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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Ephesians 1:3
If you money were no object and you could provide your child with anything physically, spiritually or emotionally what gifts would you give them?
If money were no object and you could provide your child with anything physically, spiritually or emotionally what would you WITHHOLD from them? Would there be anything they needed to live that you would keep from them?
If money were no object and you could provide your child with anything physically, spiritually or emotionally would there be anything that your child could do that would cause you to say, “That’s enough? You are no longer my child. You’ve overstepped the boundaries. You are on your own from now on. I don’t care about you!”
We have been blessed by our Heavenly Father with every spiritual blessing available. Our blessings aren’t based on our ability to deserve them. We are unworthy of even one of those blessings. But because Jesus loves us and because of His death and resurrection we have access to everything we need to travel though life’s journey. We will encounter obstacles and tragedy. We’ll be lied to and lied about. We’ll succumb occasionally to selfishness and anger. But none of those things will keep our Father from wanting to bless us.
Sometimes life gets hard. Sometimes we get distracted. When that happens, take some time to get alone, take a walk or just sit and meditate on the things God has done for you. When we focus on God’s blessings, it’s easier to endure life’s hardships.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father. I have to confess to you that I really can’t comprehend all you have done for me. There are so many times when I’m down. So many times when I want things my own way and feel abandoned when I don’t get them. So many times when friends and those who say they love me reject me. I ask that today, I would walk through life’s journey constantly reminded that You love me and have given me every blessing through Jesus. When things go wrong remind me of all you have done to help me through in the past. Amen.
He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Matthew 28:6a
Life can take turns we don’t expect. Sometimes those turns blindside us, catching us off guard and forcing us off the main road onto some narrow and treacherous wilderness path.
Relationships fail. Friends and family we always thought we could count on abandon us or alienate us because they feel betrayed or are apathetic to our pain. Lovers we thought would always be there for us change their minds and look for a ‘better offer’. Careers once thought secure go down in smoke.
Sometimes the biggest disappointments in life come from our own failures. Try as we might, we can’t kick the addictions. We struggle with lust. We want, so we spend money we don’t have to get what we don’t need and find ourselves buried in the canyons of debt.
Like the Apostle Paul, our life battle cry seems to be, “I don’t really understand myself, for I want to do what is right, but I don’t do it. Instead, I do what I hate.” Romans 7:15 (NLT) We strive so hard to be faithful, but worry and doubt when God doesn’t do what we were hoping He’d do. We try to be Christ-like in thoughts and words and deeds until that person, our nemesis, attacks us again and we retaliate. And with each brick of failure we build a wall that imprisons us and keeps us from experiencing the fullness of life.
And then, on those days when we aren’t beating ourselves into the ground there are those who are more than willing to point out our failures. They attempt to force us into their molds. They question our faith, our sincerity, our ability…and even our sanity! And we add another brick.
That’s why I believe in Easter. Easter reminds me that all of this isn’t about me. It’s not about the church I attend. It’s not about religious dogma and tradition. It’s not about these distinctives or that doctrine. It’s not about the songs we sing, the instruments we play or the name on the sign on the church I attend. It’s not about my marital status, my bank account, my credit rating or the past mistakes I’ve made. It simply is NOT about me.
Easter, like life itself, is about Jesus. He left Heaven to live among us beggars and show us how to love each other as servants. He died to take the punishment we deserved and by so doing, to make forgiveness available to me. He rose so that someday I can go home to be with Him. I can’t wait. I love the beauty of this world but it’s nothing compared to what waits for me on the other side.
The longer I travel on life’s journey the more I realize that no one; NO ONE understands like Jesus. He has seen me through life’s darkest times. He’s been there when I’ve been abandoned and when I’ve ignored Him. He’s welcomed me back when I’ve rebelled and come back beaten and battered. He is, has been and will be a friend that will never, ever leave me. He’s proven himself to be a friend that is closer than a brother.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. My friend, my comfort and my protection. On this day, more than any other I’m reminded of how unworthy I am to be able to call You Lord. I bow before you in gratitude for all you have done in my life. For the times You’ve opened your arms to me when I’ve failed and comforted me when others have failed me. Thank you for forgiving my stubborn rebellion. Thank you for giving me second and third and forth chances. Thank you that I am your number one. Your masterpiece. That even though I feel like a failure at times You look on me with pride. Amen.
When you give it to them, they gather it up; when you open your hand, they are satisfied with good things. Psalm 104:28
Growing up I remember listening to a Pastor’s wife telling a group of us about her years growing up as a ‘Missionary Kid’. Her father was the pastor of a small struggling church and her mother worked at a nearby hospital that was run by a larger church in the area. Her parents were not missionaries to some obscure remote jungle area where they lived in complete isolation. It was a Western European country with a standard of living much like her homeland of the United States of America.
She told, with humor now, about some of the things the family received from very well meaning people in the states. Christmas presents for the kids that were obviously used and sometimes broken, clothes with holes in them and two or three sizes larger than the sizes asked for ‘so the kids could grow into them, and other similar stories. The two that stuck in my head were the box of used tea bags from a dear prayer warrior who attached a note saying she’d only used them once!
Another time a package arrived with sheets in them that were full of holes and of no value for the beds. “Mom and Dad figured that the women’s group from this particular church sent them thinking that they could be used for bandages since that is all some missionaries had for bandages in the early 20th century.” So they sent off a note thanking the women for the bandages (and promptly cut them up for rags!). Months later they received a letter from a friend in that same church telling the truth about the ‘bandages’. These were sheets that a couple of the church women had gathered to send to the family to use on their beds because “they still had some value!”
God gives us good gifts! The things He provides for us aren’t used, leftovers or discarded pieces of trash no one else wanted. He knows us. He knows what we need. As a loving Father He gives us just what we will have to have to make it through the day.
The Psalmist writes, in Psalm 102 that ‘You open your hand and they are satisfied with good things.’ That reminds me of the time in the wilderness when God provided Manna for the children of Israel. We still are not sure what manna was. What we know is that it tasted good and supplied nourishment for over a million people for forty years (along with the quail).
There was another interesting thing about the Manna. The people of Israel could go out and gather and eat as much Manna as they wanted and eat to their hearts content. But if they gathered too much it was rotten in the morning.
God’s lesson for them is the same as His lesson for us. He gives us just what we need for today. We can count on the fact that tomorrow He’ll do the same; and the day after that; and the day after that. There was no reason for the Israelites to worry about what they would eat tomorrow. When tomorrow came the manna would be there.
God gives good gifts. God gives us all we need to make it through today. There will be bumps along the way. There will be times we aren’t sure we’ll make it another day. But He has our tomorrows covered and He’ll strengthen us for the tasks of today if we trust in Him. God loves us.
PRAYER: Heavenly Father, Creator sustainer of the entire universe. I thank you today for your provision. During those times when I fear the future or don’t understand today I praise You for the fact that I can look in the rear-view mirror and see how you have provided for my every need with good things. Things I needed, not necessarily wanted. Help me to live this day resting in the promise of your good and faithful provision. Amen.
Even if my father and mother abandon me, the Lord will hold me close. Psalm 27:10 (NLT)
There lies in the heart of each of us a desire to be loved and to be wanted. That inner confidence that we know we are needed and that if we were gone, someone would miss us. The peace of knowing someone cares and that when everyone else turns their back on us, there is at least one person we can turn to for a heartfelt hug, a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear.
For many of people that’s what family is for. Family is that one foundation, that one cornerstone that throughout history has proven itself to be the most consistent, reliable and faithful place to find love, acceptance and understanding.
Friends move or find other interests. Marriages, some of which have lasted almost half a century, end in divorce and send children of any age reeling and seeking answers. Illnesses, emotional distress, financial ruin, greed all take their toll. But family is always supposed to be there for us.
