BBD 01.17.18 Unopened Gifts (New)

#1 · January 17, 2018, 1:13 am

Quote from Forum Archives on January 17, 2018, 1:13 am
Posted by: wrathered <wrathered@...>

Since June 8^th 1998, this is the 1790^th

Burning Bush Devotional

10 January 2018

Unopened Gifts

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23 NKJV.

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” – Luke 11:13 NKJV.

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” – John 4:10 NKJV.

For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:17 NKJV.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. – Romans 11:29 NKJV.

It happened in 1970, Vicki broke off her relationship with her 17-year-old boyfriend, Adrian Pearce. While saying goodbye, Vicki gave Adrian a Christmas gift. Unable to open the gift at the time, because of being upset from the breakup he placed the unopened gift under the Christmas tree. For years, even after his marriage he place the Christmas gift in its blue crinkly paper under the tree, until his wife finally banned it.

Even though the gift from his childhood sweetheart is not under the tree, Adrian still pauses for a few moments to take a look at the unopened gift every year. Adrian says about this strange tradition, “I kept it initially because I guess I had hopes that we would get back together and open it together. Now it’s just become a habit after 47 years of looking at it…” He is now thinking that he will open the gift on the 50^th anniversary of the gift. (New York Post 12.26.17; and various news venues)

Certainly Adrian Pearce has a strange Christmas tradition! I’m sure his wife will agree with that! Adrian hopes that someone will find Vicki so that she can be at the 50^th anniversary of the gift for the long delayed opening. So if anyone knows Vicki tell her to contact Adrian in Canada.

What about you? Do you have a gift awaiting the time when you will finally open it? Too many people have the gift of eternal life sitting unopened in their lives. As I have shared before, one of the saddest things that I sometimes hear when I share my testimony is the response of “I’m not ready yet.” Hopefully, they will not wait 50 years, or until it is too late, eternally too late to open the gift. Recently, a man that I had heard those sad words from passed away. Thankfully, a few years after I had shared my testimony with him, he told me that he had opened the gift of eternal life. So glad he didn’t wait too long!

Perhaps you have opened the gift of eternal life, but there are other gifts that God has for you that remain unopened? I waited until I was 40 years old before I began to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you are still alive, it’s not too late to open the gift! Because the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable! Those gifts are still under the tree waiting for you to open them. Will the year 2018 finally be the year you open the gifts of God?

Copyright © 2018. Ed Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

www.theburningbush.net

www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating 19 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 12,000 subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's Training Manual

Biblical Help for Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for download on Amazon.)

You can leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for healing for Pastor Shane Hall, Michelle Abetz, Thelma Lewis and her sister Denise (Wesley Lewis that I have asked for prayer for died in a traffic accident December 23^rd and his wife and sister-in-law were severely injured – another sister-in-law and her husband were also killed in the accident.), Brandy, Damon D. & wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s sister), Brent Baker, Gary Kirk, Amy Carroll, Caleb Freeman and Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can help support this ministry by using this link: www.paypal.me/EdWrather

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

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To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org

Posted by: wrathered <wrathered@...>

Since June 8^th 1998, this is the 1790^th

Burning Bush Devotional

10 January 2018

Unopened Gifts

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 6:23 NKJV.

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” – Luke 11:13 NKJV.

Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” – John 4:10 NKJV.

For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. – Romans 5:17 NKJV.

For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. – Romans 11:29 NKJV.

It happened in 1970, Vicki broke off her relationship with her 17-year-old boyfriend, Adrian Pearce. While saying goodbye, Vicki gave Adrian a Christmas gift. Unable to open the gift at the time, because of being upset from the breakup he placed the unopened gift under the Christmas tree. For years, even after his marriage he place the Christmas gift in its blue crinkly paper under the tree, until his wife finally banned it.

Even though the gift from his childhood sweetheart is not under the tree, Adrian still pauses for a few moments to take a look at the unopened gift every year. Adrian says about this strange tradition, “I kept it initially because I guess I had hopes that we would get back together and open it together. Now it’s just become a habit after 47 years of looking at it…” He is now thinking that he will open the gift on the 50^th anniversary of the gift. (New York Post 12.26.17; and various news venues)

Certainly Adrian Pearce has a strange Christmas tradition! I’m sure his wife will agree with that! Adrian hopes that someone will find Vicki so that she can be at the 50^th anniversary of the gift for the long delayed opening. So if anyone knows Vicki tell her to contact Adrian in Canada.

