Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.
-Proverbs 3:9-10 (NLT)
What if we poured out our spiritual gifts and talents as first-fruit offerings to our Lord God in 2021? Let’s take a moment to consider this together.
What if all the teachers taught? All the shepherds nurtured? Those who feel disconnected, who are searching for something beyond themselves would feel the unrelenting love of God from their first encounter with the church of Jesus Christ, whether from a gathering of two or a gathering of two thousand. He or she would be in fellowship and true relationship with a family of believers. They would be fed and nurtured into maturity. They would, in turn, develop an undeniable testimony to the love and power of Jesus Christ. And in maturity, they would reach others, both a disciple and a disciple maker. They would be girded on all sides by both the love of the Body and the truth of the Word. The church would be unshakeable; the gates could not prevail.
What if all the artists operated under the wisdom and inspiration of God, like Bezalel? What if the musicians penned songs like the psalmists of the Old Testament? What if we all danced in the streets like David? As the Holy Spirit flowed, these consecrated expressions would stand as witnesses to the most beautiful and powerful creative force in the universe, our Creator God, Elohim. Artists would be touched and blessed by the movement of the Holy Spirit. They would be transformed through the healing power of Jesus Christ, guarded against pain or despair. The heart of worship would be revealed, touching believers and unbelievers alike. All could hear our hearts cry out with love to Abba, our Father. Grace and gratitude would abound. Like the most beautiful tapestries of the tabernacle or the ornate gold walls of the Temple, each work would be offered up to God as we worship through our hands, voices and feet. We would show the world what it means to love the Lord God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength, what it means to pour yourself out in worship to the Holy One.
What if all the prophets prophesied? What if all the healers healed? What if all the apostles performed the miracles that Christ proclaimed we would show to the nations? Revelation and wisdom would abound. Both the words of the prophetic and the wisdom of discernment would protect the church from attacks that otherwise might be unseen. The church would overflow with words of encouragement and comfort. Believers would come to know God’s character even more deeply. When receiving a word of knowledge, they would know Him as the God who sees them in all circumstances. When sickness dissolves and bodies are made whole, they would come to know Him as Jehovah Rapha, God the Healer. Those plagued by demonic spirits would be released through the blood of Jesus Christ. Oppressions would be eradicated; footholds would be erased. With faith as small as a mustard seed, we could make mountains move, waters part, and the sun stand still. His Word is everlasting. It was true for believers during the time of Christ, it is true for us now, and it will remain true far beyond our lifetime.
Father, breathe on us a new breath. Unleash your abundant rivers of blessing to inundate us and overwhelm us. Bring dry bones back to life. Make us new creatures: splendid and majestic like our Almighty Father. Allow your love and light to shine through us as beacons to this world. Always your ambassadors. Always your children. Amen.
Scriptures for Further Exploration
Paragraph 2: Acts 2:42, John 13:35, Matthew 4:19, 1 John 3:18, Matthew 16:18
Paragraph 3: Exodus 31:1-6, 2 Samuel 6:14-15, Nehemiah 9:6, John 7:38-39, Psalm 147:3, Psalm 63:1-4, Galatians 4:6, Mark 12:30, Psalm 62:8
Paragraph 4: Mark 16:17-18, Romans 15:19, 1 John 4:1, 1 Peter 5:8, 1 Corinthians 14:1-3, Genesis 16:13, Jeremiah 17:14, Matthew 17:20, Exodus 14:21, Joshua 10:12-13, Psalm 119:89
Paragraph 5: 2 Corinthians 1:20, 2 Corinthians 5:17