DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT THURSDAY - THE GIFT OF GOD. The conclusion.

In the midst of a generation screaming for answers, Christians are stuttering. - Howard Hendricks.

Jesus answered her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, 'Give me a drink,' you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water." - John 4:10. (ESV)

The late Sam Shoemaker, an Episcopalian bishop, summed up the situation this way: "In the Great Commission the Lord has called us to be--like Peter--fishers of men. We've turned the commission around so that we have become merely keepers of the aquarium. Occasionally I take some fish out of your fishbowl and put them into mine, and you do the same with my bowl. But we're all tending the same fish." - Em Griffin.

In Part 1, and Part 2, we announced that it is less than four weeks to Christmas, and that our text presented us with a great example for sharing the good news of Jesus, because Christmas is about giving gifts, and we have the ability to share the best gift with people who need it most! Hallelujah!

The very reason why so many are lost today, is because the god of this world, Satan, has blinded the minds of them who are lost. The devil is so busy telling the lost how much they will have to give up if they get saved, but not one time does he mention “The Gift Of God.” Jesus told this woman... "If you knew the gift of God…” This is what I want to share with you for a little while, to encourage you, let’s study the... “The Gift Of God.”

We have learned how Jesus Gives Rest To The Weary, Righteousness To The Guilty, and The Holy Spirit To Those Who Are Obedient, and today we see how...

To the Troubled He Gives Peace
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. - John 14-27. Look at Job, his property and wealth had gone, his family were gone, his companions were gone, and he was accused by his so called ‘friends,’ yet he could say with confidence...

Though he slay me, I will hope in him; yet I will argue my ways to his face. - Job. 13-15.
For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God, - Job 19-25.

What a mighty man of God, Job was, when he had lost everything, he still praised the Lord! This can only be done when there is perfect peace in a person, and that perfect peace comes from almighty God! When our hearts are troubled, and the entire world about us becomes a wilderness, the Lord Jesus will give us Peace, and we can still praise Him and worship Him in the circumstances! Hallelujah! What a wonderful Saviour we have!

To The Lost He Gives Salvation:
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." - Luke 19-10. All the way from Glory, came the Blessed Lord Jesus, and was crucified upon a cruel cross , that he might have the opportunity, to give to the dear lost souls the “Gift of God,” the gift of Salvation! Hallelujah!

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. - John 3-16.

A.B. Simpson is reported to have said that the gospel "Tells rebellious men that God is reconciled, that justice is satisfied, that sin has been atoned for, that the judgment of the guilty may be revoked, the condemnation of the sinner cancelled, the curse of the Law blotted out, the gates of hell closed, the portals of heaven opened wide, the power of sin subdued, the guilty conscience healed, the broken heart comforted, the sorrow and misery of the Fall undone. - M. Cocoris.

So many people need to hear the gospel, and there are so few who will communicate it. Why? I believe it is because they are timid, and don’t like the idea of being rejected! Come on, if we have a true relationship with Jesus, then we will surely understand that the rejection we will suffer, is miniscule, compared to the rejection He suffered on our behalf. He commands us to go and communicate the gospel, in our world.

1) Care: show concern for the person, and concern for your life before him.
2) Dare: it takes courage to witness--courage if the person is a stranger to you, and even more if the person is a close friend or relative.
3) Share: If you want to make a lasting impression, share yourself with the person. Get involved in his interests, get your shoulder under his burden, be genuinely glad when he has a success.
4) Prayer: Don't discount the effectiveness of prayer in the preparation of people's hearts for the Good News. - S. Briscoe, Getting Into God.

There is a reason for the season, let us be obedient to the command of the Lord Jesus Christ, and reveal “The Gift Of God,” to others.

Loving Father, help me by the power of the Holy Spirit, to spread the good news of the gift of God, to people who need the Lord Jesus Christ in their lives. Direct my paths Lord, and grant me wisdom, that I may win them for you, in your wonderful and mighty name I pray. Amen.

Be encouraged!
GBYAY