In David’s Psalm of praise (Psalm 27) he recounts the many ways that God can be trusted and praised. Friends can fail us. We have adversaries that seek our demise. Brothers can turn on you and tell you how embarrassed they are to have you as a sibling. Sometimes even parents can turn their backs on you when you don’t meet up to their own lofty expectations.
But God is there. Have you ever been in a crowd of people you know and still feel lonely? Have you ever reached out for someone to talk to and found everyone too busy to really listen? Have you ever made a decision that was so repulsive that even your family excludes you from their circle?
Know this. Your Heavenly Father hears your cries in the night even when it seems your prayers don’t go past the ceiling. During those lonely times He feels the same knot in your stomach. His heart sinks when He sees how you are treated. No one. Not friends, family, your lover, no one understands like Jesus. He is your friend in the midst of the darkest hour.
PRAYER: Dear Jesus. There are times in my life when I’m so full of loneliness and despair that I’m not sure I can go on. No one seems to understand me or listen to me or care if I’m even around. There are times I confess I don’t even think you care. Help me this day to know that you love me with all the scars, with all the bruises, with all the issues that pull me down. I love you. Help me to feel your love. Amen.
Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place. Ephesians 6:14
The Roman soldiers were in constant danger and the threat of attack. This was especially so in Israel since the Jews hated the Roman occupation. The Roman soldier wore a girdle, breast-plate, shoes with iron nails, a helmet to protect his head, and carried a great shield on his left arm which was thrown in front of his body. His weapon was the sword. It was with the sword, not the spear as other nations, that the Romans conquered the world.
But holding it all together was the girdle, or belt. Without the belt, the soldier’s armor was dangerously flawed at best and completely useless at the worst.
As Christ followers we are given a belt as well. It is the belt of Truth and its purpose is to be the basis for all we do and all we are. It is Truth that guides our actions, filters our thoughts and attitudes and inspires us to press on. The Truth we function on is absolute Truth, Truth with a capital T. Truth that cannot be changed, altered or destroyed.
Here are some of the components of the Truth we as Christ-followers stand on:
- There is one God who is creator and sustainer of the Universe and who by His own design has made man and woman so that He can be in a perfect, eternal relationship with us.
- Jesus Christ is the only way to find God. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life. He died as an innocent man for those of us who could never hope to be innocent and rose from the dead so that we could have life eternal.
- Because I have asked forgiveness of my sins and have asked Jesus to take permanent residence in my life I can approach the very throne of God and address Him as my daddy.
- I know that I am a child of the living God, with special talents and abilities and personality traits that are special to me and make me His unique creation. I am His masterpiece, His Plan A, His most cherished of all possessions.
- I am forgiven, not perfect. My daddy has never expected me to be perfect. He is not surprised by my failures and rejoices in my victories. He’s been at every ball game I’ve played in, every performance I’ve been a part of and every test I’ve taken.
- He is the first one to rise and applaud for me. Whenever He sees me He gives me a standing ovation. He loves me.
- He is my constant source of support, encouragement, protection and understanding.
- Some day whether at death or at His promised return He will greet me face to face with open arms and welcome me home as a long, lost son and say “Nice Job! You were everything I hoped you would be.” Those words will not be due to my performance and ability to ‘live right’ but because of my reliance on Him.
It is on these truths that I stand. I am not perfect. I am weak and stubborn and selfish and sometimes just plain ornery. He knows that and loves me anyway. And THAT is why I love Jesus.
PRAYER: Daddy. I love you. Thank you for always being there for me. Thanks for hanging my picture on your refrigerator and keeping all those silly trophies I worked so hard to win. I know realize that the real trophy in my life is and always will be you. Forgive me for being distracted and rebellious. Help me to follow your Truth and not the fickle truth of the world. In the name of your Son Jesus I pray. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 