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![Matthew 25:14-30 New Living Translation (NLT) How do you
keep your gifts?
Parable of the Three Servants
14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone.
15 He gave five bags of silver[a] to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.
16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more.
17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more.
18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.
19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money.
20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’
21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together![b]’
22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’
23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’
24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate.
25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’
26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate,
27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’
28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver.
29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away.
30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’](https://image.slidesharecdn.com/gift-181113083248/85/Gift-5-320.jpg)
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Gift
Giving gifts is an important tradition that strengthens personal bonds and shows love and appreciation. There are several reasons why we give gifts: 1) To continue cultural traditions associated with occasions like birthdays, weddings, and holidays. 2) To affirm personal relationships and show affection for important people in our lives like family and friends. Gifts let recipients know we care about them. 3) As an alternative to money, gifts allow us to provide something meaningful that the recipient will use and enjoy without hurting their pride. 4) Spiritually, we give gifts to God to strengthen our personal bond with Him, express gratitude, and obey His commandments to bring offerings that support His work. God
Gift
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- 2. What is agift? Merriam Webster says that a gift is, “something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation.”
- 3. The Best Giftfor a Best Friend A girl still recall the day her Mom suggested, "Let's get you some new clothes." You can imagine that to a little girl that may mean the world, but to her it meant the Universe because they were not financially well off. So she went wide-eyed, wondering what she could select. To her surprise her mom allowed her to pick out three dresses, a pink one, a navy blue and, best of all a yellow & blue one. She loved that yellow and blue dress and to this day she love just thinking about it. She had a best friend whose family was even worse off financially than hers. Her name was Seema. They played and studied together. They spent the best days of their childhood laughing at their silly imaginary stories. She was excited to show her friend, her three new beautiful dresses. Her friend loved them all and was happy for her. Her friend explained to her, with moistened eyes, that her father could only afford buying her clothes for her birthday. She felt her sad and instantly her mouth opened and I asked her something unexpected, she asked her friend to pick out one of the dresses. To her horror her friend picked up the best one- the yellow and blue dress. Please remember, she was only 7 years old and her heart popped out her chest as she was aghast (struck with terror). Seema picked it up and held it up against her body and she saw how happy and beautifully she smiled. Her eyes lit up, no tears. She could not feel her hurt anymore. She told her it looked lovely against her. Well, her mom didn't have the same sentiments as her but she did her best to explain everything. She smiled understandingly .She always remember Seema's smile and how at that moment nothing mattered other than her smile. When you love and cherish your friendships, nothing matters ever! To this date they are still best friends.
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- 5. Matthew 25:14-30 NewLiving Translation (NLT) How do you keep your gifts? Parable of the Three Servants 14 “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. 15 He gave five bags of silver[a] to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip. 16 “The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. 17 The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. 18 But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money. 19 “After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. 20 The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’ 21 “The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together![b]’ 22 “The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’ 23 “The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’ 24 “Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. 25 I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’ 26 “But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ 28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
- 7. To whom shallwe give gifts? 1. GOD-The primary subject of all our giving is God that He may be glorified. In fact, he who gives not unto the LORD has not given at all. God asks us to give back to Him what rightfully belongs to Him as an expression of our love and gratitude for His infinite goodness .2. Close to us- Parents, brothers, sisters, friends 3. Preachers and Teachers Jesus Christ charged His apostles to go and preach the Gospel and minister to the spiritual needs of the people, trusting in His provision for theirdaily necessities (Luke 10:7; Matthew 10:10; cf.1 Timothy 5:17-18). He exhorted them to cast themselves upon His gracious hands for their living because the workman is worthy of his wages. God’s provision for the ministers of the Gospel is, once again, channelled through the loving hands of His redeemed people as it is written, “Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in all good things” (Galatians 6:6). 4. Our Partner 5 Weak and Needy ,“As we have therefore opportunity,l et us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith”(Galatians 6:10).
