Today’s a Gift

Notes
Transcript
Today is a gift
Today is a gift
Yesterday is history
Tomorrow is a mystery
Today is a gift, that’s why is called the present
It’s hard to imagine the wonderment of the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary in Luke 1:26. Imagine her surprise when Gabriel announces, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”” (Luke 1:28b)
Mary had a special place in the redemptive plan of God. From that moment she be blessed. It did not mean everything her life would go without a hitch or that she wouldn’t suffer loss.
Her husband died before Jesus came into his ministry. She had found favor, or grace, with God, but would lose her whole world when Jesus was crucified.
Today, however, people still call her blessed. She realized that no matter what great thing happened yesterday, that was history. And who knows what will happen tomorrow, it’s a mystery.
She lived every day praising God because every new day is a gift. That’s why today is called the “present”.
Yesterday’s is History
Yesterday’s is History
We get so many blessings in life, sometimes it’s hard to keep track. For Mary, she would never forget her special meeting with Gabriel and his announcement of her immaculate conception. Every day that passed that wonderful encounter moved into the passed. But every day brought new experiences raising the Messiah and she needed to be renewed in her faith and grace daily.
The children of Israel spent forty years in the wilderness and God provided them manna to eat (Ex 16:4). The only thing was manna was only good for one day. You couldn’t eat yesterdays manna except on the Sabbath (Ex 16:23). Manna was like an object lesson that you can’t always live on yesterdays gifts, we need to seek God every day and be blessed.
Deuteronomy 8:3 “So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.”
Follow Mary’s example, Luke 2:19 “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”
Tomorrow’s a mystery
Tomorrow’s a mystery
God has a plan and His plan is sure. He has made many promises in the Word and His promises are sure. Many of God’s promises are future. He makes us rely on faith to see the promise and wait. When we pray for specifics sometimes we must step out in faith in the mystery that is tomorrow. The step happens today, but tomorrow is a result of our action of faith.
Success in life is finding the will of God and doing it. Our decisions today affect our tomorrow
Faith is trusting God in the plan.
Faith is resting on His promise.
Consider Mary’s response to the birth of Jesus.
Did Mary know the purpose of Jesus life?
Of course she did.
Did she know how much His ministry would affect her?
Probably not.
Was she assured of the promise she received from Gabriel?
Definitely, Mary was a woman of great faith.
One of my favorite quotes for faith I find as a paraphrase of Hebrews 11:
Faith is real seeing.
“Faith sees the invisible; believes the incredible; delivers through the impossible; and receives the inconceivable”.
Knowing that tomorrow is a mystery is not so unsettling if we, like Mary, live by faith.
Because he lives, I can face tomorrow
Because he lives, all fear is gone because I know he holds the future
And life is worth the living just because he lives (Bill Gaither).
“Take no thought of tomorrow” Mt 6:25; 6:31; 6:34; 10:19.
Matt 6:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
Matt 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
Matt 6:34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.
Matt 10:19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.
Jesus did not know the day of his next return Matthew 24:36 ““But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”
Jesus always obeyed the father’s will
Today’s a gift, that’s why it’s called the present
Today’s a gift, that’s why it’s called the present
“Give me grace for today”. This ought to be the first prayer of the day, a total dependance on the grace of God to navigate to details of life that is today.
Mary spent the quiet early years with Jesus. Day after day she watched him take his first steps, fed him, she taught him to speak and watched him play. Every day was a miracle and she was privileged to enjoy that grace.
For us Christmas is a small reminder that every day is a gift or a present. We can walk in His way, be fed by Him, listen to His words, and enjoy the life He shares with us.
John chapter 4 verse 10 “Jesus answered (the Samaritan woman) and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”” We need only ask for the gift of spending quality time with the Lord.
Romans 5:15 “But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.”
Be a Blessing with Hands Full of Honey
Be a Blessing with Hands Full of Honey
Samson on the way to meet a wife has an interesting encounter with a lion.
Judges 14:6–9 “And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand. But he did not tell his father or his mother what he had done. Then he went down and talked with the woman; and she pleased Samson well. After some time, when he returned to get her, he turned aside to see the carcass of the lion. And behold, a swarm of bees and honey were in the carcass of the lion. He took some of it in his hands and went along, eating. When he came to his father and mother, he gave some to them, and they also ate. But he did not tell them that he had taken the honey out of the carcass of the lion.”
In summary:
Samson went out empty handed.
A lion was killed by him without the use of a weapon.
Upon returning after a time he sees an unusual sight honey (he is again with out a weapon).
He comes home with hands full of honey.
Here is some application:
Samson went out without a weapon symbolizing he trusted in the Lord.
Jesus is the Lion of Judah who died for our sins.
The finished work of Christ is sweet (the death of the Lion produced, honey).
Samson was feasting on the life that comes out of death, honey brightens the eye.
Going out and coming back, Samson was depending on the Lord (empty-handed).
The gospel of Christ is a mystery needing to be revealed unto those being saved (like a riddle).
The finished work of Christ saves us, gives us life, and sustains us.
Fill your hands with the fruits of victory and share it.