God Meets My Needs

In Matthew 7:11 I read, “If you . . . know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (NIV)

God made everything. Everything I see and everything I can’t see. Everything on Earth and in the universe beyond. God is the source of every good thing. And I can depend on him.

As I depend on God to be my source for everything, remember four truths.

Every good thing is a gift from God. I didn’t earn anything. It’s all a gift of God’s grace. If God didn’t want to give it, I wouldn’t have it.

The Bible says, “Every good and perfect gift is from above” (James 1:17 NIV). That’s why the third phrase of the Lord’s Prayer starts with the word “give”, “Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11 ESV).  Why? Because I can’t earn the things God gives me, they’re gifts from him.

There’s nothing I need that God can’t provide. I don’t know what I’ll need tomorrow or the rest of this year. But whatever it is, God has the power to supply it.

The Bible says in Philippians 4:19: “My God will supply your every need according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (NET). “Glorious riches” means God is lavish with what he provides. He has unlimited resources.

God wants to give me everything I need. Matthew 7:11 says, “If you . . . know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (NIV) It makes God happy to meet my every need.

God is waiting on me. If I have needs in my life that aren’t being met, it may be that God is waiting on me to ask! The problem isn’t that God doesn’t want to meet my need; the problem could be that I haven’t asked him to. James 4:2 says, “You do not have because you do not ask God” (NIV).

What or who have I been counting on to meet my needs? If it’s anything other than God, turn that around today. Trust God to be my source for everything.

In summary, if I know how to give good gifts to my family, how much more will my Father give good gifts to me when I ask. God made everything. God is the source of every good thing. I can depend on him. As I depend on God to be my source for everything, remember four truths. First, every good thing is a gift from God. I didn’t earn anything. It’s all a gift of God’s grace. I can’t earn the things God gives me, they’re gifts from him. Second, there’s nothing I need that God can’t provide. I don’t know what I’ll need. But whatever it is, God has the power to supply it. God is lavish with what he provides. He has unlimited resources. God wants to give me everything I need. Third, It makes God happy to meet my every need. Fourth, God is waiting on me. If I have needs in my life that aren’t being met, it may be that God is waiting on me to ask! What or who have I been counting on to meet my needs? If it’s anything other than God, turn that around today. Trust God to be my source for everything.

Christ is showing me the heart of God the Father. God is not selfish, begrudging, or stingy, and I don't have to beg or grovel as I come with my requests. He is a loving Father who understands, cares, and comforts. If I can be kind, imagine how kind God, the Creator of kindness, can be to me.

Father, thank you for Your Word and Jesus as my savior and example. You want me and I need you in my life. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can always believe in, have faith in and can trust you in everything. This includes being the authority for my life, the source of my self-worth and my hope for the future. You have my best interests in mind. So I ask you to help me to embrace the way you’ve made me; my gifting and passions. Help me to serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. 

Today, I ask you for wisdom and guidance for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, doing well and making a difference in others lives. I pray all these things through your Son Jesus’ name, Amen. 

Four Ways to Use My Spiritual Gifts

In Romans 6:13 I read, “Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have a new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.” (NLT)

The moment I became a follower of Jesus, God gave me spiritual gifts. But how do I start using the spiritual gifts God has put inside of me? Here are four suggested ways to get started:

1. Discover my gifts.

Before I can use my gifts, I need to know what they are. Many Christians have dormant spiritual gifts inside of them. They neglect their gifts, not using them and not even knowing what they are. The Bible says in 1 Timothy 4:14, “Do not neglect the spiritual gift that is in you” (GNT).

How do I discover your spiritual gifts? There are three steps: examine, evaluate, and experiment. First, I examine by studying each spiritual gift. Then, evaluate what I’m good at. I can start by asking friends what gifts they see in me. Finally, experiment by trying different things. Volunteering for different ministries will help me discover my gifts. 

2. Dedicate my gifts to God.

The Bible says in Romans 6:13, “Give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God” (NLT).

Maybe I already know my spiritual gifts, but I’m just not using them for the Lord. I’m using them for myself. I need to humble myself and dedicate to the Lord every gift I have. Push all of my excuses out of the way, and say, “God, I dedicate back to you the gifts that you gave to me.”

3. Develop my gifts.

Gifts are like muscles: The more I use them, the bigger they get. I can and should strengthen, develop, and grow any gift God has given me. I get better at using a gift by practice, studying, and by learning from others who have the same gift.

The Bible says, “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another” (1 Peter 4:10 NLT).

When God gives me something, he will give me even more of it if I use it well—more talent, money, influence, relationships, or responsibility. He says, “I can trust that person. I’m going to give that person more and more and more.”

4. Deploy my spiritual gifts.

“Deploy” means to put into service. I get out on the field and start doing something. Romans 12:6 says this: “We are to use our different gifts in accordance with the grace that God has given us. If our gift is to speak God’s message, we should do it according to the faith that we have” (GNT).

The best place to discover, dedicate, develop, and deploy my spiritual gifts is in a small group of other Christians; it’s like a testing ground. That could be a small group at your church, a Sunday school class, or any small gathering of believers that meet together regularly. This way I can test and develop my spiritual gifts in the safe and supportive environment of friends who will encourage me.

