Provision part 1
Growing up, we didn't have a lot of money. But I'm not sure I really understood that in the moment. Because, as far as I knew, we always had what we needed. Which doesn't mean I got everything I wanted all the time. Exactly the opposite. If I wanted something, I had to work for it and earn it. Which, I believe, has served me well as I've gotten older. But while that is how the world works in the natural... it's even better in the Spiritual. Because in the Spiritual, well, not only will "...my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus," (Philippians 4:19) but, "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think" (Ephesians 3:20 NLT). More than we could even think! All of our needs... covered. And infinitely more than that! That's incredible to me. Amazing. And here's why: "When you pray, don't babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!" (Matthew 6:7-8 NLT). Think about it. Before God created cows He created grass. He knew the cow would need to eat, so He made the provision before it was even required. God doesn't make us work for anything, Spiritually speaking, is my point. He lavishes His gifts upon us. Blesses us beyond measure... so that we can be a blessing. That's key. Because you don't experience what you have by getting it. You experience it by giving it away. Love is giving. It is never about getting. If you're trying to get something, you're missing out on (and robbing yourself of) what you've already been given. What you already have. And, listen, I know a lot of the time we think we don't deserve good things in our lives. We look at our mistakes and our bad decisions and our screw ups and we think those things disqualify us from "deserving" good things. Guys. Deserve has nothing to do with it. If you're judging yourself--and others--by actions, you're messing up. Look at John 7:24, "Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment." Or, in the NLT, "Look beneath the surface so you can judge correctly." What's real is what's deep down inside. And sometimes it's hard for that to get out, BECAUSE of all the surface stuff. It's easy to get buried under that surface stuff. The world will pile it up on us. But there's a still, small voice deep inside that tells us the ultimate truth of the universe with every beat of God's heart in our chest. The ultimate truth of the universe that is "God is love and He loves you." The ultimate truth of the universe that is God saying, "I love you, I love you, I love you and nothing can ever make me stop loving you!" When we listen to THAT voice... when we look beneath the surface and see what's really going on... that's when we can stop judging each other and just love each other. That's when we can trust in the Lord and the power of HIS might. That's when we can be still and know that HE is God. Let me close today's Rant with Psalm 132:15, "I will abundantly bless her provision: I will satisfy her poor with bread." I want to make it clear: Provision is about needs. Not wants. But as we go through this we will see that our heavenly Father takes care of what we need first and foremost. But He's not against giving us what we want. When our priorities are straight, we will understand that we have no lack because our God has no lack. That we, in fact, have abundance, and can live out of that abundance!