Author: astherainandsnow

“For you formed my inward parts;
    you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.
I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
Wonderful are your works;
    my soul knows it very well.
My frame was not hidden from you,
when I was being made in secret,
    intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed substance;
in your book were written, every one of them,
    the days that were formed for me,
    when as yet there was none of them.”

“I stretch out my hands to you;
    my soul thirsts for you like a parched land. 

Answer me quickly, O Lord!
    My spirit fails!
Hide not your face from me,
    lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
    for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
    for to you I lift up my soul.

Deliver me from my enemies, O Lord!
    I have fled to you for refuge.
Teach me to do your will,
    for you are my God!
Let your good Spirit lead me
    on level ground!”

“The Lord will fulfill his purpose for me;
    your steadfast love, O Lord, endures forever.
    Do not forsake the work of your hands.” Psalm 139:13-16; 143:6-10; 138:8

David was convinced that God was intimately acquainted with his whole life from beginning to end and inside out. He knew well His works, and trusted His omniscience to uphold and perform His purposes. Yet in the flesh, he needed guidance, and through ongoing communion, earnestly sought the Lord’s revelation of next steps so he’d remain aligned with His will.

The God who knows all is faithful to show His children His way. His word is the Source for what we need to know about His attributes and manner of dealing with man and His world. His Spirit gives understanding from what He has said, and directs our thinking and impulses to comprehend His will. His is an ongoing instruction as we continue to ask, abide, trust, and obey. (Psalm 32:8; Proverbs 3:5-6; John 16:13)

Our challenge is keeping on that path. It is to turn to His knowledge and wisdom instead of our own, to trust His commands and principles over human expertise or gut feelings. We must pray according to truth to keep on level ground, to see His promises unfold and His light before us on our path. How deliberately do we seek Him over every other resource? (Psalm 119:105; John 4:24)

If our inclination is to spiritual sloth or man’s take, confess it. When we elevate personal passion, or esteemed ‘thought leaders,’ or even spiritual directors over the One who knows us and everything best, we miss His direct interaction with our upturned soul. Would we ask God for desire and courage, for the stamina to stick to a commitment to seek Him first? The more we spend time in the Word, the more we will be enlightened, delighted, and desire its good food. The more we absorb His Word, the more intelligent, God-shaped, and expectant will be our prayers.

Lord, take me into Your confidence and keep me on Your narrow and good way, to Your ends and glory. (Matthew 7:13-14; John 15:15)

“Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up with her sons, and [knelt] before him… And he said to her, ‘What do you want?’ She said to him, ‘Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?’ They said to him, ‘We are able.’ He said to them, ‘You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.’ And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'”

“‘They do all their deeds to be seen by others. For they… love the place of honor at feasts and the best seats in the synagogues and greetings in the marketplaces and being called rabbi by others. But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers… The greatest among you shall be your servant. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.'” Matthew 20:20-28; 23:5-8,11-12

Jesus came as an over-turner: enlightenment for confusion, hope for doom, forgiveness for conviction, freedom for slavery. In the flesh, His close friends wanted to be honored in what they dreamed would be His coming kingdom. In the synagogue, religious men desired public greatness defined by pomp and humanistic thinking. But the Divine uttered a whole new way of thinking and being to overturn and readjust their motivation. The Servant Savior would drink the cup to illustrate God’s economy in matters of salvation and life. Only when appropriating His subversive attitude would they fully grasp His gift. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

It is unnatural, and unappealing, to choose humility over honor, to serve rather than to be served. But for the earnest Christian who is willing to turn over his “I’m able,” to the Spirit’s sanctifying, the way of Jesus is increasingly absorbed. The better we know Christ, and the more we love Him, the more like Him our second nature becomes. Appropriating His death and resurrection for ourselves, we learn to slay the prideful beast and practice exchanged desires and impulses in His power. (Romans 6:4-13; 8:5-6,11)

What ideas about great and first need upturning in our day-to-day living? What particular attitudes of superiority, self-righteousness, or entitlement do we purport? What demands do I make to others’ detriment or discouragement? Where does my claim to greatness, or deserving first and best, disparage another or belittle my Lord? Are there areas I’ve taken credit for what He’s done or graciously allowed? Will I turn them over for cleansing? Only when we submit to Christ’s desire, ‘not my will, but Yours,’ will we truly see and be able to live right side up. (Luke 22:42)

Lord, help me honor You as sole Greatest and First.

