Author: admin

We have a tendency to focus on what we do not have rather than on what is at our fingertips. God had miraculously supplied the Israelites with sufficient food to live in the desert, yet they complained and longed for what had not been granted to them. No amount of divine provision could satisfy a people bent on craving what it did not have.

Unfortunately we often do not appreciate what God has given to us, until it is gone. That is why it is wise to daily thank Him for his gracious provision. Thanking God before every meal ought not to become a ritual, but an ongoing heartfelt response to God’s kindness to us. When we occupy ourselves with thanking God, we are less likely to be looking about for what we do not have.

It is an affront to almighty God to treat His provision carelessly or ungratefully. God will only tolerate such insolence for so long. Is there something in your life you have been taking for granted? Have you neglected to thank God for something He has been graciously providing for you?

It is an offense against holy God to choose not to trust Him. Ultimately there will be consequences for not believing Him.

We live in a society and an age when people have largely chosen not to place their trust in God. They have heard the Gospel. They know what God says. But they have refused to believe it. Instead, they have pursued their pleasures and trusted in themselves or in others in order to have their needs met. Some have brazenly mocked the claims of God and openly despised His word.

History is clear that God will only be patient so long with those who reject Him. Inevitably He will allow such people to reap what they have sown. Those who reject His salvation will eventually perish, even as they futilely grasp at their idols. A time eventually comes when God exposes us, and our pitiful beliefs, for what they are. If His loving provision and forbearance will not bring us to faith, then He will judge us and cause us to bear the full weight of our foolish choices. A day is coming when each person will experience the full consequences for having refused to trust in God.

When is God’s provision enough for you? At what point are you convinced that He loves you and you can trust Him?

No people in history enjoyed the provision of God like the Israelites did. Yet it was never enough. They always wanted more. They remained fundamentally unconvinced. God provided water, bursting out of a parched rock. He parted the sea and led His people to safety on dry land. He guided them by day and by night, right to their destination. Yet God’s people were continually clamoring for more, as if God had never done anything for them in the past.

Are you a whiner? Do you remain perennially dissatisfied or unconvinced after all God has done for you? What would God have to do on your behalf before you finally came to the point where you fully trusted Him? Could it be (and it is!) that God has already more than adequately demonstrated His trustworthiness to you? It is time to put aside any lingering doubts and to fully trust in the Lord who loves you and is faithfully guiding you to accomplish His purposes.

It is possible to test God, by the requests we make of Him. We can become so fixated on our desires that we ignore God’s provision. We may become so concerned at what we do not have, that we overlook the abundance that is in our hands already.

It is an affront to almighty God to treat His provision as if it were nothing while asking for those things He chose not to give us. Our requests of God reflect our trust in Him. Do we truly believe He loves us? Do we have faith that He will not abandon or forget us? Do we believe God will never respond to us apart from perfect love? If we do, then we will not hound Him with our petty, selfish requests. We will instead, humbly accept His provision and celebrate His goodness to us.

Yet there are those who, even as God is providing them their daily bread, are simultaneously crying out for cakes and pastries. Is God’s provision for you enough, or do you desire more?

How tragic to fall just short of a spiritual victory. God designed us to be a victorious people. He provides every resource necessary to achieve success and to glorify Him. Yet all the provision of heaven will be inadequate if we will not trust Him.

The truth is that there are many believers who turn back just at the point where they could have experienced a resounding triumph. God had fully armed and equipped them. Victory was assured. But then they took their eyes off of their Lord. They forgot the innumerable times in the past when God made them victorious. They focused on the enemy rather than their Commander. They grew more concerned about the problems than they were excited about the possibilities.

Only heaven knows how many victories have been lost, not because they were impossible, but because God’s people turned back just before they could have been grasped.

Society is always just one generation away from being reduced to paganism. Each generation must carefully pass on its faith to those who follow. It matters not how amazing our walk with God may have been if we fail to pass on that faith to our children.

The Israelites had experienced the amazing deliverance from God as well as His daily provision. Yet they had not set their hearts to respond properly to God. Despite the innumerable blessings God showered upon them, they continued to doubt God’s word and to rebel against His leading.

The truth is that all the miracles and answers to prayer in the world will not strengthen our faith if our heart is not open and sensitive to God. If any people in history should have had a vibrant, unshakeable faith in God it was the nation of Israel. Yet, no quantity of miracles could assure a people whose hearts were not committed to God.

What does the generation below you witness as they watch your walk with God?

God expects us to raise our children so they place their hope in Him. However, people do not hope in those they do not trust. And trust is based on past performance. When someone repeatedly proves himself to be trustworthy, we learn by experience that they are reliable.

The reason we repeatedly remind our children and those around us of God’s actions in our life is because people must see how absolutely dependable God is in every circumstance. The reason many young people today are turning away from God and the church is because they have never seen how faithful and practical God is. These young people may witness their parents attending church but they never see how God makes a practical difference in their lives.

It isn’t that God is untrustworthy, but that we often fail to bear witness to His faithfulness. It is our divinely appointed responsibility to glorify God by telling others of what He has done. Do not let today go by without telling someone of God’s goodness to you!

The primary source of spiritual growth and learning for the next generation is not the school, the local youth programs, or even the church. It is our homes. God expects parents and grandparents to pass on to the next generation the teaching, instruction, and reverence for the Lord.

Too often we inadvertently hide God’s activity from our children. God answers our prayers for provision and, though we are delighted, we fail to sit down with our offspring and explain to them what God just did. Or the Holy Spirit guides us to make an important decision. However, though our children may witness the results of God’s guidance, they are not shown the way God directed us. Or God blesses us. While our children experience the benefits of divine blessing, they have no idea why and how God caused His face to shine upon us.

If the generation that follows us is to walk with God as we have, then they must be taught how to walk with God, as we have. That means regularly talking about God’s activity with them. It entails that we are careful not to hide God’s activity from others. How clearly and compellingly are you sharing with those around you what God has done in your life?

In the pages of Revelation, we see Jesus as the risen and glorious Christ. He has left behind His broken and wounded earthly body, and He sits on His heavenly throne clothed in splendor. We also see that this triumphant and sovereign Ruler still has a tender heart of compassion for His people.

Yes, Jesus is Almighty God, Creator, and Redeemer–and He is also kind, merciful, gentle, and sympathetic to the hurts of His people. His eternal care and comfort await His followers, our pain and suffering will be cast away forever, and God will wipe away our tears. What a humbling and tender picture of intimacy and affection! It’s amazing to be loved like that by the Holy One.

As we imagine one day looking into our Good Shepherd’s eyes, how can we not be moved to express our gratitude?

“We give You thanks, O Lord Almighty, the One who is and who was and who is to come, because you have taken Your great power and reigned” (11:17).

As Creator of all things, the eternal God exists outside of time.  He sees from the very beginning all the way through to the end.  He knows every detail of every event.  He perceives every thought and intention of the heart.  Nothing is outside His awareness.

What a sharp contrast to our limited human perspective!  We see what we see–and we guess at what’s going on in a person’s heart.  If there’s bad blood with a person, we probably read the worst into her actions and words.  If we have a good relationship, we may read the best into what he says and does.  The point is, we don’t know people’s hearts.  (Perhaps that limited view is why someone commented that we’ll probably be surprised by some of the people we see in heaven–and by some of the folks we don’t.)

Only God knows our human hearts.  None of us deserves grace, but our gracious Lord will nevertheless grant mercy and compassion to many.  He acts in the world according to His intimate knowledge of each one of us.  He is God. . .and we are not!