In summary, I need to give myself completely to God, for I was dead, but now I have a new life. So use my whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. God gave me spiritual gifts. But how do I start using them  Here are four suggested ways to get started: 1. Discover them. Before I can use them, I need to know what they are. There are three steps: examine, evaluate, and experiment. First, I examine by studying each spiritual gift. Then, evaluate what I’m good at. I can start by asking friends what gifts they see in me. Finally, experiment by trying different things. Volunteering for different ministries will help me discover my gifts. 2. Dedicate my gifts to God, using them for his purpose and not my own. So humble myself and dedicate to the Lord every gift I have. 3. Develop my gifts. The more I use them, the bigger they get. I need to strengthen, develop, and grow any gift God has given me. I get better at them by practice, studying, and by learning from others who have the same gift. He will give me even more of it if I use it well. 4. Deploy my spiritual gifts by putting them into service. I start doing something. The best place to discover, dedicate, develop, and deploy my spiritual gifts is in a small group of other Christians; it’s like a testing ground. This way I can test and develop my spiritual gifts in the safe and supportive environment of friends who will encourage me.

My skills, capabilities, and body can serve many purposes, good or bad. In Christ, every part of me can be an instrument for service. It is the one to whom I offer my service that makes the difference. I need to give myself completely to God, asking him to put me to good use for his glory.

Lord, I need you. Please give me Your strength for today and remind me in little ways that I can believe in, have faith and to trust you in everything including being the authority for my life, my self-worth and my future. You have my best interests in mind. Help me to continue to discover my SHAPE so that I can serve and fulfill the mission you have in mind for me. I ask you for wisdom and guidance in this and for my day, my work, my leadership, my interactions with others, my preparation for a future job role and for leading a small group. I ask these things through you Son Jesus’ name, amen.

 

There’s Nothing I Can’t Bring to God in Prayer

In review of Romans 8:32 it says, ”Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (NLT).

Today’s verse from from Romans 8:31-39, where Paul explains that nothing can ever separate me from the God's love. He explains to me that If God is for me, who can ever be against me? Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for me, won't he also give me everything else? God has give me a right standing with himself through Christ Jesus who died and was raised to life for me. He sits at the right at God's right hand, pleading for me. Can anything ever separate me from Christ's love? Despite all the things in my life, his overwhelming victory is mine through Christ who loves me. Because of this, its proof that nothing can ever separate me from God's love.

Given this, I should never think that I'm not good enough for God to save. If God has given his Son for me, he isn't going to hold back his gift of salvation. He won't turn around and condemn me. He will not withhold anything I need to live for him. Paul even says that Jesus is pleading for me in heaven. God has acquitted me and removed my sin and guilt, so it is Satan, not God, who accuse me. When he does, Jesus, my advocate, sites at God's right hand to present my case. No matter what happens to me, no matter where I am, I can never be separated from his love. Any suffering or problems I experience should never drive me away from Him, but help to identify with him and allow his love to reach and heal me.

I’m reminded this morning of the classic TV game show “Let’s Make a Deal” that features a simple concept: You pick what’s behind door number 1, 2, or 3, and then make a deal with the host.

In the eternal “Let’s Make a Deal,” there are also three doors. Behind door number 1: I have sinned, and that means God, who is perfect, can not let me into his perfect heaven. I end up rejecting his offer to cleanse me of my sins, so I end up in hell. Door number 2: I have sinned, and I try to make up for it by doing some good things. But I can never be good enough to match God’s holiness, and I’ll still spend eternity separated from him. Door number 3: I submit to God’s plan and let Jesus cleanse me of my sins. Jesus Christ says, “Here’s the deal: I’ll take all of your guilt and sin, and I’m going to give you all of my goodness. You get to spend eternity in heaven with me.”

What a deal!

In fact, it’s the best news in the world. Heaven is a perfect place. I’m not getting there with all my badness. I’ll only get there with all of God’s goodness, but it’s already been paid for and it’s free, it’s a gift God offers me. Why? Because God is a good God. It’s the best deal I’m ever going to get!

Romans 4:25 says that Jesus “died for our sins and rose again to make us right with God, filling us with God’s goodness” (TLB).

So what does that have to do with prayer? It has everything to do with prayer. If I don’t understand this, I’ll never understand prayer. What God did for me at the cross makes prayer possible.

The Bible says, “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won’t he also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32 NLT).

When Jesus Christ died for me on the cross, he solved my biggest problem. So any other problem I have in my life is small potatoes! If Jesus Christ, because of his goodness, died for me, I should know he loves me enough to help me with my bills, my health and my relationships? There is nothing I can’t bring to God in prayer. If Jesus loved you enough to die for you, he loves you enough to answer your prayer

Bottom Line:

God freely gave His Son for us, if He did this, won't he freely give us everything else.

What this means to me:

Since God didn't spare anything, he even gave his own Son, he will surely give me everything else I need.

In summary, If God is for me, who can ever be against me. God freely gave his Son as a sacrifice that paid the penalty for me. Jesus died for me and my sins. He rose again to make me right with God. What he did makes prayer possible. He gave me the greatest gift for the biggest problem I will ever have. Given this, there is nothing I can bring to God in prayer. He loves me enough to help me with any thing I face.

Today Father I give you praise for who you are and for what you have done for me. I offer up my life to you and give up my own agenda so that I can do what you made me to do. Help me to see this in my life and every day interactions. Please give me wisdom and guidance in what I do, and what I manage. Give me wisdom to lead my team and help me to respond to others in a loving and caring manner. Overall I want to make a difference in the lives of others. These things I pray in your Son Jesus name, amen!