“I was sought by those who did not ask for Me;
I was found by those who did not seek Me.
I said, ‘Here I am, here I am,’
To a nation that was not called by My name.
I have stretched out My hands all day long to a rebellious people,
Who walk in a way that is not good,
According to their own thoughts…

“It shall come to pass
That before they call, I will answer;
And while they are still speaking, I will hear.” Isaiah 65:1-2,24

“Your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:8

“While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin.., and presenting my plea before the Lord my God.., while I was in prayer, the man Gabriel… came to me…  He made me understand, speaking with me and saying, ‘O Daniel, I have now come out to give you insight and understanding. At the beginning of your pleas for mercy a word went out, and I have come to tell it to you, for you are greatly loved. Therefore consider the word and understand the vision.’

“He said to me, ‘O Daniel, man greatly loved,.. I have been sent to you… Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.'” Daniel 9:23; 10:11-12

The omniscient God wraps the beginning and end of our prayers in His sovereignty. His knowledge and will are ever-active, existing apart from time, always sure and complete, inextricably bound up in His dealings with His people. What He’s promised has already been accomplished, all He intends to do is completed within His eternal will, sometimes initiated before we pray and sometimes set into motion because of it. Praying is a work of His Spirit in and through us designed to tap into and teach about the vastness of His love and power.

It is good to be reminded of our Lord’s reign over all things. We might view prayer as an earnest expression of a litany of wants, while our Sovereign desires we enter communion with Him to worship and to understand His plans, even see their unfolding. Before we call, He’s not only attuned His ear but performed His benevolent response.

What do we consider before we call on the Lord- a list of what we think we need, or what He’s like? Is our perspective urgent, temporal, or eternal? How have we experienced His ministry while we wandered? When has He met us as we sought Him? How has His prescience surprised us and encouraged deeper, more dependent prayer?

“Here I raise my Ebenezer;
hither by thy help I’m come;
and I hope, by thy good pleasure,
safely to arrive at home.
Jesus sought me when a stranger,
wandering from the fold of God;
he, to rescue me from danger,
interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor
daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
bind my wandering heart to thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart; O take and seal it;
seal it for thy courts above.” ~Robert Robinson (1758)

Father, align my desires and pleas with Your perfect will, to Your praise.

“Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
    I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

Put not your trust in princes,
    in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation.
When his breath departs, he returns to the earth;
    on that very day his plans perish.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,
    whose hope is in the Lord his God,
who made heaven and earth,
    the sea, and all that is in them,
who keeps faith forever;
   who executes justice for the oppressed,
    who gives food to the hungry.

The Lord sets the prisoners free;
   the Lord opens the eyes of the blind.
The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down;
    the Lord loves the righteous.
The Lord watches over the sojourners;
    he upholds the widow and the fatherless,
    but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.

The Lord will reign forever,
    your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!” Psalm 146

Helps. Makes. Keeps, executes justice, feeds. Sets free, opens eyes, lifts up, loves. Watches over, upholds. Reigns forever. Every part of thought is energized, every limb moves at benevolent work, all prepositions are engaged in the Lord’s tending to His own. Nary a nod to rest, never a blind eye or chilly heart, He keeps His watch and to His work. His word runs through His activity to perform His bidding. (Psalm 121:2-4; Jeremiah 1:12)

The aware believer cannot ignore the incessant, divine activity of our Lord. Are we watching, wondering? While we have our being, will we also praise? Because of His careful tending, we can live with vitality in hope, strength, peace, and delight.

God’s vibrant presence compels us to live in kind. Do I offer my body a living sacrifice to be busy about His work and will? Do I ask Him to harness my mind and direct my thoughts? How intent am I on using the gifts, the time, the opportunities He has entrusted to me for His kingdom good? How joyfully, purposefully, industriously do I perform His directed duties?

How will my life, reflecting the image and power of Christ within, be spent honoring Him and serving His will, His people, His world?

“Take my life and let it be
consecrated, Lord, to thee.
Take my moments and my days;
let them flow in endless praise,
let them flow in endless praise.

Take my hands and let them move
at the impulse of thy love.
Take my feet and let them be
swift and beautiful for thee,
swift and beautiful for thee.

Take my voice and let me sing
always, only, for my King.
Take my lips and let them be
filled with messages from thee,
filled with messages from thee.

Take my silver and my gold;
not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect and use
every power as thou shalt choose,
every power as thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it thine;
it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart it is thine own;
it shall be thy royal throne,
it shall be thy royal throne.

Take my love; my Lord, I pour
at thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be
ever, only, all for thee,
ever, only, all for thee.” ~Frances Ridley Havergal (1874)

Amen.

