Skip to content
logo horizontal
logo tree only
logo tree only
  • about
      • About us
        • Vision Generic_YEG Feature art
      • Times & Directions
        • Watch us online 2023 169hd web
      • Staff & Leadership
        • Team Web Rotator
      • Worship
        • Worship-arts-169HD-sm2
      • Membership
        • Fall 2025 Class NO QR
      • Baptism
        • Interested in Baptism 169HD
      • Communion
        • Communion 169HD
      • Baby Dedication
        • Baby dedication2 169HD
      • New Believers
        • Care,Of,New,Life,-,Watering,Young,Plant,-,Vintage
      • Meet With A Pastor
        • Living,Room,With,Two,Yellow,Armchair,mockup,Concrete,Wall.3d,Rendering
      • Sermon Series
        • Detoxicity 169hd
        • Up Next:
  • ministries
      • Family
        • Happy,Family,In,The,Park,Evening,Light.,The,Lights,Of
      • Kids
        • MBC KIDS Postcard 169HD
      • Teens
        • admin-ajax-rgb
        • Fresh wave Podcast Logo Full
      • Adults
        • small groups 2017 HD16
        • Adult-Sunday-School 2018 169HD
        • Womens min winter 2024
        • Mens Ministries 2018 169HD
        • Young Adult 2020 16.9HD generic no dates
        • Master_senior 3rd_Fri_ lunch slide 16.9HD
        • Men,Supporting,Men,,Introduction,To,A,Men’s,Therapy,Group
      • Missions
        • Missions Logo new page2 169HD
        • Senegal Missions banner 169HD 2021
        • 1st Choice 169HD
        • City Relief 16.9
        • market Street Mission 169HD
        • Feedng Hands
      • Care
        • Care team 2015 169hd
      • Internships
        • Internships
      • Underground Sessions
        • Underground Sess. Signage
      • Stephen Ministry
        • Stephen Ministry 2017 169HD
      • Little Footprints Learning Center
        • LFLC Postcard 2017 V2
  • media
      • Sunday Worship Playlist & Sermon Outline
        • Worship arts logo copy
      • Digital Ministry
        • Podcasts Feature GRaphic2
        • Move to YT Livestream MBC UNHINDERED noDate-169 copy
      • Pastor’s Table Blog
        • RTR PTB
      • Behind the Pulpit
        • Behind the Pulpit weekly YouTube 169 V2 Rach. no text
      • Fresh Wave
        • Fresh wave Podcast Logo Full
      • Wednesdays in the Word
        • Weds in the Word v1
      • Sermon Archive
        • Sermon Archive Banner
      • Right Now Media
        • church_slide_1
      • Merch Store
        • MBC Merch store 169 reg copy
  • events
  • prayer
      • Praise & Prayer Weekly Update
        • Prayer Web 169hd
      • Men and Women’s Prayer Room
        • ladies and mens prayer graphic copy
  • give
      • Year-End Giving for 2025
        • 2025 Giving
      • MBC Giving
        • MBC Giving Slides_template 10 digit 2021b
      • Serving
        • Ministry Page feature graphic 169
  • connect
      • Getting Connected
        • Newsletter,Email,Icon,Isolated,On,Special,Blue,Banner,Background,Abstract
      • The Bridge
        • Bridge Sep 28 2025 V2
      • Shared Interest Groups
        • Shared Interest Groups 169
      • Share your Gifts
        • Serving page alt With Webpage URL 169
      • Finance Team
        • Finance Team 169
      • Safety & Security Team
        • Safety&Security 16×9 V1
      • Buildings & Grounds Team
        • Buildings & Grounds Team 16×9 V3
      • Hospitality Team
        • Hospitality Team 16×9 FINAL
  • log in
PrevPrevious EntryHow Do I Choose Joy?
Next EntryHow can I be joyful no matter what?Next

BACK TO THE PASTOR’S TABLE

People are Gifts from the Lord

Listen to this article

How do you see the people in your life? Do you see them as annoying? Or as irritating? Or as burdensome? Friends, the people in your life are gifts from God, do you see them that way? If not, then you are robbing yourself and you are missing out on a great source of joy in your life. Because people are gifts.

Henry Nouwen says it this way, “Friendship is such a holy gift, but we give it so little attention.”

