BIBLE PASSAGE:
“For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.”
(Psalm 50:10)
MEDITATION:
Our God is able to meet all of our needs,
because He is the Creator of all things.
Since He created us, He knows what we need better than we do.
Our “wants” are always trying to overlap our “needs” and when
that happens, we get the idea that what we ‘want’ is what we ‘need’.
Sometimes ‘wants’ and ‘needs’ are the same,
but often our ‘wants’ are far removed from our ‘real needs’.
I remember when I was a child, at Christmas I ‘wanted’ toys,
and was often disappointed to open a package and find ‘clothes’!!
I ‘needed’ clothes, but ‘wanted’ toys.
When going out to play when it was cold,
I was glad to know that I had warm clothes to wear.
If my ‘wants’ took precedence over my ‘needs’,
then I would have shivered in the cold, because
wrapping up in a tricycle would not keep me warm.
It can be the same as we grow older, can’t it?
Our ‘have to haves’ can be much different than our ‘want to haves’.
In many cases, peer pressure can be a contributing factor to this attitude.
In order to ‘measure up’, we think we have to have bigger, better,
and more expensive things than we really need.
The truth is, our basic needs are food, clothing, shelter, and good health.
If any of these four items are missing,
we can know, and experience, the lack of having our ‘needs’ met.
Of course, anything in addition to these four items are considered
‘perks’, or blessings, from a loving God (even though we might feel
they are a result of our own efforts).
If we receive a salary increase for doing a good job, we should never
lose sight of the fact that our Creator gave us the ability to perform well.
Satan wants us to forget that our physical, mental, and spiritual abilities
come from our loving God, so that we will be convinced
that ‘our’ successes are a result of what ‘we’ have done.
It is one of the ways he subtly leads us into thinking
that we really don’t need God to provide for our needs.
When that happens, our love, appreciation, and dependence
upon our Creator is replaced with an arrogant and egotistical pride.
When this type of pride invades our thoughts and actions,
the love of Christ gets moved to the back burner,
and we fail to become the person God wants us to be,
When His love in us fades, we fail to develop the characteristics
of the One we believe in and our spiritual maturity becomes anemic.
There was a time when it was rare to hear of someone whose job
was either threatened or actually lost due to changes or cutbacks.
Well, that’s hardly unusual anymore.
Now it seems there are many who are struggling
with financial problems related to job security.
Sometimes our financial problems are a result of our choices
to fulfill our ‘wants’, instead of taking care of our ‘needs’ first.
It can expose the level of selfishness and pride in our lives.
It can also be an indication that we are lacking
a vital communication link with our Heavenly Father.
ACTION:
Remember this scripture:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who
love him, who have been called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)
It reminds us that no matter what is going on in our life,
we have a loving God who is with us, cares about us,
and will help us cope with whatever situation we are facing.
You may be struggling and asking,
“What good can possibly come from my financial problems?”
It may be a time for reassessing your relationship with your Heavenly Father.
It may be a ‘teaching moment’ to remind you
of the importance of trusting God for your needs.
We need to trust the Lord with providing for our needs
and for guiding our footsteps (to increase our spiritual maturity).
“It’s better to have a Father who owns a bakery
than to have a warehouse full of bread!”
(anonymous)
“Do not ask the Lord to guide your footsteps
if you’re not willing to move your feet.”
(anonymous)
Never forget that in various ways, Satan wants to convince
you that you do not need God, and that you can accomplish
whatever you want to do with your own abilities.
Remember that the evil one fails to include how God has given
you the skills, talents, abilities, and mental capacity to be successful.
It is always all about God, and not all about you.
When you reach the end of life’s journey,
you will not only ‘want’ God, but you will ‘need’ Him.
Create that relationship with Him now…commit today!
Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for knowing me and the needs in my life.
Forgive me for failing to appreciate and thank You for providing the
necessities in my life. Thank You for giving me much more than I
deserve (an example of Your grace), and for not giving me what I do
deserve (an example of Your mercy). Remind me Father, that You can
bring good out of any situation in my life. Thank You for teaching me
that I need to depend on You in all things, because You know me and
my needs better than I do. Thank You for providing salvation for me
and for showing me that I need it.”
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