“But the people of Israel broke faith in regard to the devoted things, for Achan… took some of the devoted things. And the anger of the Lord burned against the people of Israel…

“The Lord said to Joshua,.. ‘Why have you fallen on your face? Israel has sinned;.. they have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen and lied and put them among their own belongings… I will be with you no more, unless you destroy the devoted things from among you…  You cannot stand before your enemies until you take away the devoted things… He who is taken with the devoted things shall be burned… because he has transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he has done an outrageous thing in Israel.’

“Joshua said to Achan, ‘My son, give glory to the Lord God and praise to him. Tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.’ Achan answered, ‘Truly I have sinned against the Lord God: when I saw among the spoil a beautiful cloak from Shinar, and 200 shekels of silver, and a bar of gold weighing 50 shekels, then I coveted them and took them. And see, they are hidden in the earth inside my tent, with the silver underneath…’

“They took them out of the tent and brought them to Joshua and… laid them down before the Lord… And Joshua said, ‘Why did you bring trouble on us? The Lord brings trouble on you today.'” Joshua 7:1,10-13,15,19-23,25

“I am the Lord; that is my name!
    I will not yield my glory to another
    or my praise to idols.” Isaiah 42:8; 48:11

Every instruction, every step, came from the Lord. The specific obedience of the Israelites is what brought the splendid victory over Jericho. They knew he had done it. But then the flesh rose up, tempting pride and greed. The look of wonder to the One who fought for them became a look of lust on the things that were taken. Achan gave in to taking glory for himself. Even though convicted in his spirit, he tried to hide his sin. But the pleasures of sin are fleeting and destructive, and he would be found out. God uncovered his trinkets, vividly illustrating that He would share glory with nothing and noone. (Joshua 6:12-25; Hebrews 11:25; 1 John 2:17)

We can give cursory lip service to humility, pretending another’s credit, while in the flesh stroking notice, importance, and pomp. We can hoard what we believe we deserve. Self-deprecation only draws attention, rather than reflecting the Lord. Only the truly humble esteems God and His commands above every idol.

Where have I given in, even a bit, to taking credit myself, taking a bit of the spoils that belong to God in any victory of life? How quickly do I respond to conviction from His spirit? If I try to squelch it, often at harm to others, He will find me out. Would I bring that first impulse of greed to be cleansed and reordered by My gracious Savior?

If I dare touch a smidgen of God’s glory, I know nothing of Calvary love. Christ gave His all so I can find my all in Him. (Psalm 107:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21)

Lord, for every step in victory, every work of grace, may I give You the glory only You deserve.

“The words of him who has the seven spirits of God and the seven stars.

“I know your works. You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I have not found your works complete in the sight of my God.” Revelation 3:1-2

“David, after he had served the purpose of God in his own generation, fell asleep.” Acts 13:36

“They had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.” Acts 14:26

“As you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in all earnestness, and in our love for you—see that you excel in this act of grace also.

“I say this not as a command, but to prove by the earnestness of others that your love also is genuine. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you by his poverty might become rich. And… this benefits you, who a year ago started not only to do this work but also to desire to do it. So now finish doing it as well, so that your readiness in desiring it may be matched by your completing it out of what you have.” 2 Corinthians 8:7-11

The Lord saves His people in order to enjoy mutual fellowship and the fruit of living out His purposes on earth. He plants in His children new heaven-directed affections, and gifts to fulfill Spirit-inspired holy desire. He’s prepared work for each to do, and allotted time and space to see it through. It honors Him and benefits His kingdom when specific work, including good intentions, are completed. (Acts 17:26-28; Ephesians 2:8-10)

God knows our works, from intention through completion, and what is done in His name. He knows our zeal and our carelessness. What have we started but not completed? To what unfinished business- in relationships, at work, or in our churches- should we be tending? What causes our pause? Procrastination, sloth, neglect, rebellion? What need we confess or change to excel in the grace of completing our duty?

“Lord, speak to me, that I may speak
In living echoes of Thy tone;
As Thou hast sought, so let me seek
Thy erring children, lost and lone.

O lead me, Lord, that I may lead
The wandering and the wavering feet;
O feed me, Lord, that I may feed
Thy hungering ones with manna sweet.

O strengthen me, that while I stand
Firm on the Rock and strong in Thee,
I may stretch out a loving hand
To wrestlers with the troubled sea.

O teach me, Lord, that I may teach
The precious things Thou dost impart;
A word in season, as from Thee,
To weary ones in needful hour.

O fill me with Thy fulness, Lord,
Until my very heart o’erflow
In kindling thought and glowing word,
Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show.

