A gift is something the giver chooses. We choose what it is and who will receive it. The more we know someone, the better gift we can give them. How do we know them? We know them by their lifestyle and our fellowship with them.

God didn’t give us the gift we wanted, he gave us the gift we needed. He didn’t ask us, what do you need? He already knew it because of his love for us.

Ephesians 4:8, Therefore it says: Ascending on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men. Man must claim ownership of these gifts before he can offer them to another.

When God gives a gift, it is always a seed that must be planted and matured into the manifestation of the gift within that seed. He planted a seed in Maria that matured into the perfect gift to the man who has met all our needs. He planted a garden in Eden that was supposed to spread throughout the earth. He said to Abraham: In your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed. Jesus said of himself, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it bears much fruit. (John 12:24).

An offering is different from a gift. An offering is something that, once the recipient has claimed ownership, decides to offer it back to the gift giver. Jesus as a man, in the name of man, offered himself back to God who gave him. Jesus said of himself: My life is mine, I have power to lay it down and power to take it up again. She was claiming the property so she could offer his life to his Father on behalf of others.

The gifts that God gives us, once we have claimed ownership of them, must be returned to Him in service to others after they have matured. James 5:7 Therefore, brethren, be patient until the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long-suffering for it, until he receives the early and latter rain.

You can see this maturing process in the lives of individuals and churches. At first things sprout and grow rapidly because of the first shower of the Holy Spirit on the gifts that are in us. After the first rain, the long period of growth begins in which not much seems to happen. Then the Holy Spirit brings the latter rain and the gifts ripen to perfection.

Suddenly, the ministry of an individual or a church explodes all over the place in growth. What happened? They received the latter rain, and the gifts were perfected for the harvest. That is why Santiago says (1:17), that we be patient and wait for the latter rain, because every good and perfect gift is from above, and descends from the Father of lights.

If the gifts God has given are used before they are ripe, the result is confusion in others because no fruit is present. People who run ahead of God eventually become frustrated and give up or fall into sin without understanding God’s sowing and reaping process. God is patient. He waits for the gifts he has given to men to mature to perfection before he can use them.

For a seed to grow it must have fertile soil, water and light. The word of God is the seed. If the land is not fertile, we must fertilize it. The word of God is the fertilizer. If the soil is dry we must water it. The word of God is water. If the ground needs light, we supply the light. The word of God is light.