A gift is something the donor chooses. We choose what it is and who will receive it. The more we know someone, the better gift we can give him. How do we know them? We know them for their lifestyle and our fellowship with them.
God didn’t give us the gift we wanted, He gave us the gift we needed. He did not ask us: What do you need? He already knew it because of his love for us.
Ephesians 4: 8, For which he says: When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. Man must claim ownership of these gifts before he can offer them to another.
When God gives a gift, it is always a seed that must be planted and matured in the manifestation of the gift within that seed. He planted a seed in Mary that matured into the perfect gift for the man who has met all of our needs. He planted a garden in Eden that was supposed to spread throughout the earth. He said to Abraham: In your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Jesus said of himself, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit. (John 12:24).
An offering is different from a gift. An offer is something that, once the recipient has claimed ownership, decides to offer back to the gift giver. Jesus as man, in the name of man, offered himself back to God who gave him. Jesus said of himself: My life is mine, I have the power to give it up and the power to take it back. He claimed ownership so that he could offer his life to His Father on behalf of others.
The gifts that God gives us, once we have claimed ownership of them, must be returned to Him in service to others after they have matured. James 5: 7, Brothers, be patient until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and he waits for it with great patience until he receives the former and latter rain.
You can see this maturing process in the lives of people and churches. At first, things sprout and grow rapidly due to the first rain of the Holy Spirit on the gifts that are in us. After the first rain, the slow growing period begins where it seems like not much is happening. Then the Holy Spirit brings the latter rain and the gifts mature to perfection.
Suddenly, the ministry of an individual or a church explodes everywhere in growth. What happened? They received the latter rain and the gifts were perfected for the harvest. That is why James says (1:17), be patient and wait for the latter rain, because every good and perfect gift is from above and descends from the Father of lights.
If the gifts that God has given are used before they mature, the result is confusion in others because there is no fruit present. People who get ahead of God eventually become frustrated and renounce or fall into sin without understanding God’s sowing and reaping process. God is patient. He waits for the gifts he has given to men to mature to perfection before he can use them.
For a seed to grow it must have fertile soil, water and light. The word of God is the seed. If the soil is not fertile, we must pay it. The word of God is the fertilizer. If the soil is dry we must water it. The word of God is water. If the floor needs light, we supply it. The word of God is light.