O use me, Lord, use even me,
Just as Thou wilt, and when, and where;
Until Thy blessèd Face I see,
Thy rest, Thy joy, Thy glory share.” ~Frances Ridley Havergal (1872)

Lord, help me daily finish Your work and fulfill Your purposes, by and because of Your grace and for Your glory.

“I will recount the steadfast love of the Lord,
    the praises of the Lord,
according to all that the Lord has granted us,
    and the great goodness to the house of Israel
that he has granted them according to his compassion,
    according to the abundance of his steadfast love.
For he said, ‘Surely they are my people,
    children who will not deal falsely.’
    And he became their Savior.
In all their affliction he was afflicted,
    and the angel of his presence saved them;
in his love and in his pity he redeemed them;
    he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.

“But they rebelled
    and grieved his Holy Spirit;
therefore he turned to be their enemy,
    and himself fought against them.
Then he remembered the days of old,
    of Moses and his people.
Where is he who brought them up out of the sea
    with the shepherds of his flock?
Where is he who put in the midst of them
    his Holy Spirit,
who caused his glorious arm
    to go at the right hand of Moses,
who divided the waters before them
    to make for himself an everlasting name,
    who led them through the depths?
Like a horse in the desert,
    they did not stumble.
Like livestock that go down into the valley,
    the Spirit of the Lord gave them rest.
So you led your people,
    to make for yourself a glorious name.” Isaiah 63:7-14

God’s blessedness and favor issue according to His perfect, abundant character. His ‘all’ and ‘great goodness’ is granted according to His compassion and steadfast love. The prompting in the human spirit to praise in return is borne of His wondrous Spirit and deeds. As His people observe and experience His constant love, mercy, and might, accordingly His image within is quickened to gratitude and worship.

Yet, according to the flesh, fallen man is prone to rebel. According to spiritual laws of gravity, the Spirit is grieved and gives him over to consequence. Enter God’s grace, and according to His mercy and promise, He intervenes to save. According to His great love man is not consumed, but delivered, that the Lord’s glory be known. What wondrous love is this?! (Lamentations 3:22-23)

According to what influences or whose desires do we make daily decisions? What attitudes and actions betray vestiges of the old life? When will we reckon ourselves dead to sin and alive to righteousness according to God’s rich mercy? (Romans 6:1-7,11-14; 8:5-14; 2 Corinthians 5:17,21)

“What wondrous love is this, O my soul, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, O my soul!
What wondrous love is this, that caused the Lord of bliss
to bear the dreadful curse for my soul, for my soul.

When I was sinking down, sinking down, sinking down,
when I was sinking down, O my soul!
When I was sinking down beneath God’s righteous frown,
Christ laid aside His crown for my soul, for my soul.

To God and to the Lamb I will sing, I will sing;
to God and to the Lamb, I will sing.
To God and to the Lamb who is the great “I AM,”
while millions join the theme, I will sing, I will sing.” ~Anonymous

Lord, help me live according to Your Spirit’s truth and power, to Your glory.

“I the Lord search the heart
    and test the mind,
to give every man according to his ways,
    according to the fruit of his deeds…

“O Lord of hosts, who tests the righteous,
    who sees the heart and the mind,..
   to you have I committed my cause.” Jeremiah 17:10; 20:12

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.” Deuteronomy 29:29

“God… knows the secrets of the heart.” Psalm 44:21

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.

“Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you…

“He answered them, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.'” Matthew 6:1-6; 13:11

“The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” Hebrews 4:16

The God of secret majesty in the crevices of creation is omniscient. What are beautiful secrets and undiscoverable treasure to us are known to Him. He tucks into us and intends that we hide deep, precious soul gems while revealing by conviction what He wants to extricate. But when it comes to secrets, we tend to get things topsy–turvy. Prompted by pride and unholy ambition, we make display of and promote things for which we are proud, while attempting to hide things that are shameful. Only the Lord can upright what we get so wrong. (Job 38:16-18,36; Psalm 139:3-6,12-16)

For the Christian, it is vital to be truthful about the seen and unseen. The Lord can reveal what we wrongly attempt to keep secret, and cleanse and redeem by bringing it into His light. As we increasingly expose ourselves to His healing truth, we will desire more and more to discover His hidden depths and be transformed. (1 John 1:4-9)

What am I hiding that the Spirit wants to reveal? Would I treasure more the secret things of God? Which desire is evidenced in my schedule, demeanor, choices? How willing am I to invest time and attention to come clean, and discover facets of the Almighty unknown to the madding world? (Matthew 13:44–46)

Lord, keep me open toward you while seeking the very limits of your beauty, majesty, and might.

