We all love to receive gifts.
But none of the gifts we receive could ever match what God gives us on a daily
basis.
Take, for example, the spider. It has received an
extraordinary gift that provides her shelter and food (In the French language,
the word "spider" is denoted as "feminine", for some strange reason!). This gift
is that of making flexible thread out of her own fluids, thread that is five
times stronger than iron thread. It is so strong that if enough of it were wound
together to a thickness of 1 cm, it would be strong enough to open the door of
an airplane. It is so tough that a thread 3 cm thick would bring a Boeing 747 in
full flight to a complete stop. Not an ordinary feature, is it!
No human can make such a thread!
The spider's thread is not only strong, but it is also
very elastic. It can stretch 30 - 40% of its length before reaching its breaking
point. No wonder than these thin wires can stop a bee in mid-flight. In fact
Polynesian fishermen use the thread of the golden orb web weaver Nephila as a
fishing line. They don't have to worry about it breaking!
Don't you wish you could produce such a thread?
But those of us who follower Christ as our Lord and
Saviour have received a much bigger gift than this! Nothing can compare to the
gift God has bestowed on us!
"On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he
gave them this command: "Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift
my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John
baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the
Holy Spirit." (Acts 1:4-5 NIV)
"And I will ask the Father, and he will give you
another Counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth.
The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you
know him, for he lives with you and will be in you." (John
14:16-18 NIV)
God's kind of gift is everlasting. It will not only
encourage us, but it will also guide us all our ways. All we have to do is
listen. (Yes, we are control freaks and this leads us to trouble when we do not
listen to His voice!) No need for expensive human counseling. God Himself will
guide us through His Holy Spirit. No need to try to distinguish between lies and
truth, as God's Spirit is "the Spirit of Truth" as well as the author of His
Word, the Bible.
A spider may be able to stop a bee in mid-flight (Or a
Boeing 747 in full flight, if it could produce a 3 cm wide thread!), but we can
now face any adversity because God is not only with us always, but He also
resides within us. Even while locked up in a cell, we still can enjoy fellowship
with our Maker. Nobody can take Him away from us! Yahoo!
We do have the most unique gift of all creation. The
world will not recognize Him because they don't know Him, but we sure can! May
we learn to enjoy the gift God has given us in surplus to the sacrifice He gave
to us on the cross.
Hey! I can wake up every day with a big smile. God's
Holy Spirit is not only my constant companion, He is also my best friend. Who
else can I trust like I trust Him? He never ever lies to me and I can rely on
Him in all things!
Would you like to getting to know Him? Invite Him into
the inner depths of your heart. Life will never be the same again. It will be
pure delight, even amidst afflictions!
If a 3 cm spider thread could stop a plane in full
flight, imagine what God's Spirit can do for us! Wow! Amazing!
Thank you Lord for the best gift of all!
Rob Chaffart
The Illustrator: This daily newsletter is dedicated to encouraging
everyone to look towards Jesus as the source of all the solutions to our
problems. It contains a daily inspirational story, a Bible verse and encouraging
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The Nugget: Published three times a week, this newsletter features inspirational devotionals and mini-sermons dedicated to drawing mankind closer to each other and to Christ.