Notice that word “gift.” You know, Christmas morning at our house with kids is sometimes a little chaotic, there’s all these gifts and we try to get them to open them one at a time, but somewhere in the middle, we lose control. And it is fun. But because of that, sometimes a couple of days after Christmas we find out that we forgot something. We’ll find a present that was kind of hidden under the tree that was unopened on Christmas morning. Somehow it just got lost in the wrappings or the shuffle somewhere, and it wasn’t noticed until we were cleaning up.

Friends, sometimes the people in our lives are like that, amidst all of the other things we are focusing our attention on, we forget about them. They are like unopened gifts. But very valuable gifts at that! What I mean is, what could be more valuable than the people that God has placed around you? What I’m saying is this, take time to appreciate them, to see the best in them, to be patient with their progress, to love them from the heart, and to pray for them. Because they are a gifts and from the Lord. Paul knew that,  and Jesus knew that too, and if you know that, it will bring you joy.

The ultimate example of this for all of us, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ. He found great joy in people. In fact, there’s a verse in Hebrews that says Jesus endured the cross for the “joy” set before him. (Heb 12:1-3) And what was that joy? The joy that was set before him was you. Your salvation, a restored relationship with you. The grace of the gospel that would bring us back in fellowship with him. Because of that joy, he endured much pain. And friends, when you see Jesus making you his joy, then you can make him your joy.

Picture of Dave Hentschel

Dave Hentschel

David Hentschel serves as Lead Pastor: Preaching, Spiritual Formation and Care at Millington Baptist Church in Basking Ridge, NJ. He is a graduate of Philadelphia Biblical University and Dallas Theological Seminary. He and his wife Juli enjoy three children.
PrevPrevious EntryHow Do I Choose Joy?
Next EntryHow can I be joyful no matter what?Next

BACK TO THE PASTOR’S TABLE

Like what you see? Sign up to receive notifications from The Pastor's Table!
Loading
Like what you see? Sign up to receive notifications from The Pastor's Table!
Loading

Recent Entries

Loading...

God With Us: The Near and Far Fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14

September 29, 2025
/
Dave Hentschel
“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) Isaiah 7:14 is one of the most famous prophecies in all of Scripture, quoted directly in Matthew’s Gospel as fulfilled in the birth of...
Read More

The God of Dangerous Beauty

September 24, 2025
/
Bob Erbig
Dangerous Beauty: Encountering God’s Holiness Isaiah 6 is one of those passages many of us know well. We’ve heard it in sermons, sung parts of it in worship songs, and maybe even memorized a few verses. But let me challenge you—don’t let the familiarity dull your sense of awe. This...
Read More

The Invitation of Grace

September 16, 2025
/
Dave Hentschel
A devotional on Isaiah 1:18 "Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool." (Isa 1:18, ESV) Isaiah 1 opens with a strong rebuke—God’s people have...
Read More

The View from the Mountaintop: Introduction to the book of Isaiah

September 8, 2025
/
Dave Hentschel
The View from the Mountaintop (Introduction to the book of Isaiah) Climbing a mountain takes effort, but it also gives you a breathtaking view. That’s what the prophet Isaiah offers us: a higher perspective on God, ourselves, and the world. When we open his book, we’re not just reading ancient...
Read More

Fight The Good Fight (1 Timothy 6:11-16)

July 14, 2025
/
Bob Erbig
The Spiritual Battle for a Healthy Church This was an important series for our church as we approach our 175th Anniversary next year. For a church to last 175 years, the principals in 1 Timothy must be present. We’ve learned how to combat false teaching, how to make the Gospel...
Read More

Why We’re Baptists: Convictions That Shape Our Church

July 7, 2025
/
Dave Hentschel
Sermon Summary July 6, 2025 In the early 1500s, a German farmer named Fritz Erbe was imprisoned in a dungeon for refusing to baptize his infant son. He believed baptism should follow personal faith, and for that conviction, he spent 16 years in isolation—never once wavering. His courage reminds us...
Read More
1 2 … 31 Next »

God With Us: The Near and Far Fulfillment of Isaiah 7:14

“Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14) Isaiah 7:14 is one of the most famous prophecies in all of Scripture, quoted directly in Matthew’s Gospel as fulfilled in the birth of Christ. But like many Old

Read More
Dave Hentschel September 29, 2025

The God of Dangerous Beauty

Dangerous Beauty: Encountering God’s Holiness Isaiah 6 is one of those passages many of us know well. We’ve heard it in sermons, sung parts of it in worship songs, and maybe even memorized a few verses. But let me challenge you—don’t let the familiarity dull your sense of awe. This chapter is meant to shake

