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Jonas Clark Gifts & Baskets

Gifting To Everyone

So whatever you believe about these things keep between yourself and God. Romans 14:22

People in general love to gossip about one another. Gossiping can be harmful and even mean. Remember the game “Telephone” when you were a child? Everyone would sit in a circle. A person would start off and whisper a statement in the person’s ear beside them. Each person would then turn and retell the sentence to the person on the other side of them until it went all around the circle. The last person would say the sentence out loud. More times than not, the story had changed drastically from the original.

The same happens as adults, but it isn’t a game. Lives can be ruined and names can be slandered. Before spreading stories around, ask yourself how you would feel if it was about you. I’m pretty sure you would then keep it between you and God. The gift of silence can be priceless.  

Improving one’s self and gaining skills are both part of personal growth. To become humble and less self-righteous is what we should work towards. Becoming self aware and believing in yourself is the first step. Once you are aware of who you are and you believe you can become who you want to become, you are ready to accept the Lord into your life. If the Lord already resides in your heart, you are ready to make a life game plan. Set your goals and strive to meet them. Goals don’t have to be monstrous. Goals can be as easy as vowing to say “Have a great day” to 10 people every day or buying someone a unique gift, once a week.

The last part of personal growth is taking responsibility for your actions. To admit fault and refrain from placing blame is the hardest part. Once you master that, the rest is easy.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you.
Romans 12:3

Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, "He has been raised from the dead and is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him. Behold, I have told you." -  Matthew 28:1-10

Today is glorious Easter day, when Jesus rose from the dear to sit at the right hand of God. His gift to us was atonement for our sins and the promise of everlasting life. What better way to show our appreciation by following his lead. Live each day practicing the three “Gs”:

Grace
Gratitude
Generosity

Hold yourself with poise and grace. Be thankful for what you receive generously to others. Do so without motive or agenda.

Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.
Luke 6:38

In my church, there is a group of ladies that make gifts for the sick and injured members of the congregation. They spend Saturday afternoons preparing the surprises. Each Monday they deliver the presents to either the home or the hospital room of the recipient. These items are homemade gift baskets customized to each ill member’s likes. The person’s spirits on the receiving end are always lifted up when they see the basket made especially for them.

I wish I could custom make every gift I give. One of these days when I have more time, I am gonna become one of the “Basket Ladies” as we fondly call them.  Until the day comes that I can help, there are sites like The Basket Spot to assist me with my heartfelt giving. Do you have any favorite gift sites you utilize that you care to share with everyone?

On last Sunday, one of my partners, in the ministry, gave me a gourmet gift basket for my birthday.  It was really nice and I actually enjoyed it.  Most of the time, I’m not good at excepting gifts for other people because I’m so use to giving gift instead of receiving gifts.

The spirit of God laid it on my heart to do a search on why it’s important to give and to receive.  We have to realize that when we receive gifts, we are allowing that person, who gave you the gift, to do exactly what they are suppose to do.  You are helping doors to be opened for them.  You are allowing them to operate in the will and call that God has ordained for them.

For so long, I was extremely shy about receiving gift, because I thought people would assume I’m all about the money.  But from the start, Jonas Clark Ministries have been about giving back to the needy and pouring into families.  We strongly believe in the power of giving.  Our mission is to reach people way beyond our walls and to touch individuals that didn’t even know they needed to be touched.

But we have to remember that receiving is also apart of giving.

If you’ve been in ministry for some time now, I’m pretty sure you know how hard it can be to grow your ministry.

It’s always hard to get the word out and find loyal, committed people to help you push your ministry forward.

One of the things that I want to remind you of is that we’re living in a different day and time.  Churches are no longer being built on allot of word of mouth or mere principle.  In order for you to grow your ministry, your ministry will have to offer your people a great word from God and also consistent outreach ministries.

Marketing and advertising is also a very important aspect of church growth.

And always remember, the Internet is a great catalyst to church growth.