“I lift up my eyes to the hills.
    From where does my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
    who made heaven and earth.

He will not let your foot be moved;
    he who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, he who keeps Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is your keeper;
    the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
The sun shall not strike you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

The Lord will keep you from all evil;
    he will keep your life.
The Lord will keep
    your going out and your coming in
    from this time forth and forevermore.” Psalm 121

The yawn of cares and stress of need do not keep the psalmist from looking to the hills for his Lord. He knows His abode, and finds there His vigilant care. He knows His strength, and His constancy. He knows He is ever alert, actively at watch, and so he will state for all who are needy, ‘He is Your keeper too. He is nigh, a shade and shield. He is attentive, on guard. So you too lift your eyes and find in Him present help and safety of soul.’ This proclamation, this invitation, is for all.

In our flesh, diligence can wane at the hint of fatigue or lure of distraction. We keep steady well, until we don’t. We are concerned with many things, eyes shifting here and there, and our keeping of what matters gets knocked awry. Sometimes we do not even know what help we need.

But our attention is far different from the Lord’s, whose watchful eye and strong arm are not only able but consistent. What uplifting and enduring promises He gives! He never takes off, never sleeps, but night and day, in and out, publicly and privately, loudly and silently, cares for His own. Are we at rest in His keeping? Are we determined to emulate it?

With what keeping has the Lord entrusted us- at home, work, in relationships and personal choices? How can we imitate His watchful care with compassion and wisdom? How are we guarding our hearts for holiness, and keeping watch over our souls and those over whom we have responsibility? We need only look up to learn His keeping ways! (Proverbs 4:32)

“Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is your health and salvation!
Come, all who hear; now to his temple draw near,
join me in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, above all things so wondrously reigning;
sheltering you under his wings, and so gently sustaining!
Have you not seen all that is needful has been
sent by his gracious ordaining?

Praise to the Lord, who will prosper your work and defend you;
surely his goodness and mercy shall daily attend you.
Ponder anew what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriends you.

Praise to the Lord! O let all that is in me adore him!
All that has life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the Amen sound from his people again;
gladly forever adore him.” ~Joachim Neander (1680)

Lord, help me keep my life with diligence as You keep me, and so reflect Your grace and glory.

“You are a people holy to the Lord your God.

“You shall tithe all the yield of your seed that comes from the field year by year… 

“At the end of every three years you shall bring out the tithe of your produce and lay it up within your towns. And the Levite,.. the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, who are within your towns, shall come and eat and be filled, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.”

“The Lord will bless you in the land that [He] is giving you for an inheritance to possess— if only you will strictly obey [his] voice, being careful to do all this commandment. For the Lord your God will bless you, as he promised.., and you shall rule over many nations…

“If one of your brothers should become poor,.. you shall not harden your heart or shut your hand against [him], but you shall open your hand and lend him sufficient for his need, whatever it may be. Take care lest there be an unworthy thought in your heart and you say, ‘The seventh year, the year of release is near,’ and your eye look grudgingly on your poor brother, and you give him nothing,.. and you be guilty of sin. You shall give to him freely, and your heart shall not be grudging when you give, because for this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in all that you undertake. For there will never cease to be poor in the land. Therefore I command you, ‘You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and the poor, in your land…’

“As the Lord your God has blessed you, you shall give to him. You shall remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God redeemed you; therefore I command you this today.” Deuteronomy 14:21b,22,28-29; 15:4-11,14b-15

The Lord’s commands to His people through Moses were predicated on their love relationship with Him, and depended on their remembering from where they had come. They were not free except that He had delivered them, they owned nothing He’d not given them, and they would not enter the promised land except that He drive out its occupants before them. Truly, all they were and had was because of Him. Neither His commands nor His people should ever be begrudged. (1 Corinthians 4:7)

Immersed in day-to-day, we ignore our ties to the past and the Lord. Intent on personal business, we forget the greater purpose for our being here and the gifts we’ve received along the way. As determination sets in, we begrudge sharing success and credit, thinking ourselves rightful to hoard or flaunt what we’ve deserved.

The Lord upends this humanist thinking. The Giver of every good gift expects us to share from our bounty, support His servants, and help the poor. He calls us to broader living. (James 1:17)

How are we obeying these commands? Do we spend ourselves as mere stewards of abundance and freedom, or hold tight His gifts for selfish indulgence? How can we honor and prioritize Him by supporting His ministers?

Lord, soften my heart and open my hands with generosity of love and gratitude.