Read More
Bob Erbig September 24, 2025

The Invitation of Grace

A devotional on Isaiah 1:18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.” (Isa 1:18, ESV) Isaiah 1 opens with a strong rebuke—God’s people have turned away, they have neglected

Read More
Dave Hentschel September 16, 2025
Page1 Page2 Page3 Page4 Page5
  • www.millingtonbaptist.org
  • mbc@millingtonbaptist.org
  • /millingtonchurch
  • /MBCNewJersey
  • www.millingtonbaptist.org
  • mbc@millingtonbaptist.org
  • facebook.com/millingtonchurch
  • twitter.com/MBCNewJersey
  • 520 King George Road | Basking Ridge, NJ 07920 | 908-647-0594
  • about
    • Back
    • About us
      • Back
      • Back
    • Times & Directions
      • Back
      • Back
    • Staff & Leadership
      • Back
      • Back
    • Worship
      • Back
      • Back
    • Membership
      • Back
      • Back
    • Baptism
      • Back
      • Back
    • Communion
      • Back
      • Communion
      • Back
    • Baby Dedication
      • Back
      • Baby Dedications
      • Back
    • New Believers
      • Back
      • New Believers
      • Back
    • Meet With A Pastor
      • Back
      • Meet With A Pastor
      • Back
    • Sermon Series
      • Back
      • Back
    • Back
  • ministries
    • Back
    • Family
      • Back
      • Family Ministries
      • Back
    • Kids
      • Back
      • MBC Kids
      • Back
    • Teens
      • Back
      • Teens
      • The Fresh Wave Podcast
      • Back
    • Adults
      • Back
      • Small Groups
      • Adult Education
      • Women
      • Men
      • Young Adults
      • Senior Luncheon
      • Radical Mentoring
      • Back
    • Missions
      • Back
      • MBC Missions
      • Senegal
      • First Choice
      • City Relief
      • Market Street Mission
      • Feeding Hands
      • Back
    • Care
      • Back
      • Back
    • Internships
      • Back
      • Internships
      • Back
    • Underground Sessions
      • Back
      • Underground Sessions
      • Back
    • Stephen Ministry
      • Back
      • Back
    • Little Footprints Learning Center
      • Back
      • Back
    • Back
  • media
    • Back
    • Sunday Worship Playlist & Sermon Outline
      • Back
      • Sunday Worship Playlist & Sermon Outline
      • Back
    • Digital Ministry
      • Back
      • Digital Ministry
      • Livestream
      • Back
    • Pastor’s Table Blog
      • Back
      • Pastor’s Table Blog
      • Back
    • Behind the Pulpit
      • Back
      • Updates & Connection Opportunities
      • Back
    • Fresh Wave
      • Back
      • The Fresh Wave Podcast
      • Back
    • Wednesdays in the Word
      • Back
      • Wednesdays in the Word
      • Back
    • Sermon Archive
      • Back
      • Sermon Archive
      • Back
    • Right Now Media
      • Back
      • Right Now Media
      • Back
    • Merch Store
      • Back
      • Merch Store
      • Back
    • Back
  • events
  • prayer
    • Back
    • Praise & Prayer Weekly Update
      • Back
      • Praise & Prayer Weekly Update
      • Back
    • Men and Women’s Prayer Room
      • Back
      • Men and Women’s Prayer Room
      • Back
    • Back
  • give
    • Back
    • Year-End Giving for 2025
      • Back
      • Year-End Giving for 2025
      • Back
    • MBC Giving
      • Back
      • give
      • Back
    • Serving
      • Back
      • Share your Gifts
      • Back
    • Back
  • connect
    • Back
    • Getting Connected
      • Back
      • getting connected
      • Back
    • The Bridge
      • Back
      • The Bridge – September 28th, 2025
      • Back
    • Shared Interest Groups
      • Back
      • Shared Interest Groups
      • Back
    • Share your Gifts
      • Back
      • Share your Gifts
      • Back
    • Finance Team
      • Back
      • MBC Finance Team
      • Back
    • Safety & Security Team
      • Back
      • MBC Safety & Security Team
      • Back
    • Buildings & Grounds Team
      • Back
      • MBC Buildings & Grounds Team
      • Back
    • Hospitality Team
      • Back
      • MBC Hospitality Team
      • Back
    • Back
  • log in