Appreciating Expensive Gifts Enough to Value Them

Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain:
John 15:16

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. Eph 2:8-9



We did not choose Him. He chose us, ...miserable and wretched sinners. Not because of any good thing in us, because there is none. Even our good deeds offend him apart from our faith.

But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags;
Isaiah 64:6



...for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.
Romans 14:23


When we truly know who we are, then we can truly know who He is. At this point the depth of our appreciation, and the actions that show it have no bottom. This is when we get serious and forget what we want and what our desires are and place that selfishness under the subjection of our primary reason for living, the pre-eminence of spreading the good news of God.

This is when we remember that we are not our own, but bought with an extremely high price. Salvation may be free to us, but it was not cheply purchased. And we realize that our hands are not ours...our eyes, our feet, our ears...all belong to God...and that Holy Spirit lives within us.



What are your hands doing?

What are we letting our eyes see?

Where are we letting our feet take us?

What are we allowing to let our ears hear?



Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.

Phil 4:8

I scream it from the rooftop....QUIT PLAYING!