Focus on the Giver

There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. (John 1:6-8)
 
Because He is so gracious, compassionate, and kind, God gave us many gifts to help us grow and mature in our walk with Him. He gave us the local church so we could belong to a community within the body of Christ. He gave us teachers, pastors, and preachers to help us expand our understanding of Him and His Word. He gave us songs that we could sing and listen to in order to worship Him. Finally, He gave us the Bible so that we could read about Him and get a better grasp of His character and His love for us. When you fully utilize these powerful gifts, you will develop a much closer relationship with the Lord.  
 
However, you must be careful to focus more on the Giver than on the gifts. Sadly, it is very easy for Christians to get caught in the trap of concentrating more on the aspects of our faith rather than the One in whom we are placing our faith. This happens when we want to worship more than we desire the One worthy of our worship. Wanting to sing to the Lord is not a bad thing, but when we think singing to Him has more power to reignite our soul than the One who created our soul, that’s a real problem.  
 
This can also happen when we allow the form and format of our church services to give us more comfort than the presence of God. Maybe you grew up being accustomed to a church service with a predictable format: A welcome from the pastor, three worship songs, an offering, a sermon, and an invitation. When they deviate from that arrangement, you get uncomfortable. Don’t fall into this trap. The order of a church service should not be the source of your comfort. Instead, your comfort should come from this assurance: Where two or more are gathered in His name, the Lord is present. Comfort comes from His presence.  
 
As we continue to follow Christ, our greatest and strongest desire should be to develop a relationship with our Heavenly Father. We experience spiritual growth through reading God’s Word, spending time in prayer, going to church, and worshiping God. They are not the end goals; we do not place our faith in those things. Our faith is rooted in the One Almighty God, the Giver of all good gifts. Do not forget that the Giver is always greater than the gifts He delivers.