“If you . . . know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!"
Matthew 7:11 (NIV) God made everything. Everything you see and everything you can’t see. Everything on Earth and in the universe beyond. God is the source of every good thing. And you can depend on him. As you depend on God to be your source for everything, remember four truths. Every good thing is a gift from God. You didn’t earn anything. It’s all a gift of God’s grace. If God didn’t want to give it, you wouldn’t have it. The Bible says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17 NIV). That’s why the third phrase of the Lord’s Prayer starts with the word “give”--“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 ESV). Why? Because you can’t earn the things God gives you—they’re gifts from him. There’s nothing you need that God can’t provide. You don’t know what you’ll need tomorrow or the rest of this year. But whatever it is, God has the power to supply it. The Bible says in Philippians 4:19: “My God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (NET). “Glorious riches” means God is lavish with what he provides. He has unlimited resources. God wants to give you everything you need. Matthew 7:11 says, “If you . . . know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (NIV) It makes God happy to meet your every need. God is waiting on you. If you have needs in your life that aren’t being met, it may be that God is waiting on you to ask! The problem isn’t that God doesn’t want to meet your need; the problem could be that you haven’t asked him to. James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (NIV). What or who have you been counting on to meet your needs? If it’s anything other than God, turn that around today. Trust God to be your source for everything.
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“I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.”
Acts 20:32 (NIV) Are you a follower of Jesus? Do you read the Bible? If both those things are true for you, then you have an inheritance coming. The Bible says in Acts 20:32, “I commit you to God and to the word of his grace, which can build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (NIV). An inheritance is something that’s rightfully yours, just for being part of a family. But, to enjoy the benefits of that inheritance, you have to claim it. Imagine your parents were billionaires. You’d be foolish if you never took the time to read their will after they died. You wouldn’t get what was rightfully due to you. You wouldn’t benefit from what belongs to you as their child. When you become a follower of Jesus, you’re not just a believer—you’re a belonger. You become part of God’s family. And all the family privileges come along with that—including a spiritual inheritance. But it’s still possible for you to walk through your entire life and not know what benefits are available to you as a child of God. To choose to live that way is sad—and foolish. God wants you to know what’s available to you from him. He wants you to receive your spiritual inheritance. And, to do that, you need to read the Bible. The Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (NIV). The Bible helps you live out God’s purpose for your life. It thoroughly equips you for what God has made you to do. That’s your spiritual inheritance. Here are four things God does through Scripture to pass on that spiritual inheritance:
As God teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains you, you will become equipped for the life God has planned for you. You will be able to claim and enjoy your spiritual inheritance! “There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us.”
1 Timothy 2:5 (CEV) Christmas is all about Good News. But it’s not the good news of special gifts. It’s not the good news of a big meal. It’s not the good news of festive music and beautiful lights. Christmas, and every day, is about the Good News of God’s love. The Bible says every person desperately needs God’s love. In fact, you’re lost without it. You’re directionless, without protection, and without real joy. Your potential eternal impact upon the world is unrealized. Your eternity in heaven isn’t secure. The Good News is that God sent Jesus to seek and save the lost. The Bible says, “There is only one God, and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human, and he gave himself to rescue all of us” (1 Timothy 2:5 CEV). If you’ve ever spent time in church, you’ve likely heard the word “salvation” many times. But you may not know what it means. The word is like a diamond; you can look at it from many different angles and still discover new facets. Salvation means:
As you look around this Christmas, you’ll see plenty of good in the Christmas season. But remember that best of all is the Good News of God’s love. Through Jesus, you can experience rescue, recovery, and reconnection with God. “Follow all the directions the LORD your God has given you. Life will go well for you.”
Deuteronomy 5:33 (GW) Have you ever thought about the link between faith and obedience? When you trust someone, you do what they say. If you don’t do what someone tells you to do, it means you don’t trust them. In the Bible, God links faith and obedience over and over again. The promises of God are conditioned on your following the directions he gives you. Deuteronomy 5:33 says, “Follow all the directions the Lord your God has given you. Life will go well for you” (GW). God has made some incredible, specific promises in his Word about obedience. In fact, there are so many promises that I can’t list them all here. But here are a few: “God blesses those who obey him” (Proverbs 16:20 TLB). “He saves those who obey him” (Psalm 7:10 GNT). “The Lord watches over those who obey him” (Psalm 33:18 GNT). “The Lord takes care of those who obey him” (Psalm 37:18 GNT). “God gives us what we ask for because we obey God’s commands” (1 John 3:22 NCV). “Always obey the Lord and you will be happy” (Proverbs 28:14 GNT). “Keep God’s laws and you will live longer” (Proverbs 19:16 GNT). “Those who obey him have all they need . . . Those who obey the Lord lack nothing good” (Psalm 34:9-10 GNT). That’s an incredible list of promises. If you follow God’s directions, you’ll be blessed, saved, watched over, taken care of, given what you ask for, and happy; you’ll live longer and lack nothing good. Obedience is the premise behind all of the promises. God gives you his promises by grace. But you get to enjoy his promises when you follow his instructions. Sometimes you understand God’s instructions. But sometimes you don’t. And you need to obey whether or not you understand. Some of God’s commands might sound confusing. Some may seem unfair. For example, the Bible says to take the first 10 percent of your income and give it back to him. It says that when people do evil to you, you are to do good back to them. These things don’t always make sense from a human standpoint. But the things that don’t make sense to us are the things God asks us to do by faith. He wants us to trust him and obey anyway. Do you want you to enjoy all of God’s promises? Obedience is the key that unlocks them. Choose to follow his directions today in faith. He promises to reward you for your obedience. |
AuthorTaken from Daily Hope by Rick Warren. Categories
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