Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. James 1:17 NKJV
It is easy to forget where our blessings come from, very easy. We can get caught up in life and start to believe that our own efforts gain us our gifts. But that’s simply not so. We know that all our blessings come from God.
It is written:
Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalms 37:4 NKJV
God grants us gifts based on our faith, and more importantly on His plan for our lives. It is easy to forget that when all is going well. But consider Job.
And he said: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.” Job 1:21 NKJV
Only the Lord can supply us with anything He wants us to have. When He gives us a gift, He typically doesn’t take it away, but if His plans for us differ from our own. He may allow it to slip away. Especially if it is not acknowledged.
“I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more! Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight? You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon.” II Samuel 12:8-9 NKJV
Our Lord spoke these words to King David after he had forgotten, even if momentarily, what God had done for him.
We must appreciate what God has provided and always trust in His plan as ours simply won’t work. This can be very painful and that’s not what He desires for us.
It is written:
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil. Proverbs 3:5-7 NKJV
Trust in the Lord – and stay focused on Him.
Love one another.
Barnabas
Special thanks to Barnabas for this guest submission.