A Gift in Secret

A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.
Proverbs 21:14 

This morning as I was praying I was reminded once again of how practical God's ways and Word are as I remembered a principle I learned many years ago that has brought great freedom in my life since.

I have often been hurt by people and have been strongly tempted or have given in to the temptation of responding in anger or aloofness. I have found that usually our strong temptations have a lot to do with God's giftedness in our lives.

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

The way we are created has abilities, or what we or others might consider disabilities, that God put in us from the moment we were conceived. But these abilities only find their true purpose when Jesus is Lord of our lives.

Further each of our gifts in creation - spiritual, soul based and physical have inherent weakness in them as well. We are created dependent on God and others.

These abilities and weaknesses are places of need and can be places where we find greater temptations.

1 Corinthians 12:14-18
For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, "Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, "Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body," it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

The eye is a powerful precision instrument that is so vital to the body. But if the eye had no eyelid it would shrivel up and become useless. If it had no tear duct it would do the same.

The hand can work with dirt and sand for a long time before suffering any damage. Most damage it suffers, after it heals, actually makes it stronger. But one speck of sand in our eye can bring such a disturbance that it affects the whole body.

I have learned through this not to be so quick to judge perceived weaknesses in others. Their struggle may not be mine but I have struggles too.

All of that to say that one that I have had is a temptation to feelings of self pity around perceived rejection or being mistreated. 

One day I was seeking to be free from a temptation to bitterness that had lodged in my soul towards someone who had wronged me. I had forgiven them but still the thoughts came like birds in the air seeking to build their nest on my head.

I wanted not only to forgive, I wanted to forget.

Most of the feelings I had were self loathing. Often my anger has been directed towards myself and not those who wronged me. Self hatred is a powerful force of evil. It is often the root cause of the most viscous acts.

I was crying out to God for freedom when I read the short passage I began with.

Proverbs 21:14
A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.

I suddenly thought the first part did not make sense if the angry person was the one you to whom you were giving the gift. If it was a secret gift they would not know about it. It slowly came to me that the one whose anger was pacified was the one giving the gift. The second part deals with the other person.

As I continued in prayer I felt the Lord said through this scripture to give the person who wronged me a secret gift.

I was so desirous to be free of my feelings that I took up the challenge.

It was amazing. I planned it to make sure no one knew about the gift. I made sure it was a gift they would love. As I was doing the planning I found my heart delighting to do this because I knew the one who was watching and knew all about it was God.

Matthew 6:3-4 "But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

I was not only giving to the person who had wronged me, I was giving a thanksgiving offering to God. My thanksgiving was that He had suffered far more wrong than I had ever experienced at the hands of even his best friends and He did it, in part, for me.

By the time the gift was given my heart was fully free of any hostility, bitterness, aloofness or anger. It was filled with joy and a deep love for the other person. The self-pity vanished and I was free.

I have used this wonderful principle since and it has always been the same.

We so often make our following God's Word a slavish thing of "obedience." In reality it is one of the greatest joys in our lives to watch God use us doing the simple things He asks and watching Him do things we could never do - Our Part - God's Part....

To watch Him make the darkness flee from my heart as I do the simple things He tells me in His Word is far from a burden. It is joy inexpressible and full of glory.

1 Peter 1:3-9
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who are protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; 8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory....