When Re-gifting Is Okay

Did you ever receive a gift that just wasn’t your style? You know, those garden gnomes for your apartment? Or that bright orange sweater that just doesn’t go with your coloring? Admit it, you’ve received at least one gift in your life that you were tempted to re-gift; maybe you even went through with it.

Generally, re-gifting is frowned upon, especially if the person who gave you the gift is your mother-in-law or son, and they find out. And if the person who received the re-gift knew it was re-gifted they probably wouldn’t be very happy about it either.

Yesterday in church we learned about a gift that has been re-gifted to every believer; and it is okay. In fact, it’s better than okay. It is the best re-gift ever! Unfortunately, we often treat it like a gift we don’t want and don’t use it.

This gift is one that God the Father gave to Jesus. Matthew 28:16-20 (NIV) says,

Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Did you catch that gift? Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth. He has been given power beyond comprehension. And He gives that power to the disciples so that they might go forth and teach others about Him. As followers of Christ, you and I have been given this same power. Don’t believe me based on just this passage? How about this one:

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves. Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.  And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:11-13 (NIV).

Jesus said that those who believe will do greater things than He did! He re-gifted to His believers His great power by the indwelling of His Holy Spirit.

Yet we still try to do everything He asks us to do in our own power. As a result, we grow weary because we don’t succeed as often as we think we should. Then we doubt; we doubt whether we believe enough; or whether God cares about the things we are trying to accomplish; or whether we are even on the right track with the things we are trying to do.

Sometimes, though, we decide to actually use this wonderful re-gifted power that Jesus has given us. The results are astounding; and we find that re-gifting is not only okay, it is the most wonderful thing we have ever experienced.