Tag: God Loves You

Good Gifts

Matthew 7:11 “So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.”

My son is struggling with English this semester. English has always been a challenge for him but this semester they are reading Shakespeare’s Macbeth and a book called Brave New World.  Neither story is an “easy read”. So, in order to help my son get through this class and graduate on time, I have decided to read Brave New World myself, learn what he is being taught in class, then reteach it to him in a language he will understand. Timing and circumstances make this the best solution for us right now. Now some of you are probably saying, “UGH! Not me. I don’t think I could do that.” But when you love your child and want the best for them, you may sometimes sacrifice your wants and needs in order to help them.

This got me thinking. If I, a sinful human, am willing to do this for my son, how much more does God want to do good things for me. In Matthew 7:9-11, during his sermon on the Mount, Jesus instructs us to be persistent in our pursuit of God by continuing to ask, seek and knock on the door. God loves us so much that he gave his only son to die for us, so of course he will give you good gifts when you seek to understand his will for you, just like I want to give this good gift to my son.

Please note, Jesus said ‘good gifts’, not ‘everything your heart desires’. If a child asked their parent for a poisonous snake, of course they would not give it to the child because the parent knows that a poisonous snake is not a good gift. In the same way, God does not give you everything you ask for because even though you want it, it may not be a good gift for you.

So, how can you know what a good gift is? As you learn more about Jesus by hearing and reading the Word, your heart, mind and soul will be transformed by the Holy Spirit. Then you can be confident that your prayers are in line with God’s good and perfect will for you.

Dear God, thank you for loving me so much that you sent Jesus to die for me and the Holy Spirit to guide me. Please help me to seek you so that I may know your will for my life. Amen.

The Wise and the Fools

Proverbs 13:20 “Walk with the wise and become wise; associate with fools and get in trouble.”

I am raising my three teenage sons and on any given weekend there are at least 3-4 other teenage boys at my home. Let me tell you, some of the conversations I hear are crazy. These guys will talk about anything and everything around me because I have worked hard to let them know that my home is a safe place for everyone.

I have a huge burden on my heart to witness to these young men since God has placed them in my path. They all come from good families and have wonderful parents but “crowd mentality” is a real thing and sometimes they can get off on a wrong path and open the door to trouble. I do not preach to them, but I do redirect the conversation and encourage them to see the situation from a different point of view, God’s point of view. It is so important to help your children, your family and even your friends to identify when someone is being wise and when someone is being a fool because if you “walk with the wise” you will become wiser but if you “associate with fools” you can get into trouble.

The character and behavior of the people you allow into your life are also important. Proverbs 22:24-25 says, “Don’t befriend angry people or associate with hot-tempered people, or you will learn to be like them and endanger your soul.” I am not saying you should not witness to people like this, but it is a slippery slope to think you will be able to change someone to be different than who they are when you first meet them.  You see, YOU cannot change them, only GOD can. You can be the wise person, doing the right things and following in the footsteps of Jesus. Others will see who you are and notice there is something different about you and your home.  It will draw them in, and they will want to know what makes you different. Then a natural conversation about Jesus can come up and the Holy Spirit will do the rest.

Dear God, thank you for providing us with the best example of what it is to be wise through your son, Jesus. And thank you for sending the Holy Spirit to take over where I fall short. You have the best plans for everyone. Please help me to open my eyes to see what you are doing. Amen.

Provisions

Philippians 4:19 And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in Glory in Christ Jesus.

Provisions. The Lord provides in a time of need. This past week was exceedingly difficult. Even more difficult for me than the pandemic has been. You see I live in Texas and we had the worst winter storm I have ever seen in my lifetime last week. Most everyone in my neighborhood either lost power or had rolling blackouts for days. We either lost water due to pipes bursting or had to boil our water due to possible contamination. The temperatures were below freezing for days and even got down to zero degrees. The roads were icy, the stores were closed due to blackouts or wiped clean of all fresh food. The internet was down when the power was off and cell phone service was sketchy. We were just not prepared for that kind of weather for that long in Texas.

But the Lord provides. Our neighborhood Facebook page became a communication tool for people offering hot food or a place to warm up. Neighbors were offering neighbors free firewood or a place to charge their phone. If someone found bottled water or a gas station open, they would send out a message so others would know where to go. Then churches in the area started offering free hot meals and bottled water through drive thru lines. This reminds me of what Jesus said in Matthew 6:26. He said, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?”

We can trust that God will meet our needs even if all our wants are not satisfied. Because let’s be honest, most people want to feel good and avoid discomfort or pain. I know I do. But that may not be what you need. You might need to go through the discomfort or pain to come out on the other side a person that is ready to share their testimony with others. In that case, the Lord may provide you courage to face the problems at hand. Do you have a story that you can share about how God showed up for you this week?

Heavenly Father, thank you for being with me this week when I was scared, alone and didn’t know what to do. Thank you for providing me peace and assurance that no matter what you would provide for my needs. Amen.