Your gift...

Have you ever thought about what you can do to show the Lord just how important He is... just how grateful you are...? I don't know about you, but I tend to get a tad frustrated because I can't think of what I can do. Then one day I realized that I was looking at a more quid pro quo approach to my 'what I can do to demonstrate'. That's truly silly. There's absolutely no way I can out give God or even come close... it's not even the point. 

Then, when I compared what I've done to what other people have accomplished, such as Billy Graham or Smith Wigglesworth, or John Wesley, etal I really get dissatisfied. (This thinking is NOT abundant living plus being self-defeating.) And then for some reason the Christmas song, 'Little Drummer Boy' popped into my head. And I had my answer.

The Lord knows our hearts. He knows our intents. He knows our desires... He knows our attitude. And it's our attitude that is incredibly important. Simple example. The story of Cain and Abel. Number 1: Cain compared himself to his brother and assumed God's response - Wrong. Number 2: Cain's attitude wasn't toward honoring God - Wrong. And just those two (out of others) demonstrate my point. We really can't hide our attitude.

The heart's the focus, at least that's my belief. The heart isn't all accepting of everything as some may think. It's importance has to be grounded in strength so the heart acts with gentleness.

   "Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart."
    (Proverbs 27:10, MSG)

   "Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs 
    of life." (Proverbs 4:23, AMP)

   "I, the Lord, search and examine the mind, I test the heart, To give 
    to each man according to his ways, According to the results of his 
    deeds." (Jeremiah 17:10, AMP)

   "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be 
    acceptable and pleasing in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, immovable] 
    rock and my Redeemer." (Psalms 19:14, AMP)

   "For with the heart a person believes [in Christ as Savior] resulting 
    in his justification [that is, being made righteous—being freed of the 
    guilt of sin and made acceptable to God]; and with the mouth he 
    acknowledges and confesses [his faith openly], resulting in and 
    confirming [his] salvation." (Romans 10:10, AMP)

See how important our heart is!? Why am I emphasizing this? Because I believe that the heart directs the mind (the location of our attitudes). Examples: speaking the truth in love - Ephesians 4:15, what the Lord searches - Jeremiah 17:10, how we believe - Romans 10:10 and I could go on. The point is that the relationship between our mind and heart is pervasive in all we do. How we go about expressing this is equally important. 

When you give serious consideration to what you can do to demonstrate, to express your gratitude to Who the Lord is, and What He did and continues to do for you. The only 'thing'/way is... You. Don't get misled - it really is your best you that you give and gift the Lord. This is the only way we can respond. Each day is an opportunity to learn, to grow, to become all we can be. Yes, you will make mistakes, sometimes deliberately - but once you've recognize what you've done and turned to the Lord for His cleansing (1 John) then you pick yourself up, dust yourself off... and start anew.

Your witness in the little things and in the big, is really who you are and all that you are. It's also your 'return' to the Lord for Who and What He is/does. I would suggest you start the day with the mindset that you are going to intentionally, not anxiously, going to be the best you, you can be in the day. And, at the end of the day you review the day seeing both the positive ways you interacted as well as the ones that need correcting. Both are important in you being your best - one needs enhancing and the other refining. It's all you.