God Will Take Care of Us

Although times of quiet fellowship with our Father are necessary in order to increase our intimacy with Him, we do not need a quiet place in order to have companionship with Him or to hear His voice. He lives within us and He will never remove His presence from us (Hebrews 13:5; Colossians 1:27).

We have access to God's ear anytime day or night (Ephesians 3:2; Hebrews 4:16). Our human reasoning and fears are the only issues, which can prevent us from walking in God's Spirit. As we learn to respond to His still, small voice within, we will walk in His wisdom and anointing throughout our day. God transforms us into His Saints by the sanctifying work of His Spirit in our soul (1 Corinthians 6:11).

God's Word is alive (Hebrews 4:12; John 1:1). Every concept in the Bible is an illustration of the nature and character of God. The more time we spend reading the scripture, the more wisdom we acquire for living, and the more we understand God’s ways. We also realize that God does not pick superstars for His Saints, but faulty, weak and humble people who are prepared to do His will (1 Corinthians 1:18-31).

If we have an earthly necessity, God will supply it as we seek His Kingdom and wait on His perfect timing (Matthew 6:25-33). As we take our needs to Him in prayer, He brings people into our life who can supply what we require. He will also lead us to the mate of His choosing and direct us to the employment, which He pre-arranged for us (Ephesians 2:10).

Prayer:

Father God, thank You for residing within each of Your Saints. Teach us to follow Your Spirit every day (Galatians 5:16-25). Give us a hunger for Your Word, so that we can learn to trust You with our life as the Saints of old did. Their lives are an example to us of Your love, provision and discipline. Remind us to budget our income, starting with giving a tithe to You of the first fruits of our labor (Malachi 3:10). Through Christ, we continually offer the sacrifice of praise to You with heart-felt words filled with thanksgiving for all that You did and continue to do for us (Hebrews 13:15).

Thought for the Day:

Each new morning is a chance to glorify God with our life; every evening is an opportunity to thank Him for His daily provision and to cast our worries and concerns on Him, because He truly cares for us. - 1 Peter 5:7

Know That He is God

God brought Israel out of the bondage of Egypt to give them the promised Canaan Land. Even after that miraculous deliverance, the Isrealites discounted the benefits of their freedom from bondage. They missed the delicacies of Egypt. They forgot that their 40 years of wandering were the result of their disobedience to enter the land after God delivered them from Pharoah’s army.

Even after that disobedient generation died, the next generation also despised God’s provision for them. Our Father God wants to provide a blessed life for us, as we follow His will during each of our days. We may not have the delicacies of this world, but we will have more than we need. God desires for our focus to change from self-reliance to reliance on Him for everything.

The more we take our eyes off our self and focus them clearly on the Lord, the more peace we experience in our life. We have no idea what God is capable of doing and providing for us until we put our total trust in Him. He is faithful and worthy of our faith in Him. He often provides our needs before we even ask Him. He cares about every area of our life.

Sometimes, we demand blessings from God. We attempt to hold Him over a barrel, as if we have something to bargain with that God actually wants. God does not want us to grasp at the gifts He is waiting to supply. He wants us to sit still and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10). He wants us to wait with open arms to receive all that He has for us. He has a blessed life just waiting for us to receive.

Prayer:

Father God, our unbelief keeps us from entering Your promised land, just like it did the Israelites. Help us to relinquish the secret sins, which we think we cannot live without. We want to devote more time to seeking You than we do to pursuing an income, a family, our hobbies and our earthly priorities. Remind us to obey by faith instead of trusting only in what we can see with our natural senses. You will supply all of our needs, according to Your glorious riches, if we simply trust in You (Philippians 4:19).

Thought for the Day:

God gave His own life to ransom us from sin; yet, we defile His gift with our disobedience and rebellion.

Used Teabags

Read: Nehemiah 10:35-39

“And we made ordinances to bring the first fruits … to the house of the LORD;”

My girlfriend grew up with her missionary parents in Brazil. She dwelt most of the year safely ensconced in boarding school. But summers brought carefree days in the remote, native village where her parents toiled to share the Gospel of Christ. Supporters often sent them gift boxes from the USA, and the missionary family eagerly anticipated the arrival of these coveted items. Sugar, coffee, American ethnic goodies, candy for the children, popcorn and staples and other treats often peered at them from the brimming gift boxes.

The family always put the unopened box on the coffee table in the center of the room. They made a ceremony out of opening the container, giving thanks to God before they ever removed the tape, which sealed the box. The children knelt around the table, leaning up in order to view the desirable objects at the soonest possible second. Their parents, grown up - but still children within, held the same enthusiastic expectancy. The whole family always smiled with delight as they examined the carefully chosen gifts from their loyal supporters.

One day, however, instead of the fulfillment of their joy, disappointment resulted when they opened the box. Inside was a large, heavy glass jar, full to the brim with USED tea bags. The donors inscribed and enclosed a note, which explained their gift, obviously proud of their sacrifice. “Since several cups of tea come from one bag, we just used these bags once and then dried them out, saving them in this jar until it was full. We impatiently predicted sharing each of these bags with our beloved missionary family. Enjoy the second use from them and pray for us each time you use one.”

Since my missionary friend shared this story, I often wondered about the mentality behind such a crass and selfish gesture. Why didn’t they purchase them a box of new bags instead? The money saved in postage alone could have sent the missionaries a dozen boxes of new tea bags. Then, I realized that Christians all over the world exhibit this same attitude. They take the first fruits of their earnings and the blessings God provides for them, and they consume it upon their own lusts. Then they give God their used leftovers or simply put a tip in the offering basket as it comes by their seat in the pew.

How many of us are also guilty of giving God our used teabags, trying to pass them off as our reasonable service? Do we give Him the leftovers of our time, our talents and our money; using them first for our own benefit and glory, and then giving Him our scraps? God gives us a mandate to give ten percent of our first fruits to Him. The Word of God declares that giving anything less than ten percent is actually robbing from God. Do we really want to steal from the omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent Ruler of the Universe?

I vowed on that day to give God the first fruits of all of my increase, including my gross salary and also all of the financial gifts that others share with us for birthdays and other celebrations. I also determined to give sacrificially, above and beyond the tithe, when the need arises.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, do not allow me to be satisfied in selfishly giving You my leftovers. Help me to put You first in my life. Multiply to me the fruit of my labors, so that I have even more to give to You and Your Saints.

Thought for the Day:

On which would you rather be blessed by God, on your net income or on your gross?