James 1:5
‘If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God Who gives to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him. (Amplified Version)
God has been good to me. He has blessed me. Lately, fear has threatened to steal my joy and rest in God’s goodness. I have lived in fear of the possibility of God taking away what He’s blessed me with. One part of my heart whispers, don’t get too comfortable, disaster can strike soon. And this has stopped me from enjoying God’s gifts. I prayed for some of these blessings for so long, and now they’re here, I’m too afraid to enjoy them. As I stay bound in fear, I wonder what if God takes away all He has given? What if my laughter is wiped away tomorrow? Maybe I shouldn’t laugh so loud just in case.
Thank God for the truth and liberty in His word. James 1:5 has opened my eyes anew. Yes I have read the book of James countless times, and I’ve learnt a lot from it. But this time around is different. This time around, I see that God is love. And He loves me. I choose to trust that He will not deliberately do me harm. I choose to trust that as my Father, He will act in my best interests always! I choose to trust that even when times are tough, God will always be with me.
God gives freely, without grudge, without reproach and without fault finding. He loves to give actually. Jesus told us this much about the Father: He said, ‘if you then, evil as you are, know how to give good and advantageous gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven perfect as He is give good and advantageous things to those who keep on asking Him! So today, I will allow my self to enjoy the gifts of God. This is the day The Lord has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it.
Shalom
image courtesy transitionvoice.com