving forgiveness. It was mutual.

I found peace knowing that through this gift of love and forgiveness, no hard feelings were harbored. We messaged back and forth and even talked about getting together with some of our old co-workers for lunch.

It is amazing what gifts of love can do not only for those we give to, but also for ourself.

So this Christmas, what gifts of love will you give to your fellowmen? Forgiveness? Service? Laughter? Your company? An invitation? Fulfilling a need? Something else?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Why Gifts?

www.lds.org/media-library

Meaningful Gifts
I am the type that loves gifts with meaning. I always hate it when someone asks me, “What do you want for Christmas?” Quite frankly, the types of things that I want are items that I need to save up for myself, like a truck or a trip to Disneyland with my family. What I really “want for Christmas” is a gift that shows you care and took time to be thoughtful.

However, I have been guilty of not appreciating well-meaning and thoughtful gifts. Take the nose hair trimmer my brother got me one year. No, seriously. He heard me complaining about getting old and…well…having nose hair (TMI, I know). So he bought me a hair-nose trimmer that actually had various attachments so that I could also trim my hair because I cut my own hair. I still laugh about that gift. 

The next year as we drew names for sibling gifts I jokingly whined about the nose hair trimmers. My family saw what I was saying, but another brother made a sarcastic comment about being ungrateful and made me sound like a whining 5-year old. Immediately, I realized my hypocrisy, because my brother truly did put thought into the gift. Not only was the gift thoughtful, the mere thought of getting a nose hair trimmer for Christmas has brought me continued laughter and joy just thinking about it. It really is the gift that keeps on giving ;)

What is a Gift?

The world needs more meaningful gifts and we need to do a better job at appreciating the thoughtfulness of the gifts we receive. Christmas gifts should not be like a waiter’s gratuity. We should not expect a minimum of 15% from others and we should not complain if we receive the bare minimum or less than what we expected. Likewise, our own thoughtfulness in giving gifts to others should not justify us in complaining about (what we think are) thoughtless or lame gifts that we receive from others.

Gifts are meant to be given WITHOUT expectations in return. Just Google the definition of “Gift” if you don't believe me:

Noun: A thing given willingly to someone without payment; a present. "a Christmas gift" 

Verb: Give (something) as a gift, especially formally or as a donation or bequest.  "the company gifted 2,999 shares to a charity"

Why We Give Gifts

My point is that gifts are not the point of giving gifts. Confused?

The point of a gift is to show thought, honor, respect and/or love for someone or something that we care about. You cannot tell me that when a little child draws you a picture for your Birthday, Christmas, or just for the heck of it, that your heart does not melt at their instinctive nature to love and give you a meaningful gift. That is why we give gifts. That is why the Wise Men gave gifts to the Christ child.

Matthew 2:10-11

When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh.

The Wise Men did not give gifts first. They joyed and worshiped first. They did not give gifts because it was an expectation. They did not feel a sense to show up one another. Their gifts were meant to be a simple outward expression of their joy, worship, respect and love for Jesus Christ who would someday sacrifice his own life for the sins of all mankind. 

Jesus Christ's sacrifice was the greatest gift ever given to all of God’s children—that includes you—even if we refuse to accept or acknowledge it.

While the Wise Men’s gifts may have seemed meager in comparison to Jesus Christ’s ultimate gift to all of us, it was not the gifts that mattered—it was what those gifts represented. May our gifts this Christmas be in the same spirit of love for the Savior of the world and those around us.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!