I’m a big fan of gift cards. I like to get them—let me get what I want. I like to give them—let people get what they want. Not to mention it is a fairly easy and stress-free way to take care of business. Boom! I’m finished shopping.
However…I heard a disturbing fact this weekend.
Billions of dollars worth of gift cards go unused and unclaimed every year. In fact, in 2023 alone, $23 billion went unspent.
That is $23 billion that is either lost, unwanted, or being saved for another day.
What a waste!
The spiritual application is easy to see.
We all have been blessed with certain gifts: Christ, the Bible, family, jobs, time, etc.—what are we doing with these gifts?
Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. (Ephesians 5:15-17)
But there is good news! All is not lost! We don’t have to waste the gifts we’ve been given.
There is actually a national network that collects records from all 50 states where you can potentially find your unclaimed property. You can get back the gift cards you’ve been given—they don’t have to go to waste!
I tried it out a year or so ago. It works.
Again, you can see the spiritual application.
We’ve been given so many gifts and opportunities…and so many of us have wasted them.
Some have been taught the Gospel but never obeyed.
Some have obeyed the Plan of Salvation, but as time has passed they have drifted away (Heb. 2:1) or wandered from the truth (James 5:19).
Too many of us allow precious gifts to go unclaimed.
Thankfully, our Lord offers us a way to recover and reclaim gifts that have been lost.
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:8-9)
Thanks be to God for His inexpressible gift! (1 Corinthians 9:15)