- 8. When shall wegive gifts? 1. When gifts are expected- such as weddings, birthdays, graduations, special achievements, and other special occasion invitations 2. When gifts are less expected 3. When you really feel like giving
- 9. Why do wegive gifts? Over the years, the purpose of giving gifts has extended beyond its religious origins. Gift giving has evolved into a more complex social and cultural dynamic. Here are the most common reasons why we continue giving gifts to our loved ones and what do the gifts mean nowadays? 1. Tradition- Giving a gift is a tradition that has been passed on from one generation to another. Every birthday, as well as other occasions like Christmas, Wedding or Valentine's Day, we are expected to bring gifts for the celebrant. Even giving simple and small things like chocolates or maybe a cake would be enough to continue this tradition. 2. Personal bond- Of course, there's more to giving gifts than just the act itself. The message behind it is even more important. Most of the time, we give gifts to people who we value dearly and by doing so; we affirm our personal relationship with them. It's another way of showing our affection to the recipient. You don't give gifts to someone of little or no importance to you. By giving them something that they want or need, we are, in a way, taking care of them. For example, you think your mom/dad or your wife/husband needs some time off to relax, then the More Bites XL pizza would be exactly what they would want for their birthday. 3. Alternative to money- Some people refuse being given money because it hurts their ego. Birthdays are the perfect occasion to give someone something that they need and could use in their everyday lives without them thinking that it's for charity. Your mom might be reluctant to accept money from you, but if you give her a LOQI 'Gerhard Richter' Reusable Shopping Bag, she would gladly accept it. 4. To show our love and appreciation- This is probably the most important reason to give gifts to someone important to us. More than the material thing that we are giving them, the thoughtfulness, love, and appreciation behind the gift is what we want them to see. You can make them feel your love by giving them only the finest things in life, like the Best of All Gourmet Hamper, which contains fine wine, sumptuous sweets and nibbles that the recipient would truly enjoy.
- 10. Why do wegive gifts? 5. To let them know that you pay attention to them-In one of your conversations, your loved one might have mentioned something, like a book or a collector's item that they've wanted to get for a long time. Just imagine their joy when you finally get it for them on their birthday. Birthday gifts tell the recipients that the givers care for them enough to really get to know them, including the things that make them happy. 6. As a way of looking after them-Maybe you know something that your loved one needs but he or she hasn't got the chance to buy it yet because of lack of time or money. Giving such items as a birthday gift could be your way of taking care of their needs. 7. To display your skills- Giving handmade gifts, whether big or small, would surely melt the heart of the recipient. More than the item itself, the thought that you spent a lot of effort and time to make it is the best gift you could give to someone. 8. As a keepsake -We all want to be remembered, especially by those who are important to us. By giving someone a present on his or her birthday, the item becomes a keepsake. Every time the recipient sees or uses it, the giver would always come to mind. This is what makes gift giving so much special.
- 11. Spiritually speaking ,we give gifts to God because: 1. it is our personal bond with GOD-God wants us to know him. The Bible says God is at work in everyone’s life. “So that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us.” (Acts 17:27) Malachi 3:10 ► New International Version Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this," says the LORD Almighty, "and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.
- 12. Spiritually speaking, wegive gifts to God because: It is one of our ways of showing how deeply we appreciated God’s goodness to us.
- 13. Ellen G. Whitesays that: When Christ gave His people the promise of the Holy Spirit, He said that, “another Comforter” will “abide with you forever.” John 14:16.
- 14. GOD ‘s GIFTTO MANKIND
- 17. What shall wegive our Lord? 1. What shall I give Thee, Master? Thou who didst die for me. Shall I give less of what I possess, Or shall I give all to Thee? Chorus:Jesus, my Lord and Savior; Thou hast giv’n all for me; Thou didst leave Thy home above To die on Calvary. What shall I give Thee, Master? Thou hast giv’n all for me; Not just a part or half of my heart, I will give all to Thee. 2 What shall I give Thee, Master? Thou hast redeemed my soul; My gift is small but it is my all Surrendered to Thy control. 3 What shall I give Thee, Master? Giver of gifts divine! I will not hold time, talents or gold—For everything shall be Thine.