What about you? Do you have a gift awaiting the time when you will finally open it? Too many people have the gift of eternal life sitting unopened in their lives. As I have shared before, one of the saddest things that I sometimes hear when I share my testimony is the response of “I’m not ready yet.” Hopefully, they will not wait 50 years, or until it is too late, eternally too late to open the gift. Recently, a man that I had heard those sad words from passed away. Thankfully, a few years after I had shared my testimony with him, he told me that he had opened the gift of eternal life. So glad he didn’t wait too long!

Perhaps you have opened the gift of eternal life, but there are other gifts that God has for you that remain unopened? I waited until I was 40 years old before I began to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If you are still alive, it’s not too late to open the gift! Because the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable! Those gifts are still under the tree waiting for you to open them. Will the year 2018 finally be the year you open the gifts of God?

Copyright © 2018. Ed Wrather. The Burning Bush website has been online since January 31, 1998. On June 8, 1998 the email version of the Burning Bush Devotional was first sent. Ed Wrather began writing devotionals in the early 1990s. The distribution of those first devotionals was primarily through the Burning Bush Newsletter sent to prison facilities throughout the United States and Canada.

Visit the Burning Bush websites:

http://www.theburningbush.net

http://www.theburningbush.org

The Burning Bush websites are celebrating 19 years online since January 31, 1998. Since June 8, 1998 the Burning Bush Devotional has been spreading the truth of God's Word to more than 12,000 subscribers across the world.

The Addictions Kit - Biblical Help for Addictions by Ed Wrather is now available for download from Amazon. The Addictions Kit provides practical Biblical steps to defeat your addiction that actually work.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00VIYLNLM

The New Pastor's Training Manual is available for download on Amazon. Here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PJ8UTGS If you prefer a paper copy of the book you can order it from the Burning Bush website at http://bit.ly/1uXDBnk

Books now available at the Burning Bush website:

New Pastor's Training Manual

Biblical Help for Overcoming Substance Abuse

Biblical Help for Overcoming Sexual Addictions In Times of Trouble - Devotionals to Encourage and Strengthen You (Also available for download on Amazon.)

You can leave comments/feedback about the devotionals at http://www.theburningbush.net.

There is a translation tool on theburningbush.net website in the top right hand corner of all of the pages.

Check out the Scripture Index being constructed for the Devotionals at the Burning Bush website. The Links are in about the middle of the home page. Topics for each devotional are now being added to the Index.

Please continue to pray for healing for Pastor Shane Hall, Michelle Abetz, Thelma Lewis and her sister Denise (Wesley Lewis that I have asked for prayer for died in a traffic accident December 23^rd and his wife and sister-in-law were severely injured – another sister-in-law and her husband were also killed in the accident.), Brandy, Damon D. & wife, Beverly (Jeanie’s sister), Brent Baker, Gary Kirk, Amy Carroll, Caleb Freeman and Jeanie.

Please pray for an end to the racial hatred in the USA and that it will be replaced with peace and love. Many prayer needs are posted at the Burning Bush website on the Prayer Request page. You can also post your prayer requests there (Of course, I am always in need of prayer - please pray for me. My prayer focus is now that God will give me opportunities to preach. As the apostle Paul says, “…woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!”).

You can contact Ed Wrather at theburningbushdevotional@gmail.com View LinkedIn profile with endorsements at http://www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=92988105

If you enjoy the devotional please recommend it to your friends. They may subscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-join@welovegod.org

There is a complete devotional archive at the old Burning Bush website. Here is the URL: http://www.theburningbush.org/DevotionalArchive.html.

You can help support this ministry by using this link: http://www.paypal.me/EdWrather

Devotion vs Devotional: We do our devotions, we read devotionals.

You can unsubscribe to the burningbushdevo devotional group by sending a blank email to burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email.

You may subscribe to the html text group (Because of time constraints the devotional is only being sent now in html format) by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-join@welovegod.org and you may unsubscribe by sending a blank email to burningbushhtml-leave@welovegod.org and then respond to the confirmation email. If the link does not work, copy and paste the link.

To unsubscribe, send ANY message to: burningbushdevo-leave@welovegod.org