The Blessings I Have Been Given

Over the course of the last several months, I have been reading excerpts and commentaries written by John Calvin. He is not the kind of author that I can pick up the book in the morning and be done with by the evening. He is the kind of author that I have to stop every so often, put down what I'm reading and think about what I have read. There are some things that he writes, though, that are just simple, and I get the concept right away. Recently, while reading through a book that someone else wrote about him, I came across a quote by John Calvin. “All the blessings we enjoy are Divine deposits, committed to our trust on this condition, that they should be dispensed for the benefit of our neighbors”. This made me stop and think differently about the blessings that I have received or do receive from God. Calvin basically states that no matter what the blessing God bestows on me, I have to remember that He gives them to me so that I can use them for His glory to the benefit of others.



In my Scripture reading, I am in book of Romans. I am actually towards the end of the book. I have often avoided the book of Romans because, to me, it's a boring theological book on salvation. I don't know about others, but sometimes when I come to books like Romans, I gloss over the words because, in the back of my head, I'm saying "yeah, yeah. I know. Let's move on to something better". Of course, what is better than knowing that I've been chosen by the Almighty God to to be His child? It is by far the biggest blessing I have received. As I said, I'm just about finished with the book. As I was doing my daily reading, I came to chapter 15. This chapter mainly discusses Paul's dealings with the Gentiles, and his admonition to unity. Verses 5-7 struck me as I was reading. "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God." As I was reading this passage, I felt that the gentle Holy Spirit had spoken to me twice about the same subject - once through my reading of John Calvin's works, and once through Scripture. God has granted me blessings and good things, and has asked me to use them to the benefit of others to His honor and glory.



The Holy Spirit has gently convicted me lately regarding my actions as a member of the body of Christ. I have the distinct privilege of being called a daughter of the Most Holy King. With that comes great blessing and reward that I should be using to the benefit of others. I oftentimes forget that concept. I forget that as a member of the body of Christ, I have the responsibility to act in unity towards other members of the body, and to show nonjudgmental love to those who are not a member of the body. My Abba Father has not given me the blessings of life to selfishly hoard for myself. He's given them to me so that I can further His message of love, grace and mercy but sometimes my actions and my heart do not convey that message at all. I fear that the message I send to others is not one of embracing or healing, as I am commanded to give, but one of detachment and uncaring. After all I have been given and blessings bestowed to me, my behavior is unacceptable before the Holy God.



As Casting Crowns sings, "if we are the body, why aren't His arms reaching? why aren't His hands healing? Why is His love not showing them there is a way?". The reason is that we, speaking mostly to me, do not act as we are told to in Romans - to accept one another as Christ has accepted us and to understand that all blessings we have were given to us so that we could share them with those outside ourselves.



Something to think about as I move through the day. Something to think about as I interact with those in the body of Christ....and as importantly as that- those outside the body of Christ.