My mom has started sending out what she calls "God Thoughts" via e-mail. Whenever she gets inspired, she writes it down and sends it off to whomever she feels would be blessed by the message. I would like to share her God Thought from today, as it inspired me a great deal. Take some time to think and pray about the words of the Lord here as you delve into this new year.
God bless - I love you all!
What Did You Get for Christmas?
Do you find yourself on December 26th taking inventory of your Christmas gifts: delighting in what you got, yet lamenting what you didn’t get?
When I was a little girl, all I ever wanted for Christmas was the board game “Mouse Trap.” But for some reason my parents never bought it for me. Years later my husband bought it for me as a joke! We sat down & played it with our children, and concluded the game was pretty dumb! I realized that it was really not the game I desired – I wanted what I couldn’t have. Once I had it, I could see why my parents wisely chose not to waste their money on it!
When Moses led the people out of Egypt into the desert, God met their every need, but they complained about everything, most notably their food. God provided them with manna to eat every day. Numbers 11 tells us that it tasted like “cakes baked with oil” (vs. 8) It was probably pretty bland, and the people got tired of eating it day in and day out.
"If only we had meat to eat! We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic!” they lamented (v 5). They longed for flavor, but overlooked God’s gracious provision.
Eventually, God gave them what they wanted. He sent quail - lots of them - which the Israelites gathered and prepared. But verse 35 tells us that “while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the anger of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord struck them with a very severe plague.” A pretty graphic picture, isn’t it? The Lord punished the people for their greed, and for their ungratefulness.
Nehemiah 9:21 says, “For forty years You sustained them in the desert; they lacked nothing, their clothes did not wear out nor did their feet become swollen.”
Clearly, the Israelites were not grateful for what they had; they were miserable because of what they didn’t have. They failed to realize that they lacked nothing, because God provided them with everything they needed, but not everything they wanted.
Aren’t we the same? Don’t we often find ourselves comparing our possessions with others? Don’t we grumble that we wish we had it better? If only we had this or that, then we would be happy!
We fail to “count our blessings,” and in so doing, lose sight of God’s gracious hand of provision on our lives. This earth is His creation, so everything we have is His anyway!
“For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. “1 Timothy 6:7-8
If we put our faith and trust in Him, He has promised to care for us and meet our needs. What we need to remember is that God is not an ATM machine. We cannot just go to Him every time we want something and expect Him to “dispense” it! But our loving heavenly Father will make sure our basic, physical needs are met. “And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19
Matthew 6:25-27 says: "Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 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?”
Psalm 37:4 tells us to delight ourselves in the Lord and He will give us the desires of our heart. What are the desires of your heart? To own a fancy car, a big house, to have nice things? Or - are you content with food on the table and a warm home in winter?
Our “heart’s desire” should be that our lives would bring glory and honor to Jesus Christ. One way we can do that is to be thankful for what He has given us, because it’s all from Him. When we recognize His hand in providing us with our fundamental needs, then we will naturally give Him the glory and honor for the big things He does for us!
So instead of taking inventory of your Christmas presents, take inventory of God’s many blessings on your life! He has promised to bless you – thank Him for it!
Dear friends, I submit that when we have Jesus, we already have everything we need! What worldly thing is there that compares with salvation and eternal life?
"For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Matt. 16:26).
“Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the man who takes refuge in him.
Fear the LORD, you his saints,
for those who fear him lack nothing.
The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.”
Psalm 34:8-10
So what did you get for Christmas?
