Deposit

I think this is the latest in the month I've been in posting the monthly. It is also Halloween. So happy that to all. Heathen holiday. I jest, I jest. I wrote up a brief summary of what I wanted to write about several weeks ago on Ye Olde Xanga. I'll use that to write the rest of this post and hopefully it won't be too short.

Ever heard of the concept of a non-refundable deposit? Well, basically, it's like if you're buying tickets to a concert online and they ask for this to ensure that you don't back out too easily; or rather, they tear off a chunk of your wallet (a petite chunk) in the process of bailing on the concert. What I want to write about tonight is a refundable deposit! It's a splendid idea! You give in a deposit of say a few dollars, and then you can use the gas station bathroom. If the attendant finds out that you broke something, say, the sink (honestly now..), he will keep your deposit because you didn't abide by the rules. If everything is shiny as usual (we know our gas station bathrooms) you get your money back!

Analogy activate! I was recently reflecting on spiritual gifts. God gives us these gifts, and sometimes we don't use them the way He intends. Maybe he gave us the gift of counseling others, and instead we sit idly and chatter about what we ate for dinner last night. Sometimes we do use our gifts to further His kingdom, and this is fantastic! The gifts are like someone giving you some water when you're parched dry.. drink it up, it has been given to you for a reason! So it is with God giving us these spiritual gifts. I feel that when God gives us these gifts, He gives them to us as refundable deposits. We'll carry these gifts with us our entire life, and when it comes to completion we'll either see them back to heaven to give back to God personally or you'll witness your own spiritual decay in hell. Sounds gruesome, no? I didn't feel like making hell pretty for this point.

The way for us to see these gifts back to God is to use them! Use the gifts God has given, for "All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines" (1 Corinthians 12:11 NIV). There are many gifts, and many ways to discern these gifts: through everyday life, or for the more instant, you can take an online questionnaire. If you feel like your gift is like getting coal in your stockings for Christmas, reconsider that God has a plan for even what seems weak, for "God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong" (1 Corinthians 1:27 NIV). Therefore, make haste with your gifts, go out, and use them to shepherd God's people! After that, you can personally recommit your gifts to God up in heaven.

My apologies if the thought-process in this entry seems a bit off. I hope that I have gotten my point across to at least one soul, or perhaps even the soulless Google Spider. Take care!