A recurring prayer for me goes something like this. “Thank you Lord for all the blessings you’ve poured out on my family and on me. I don’t deserve it, but I thank you for it.” And then I wonder why I am so favored. Now I need to put this in context before I go too far. We have had our share of difficulties. Perhaps not the tragedies some have experienced, but difficulties just the same – my wife’s shattered leg in 2012, my near heart attack in 2014, my job loss at the beginning of 2015, my broken shoulder in 2017 to name a few. Yet, whatever direction I look, I see God’s goodness poured out… not just on me, but on so many people that I know. He is indeed good… all the time. And I wonder anew, “Lord why are you so good to me?” Today as I have thought of this I think I have at least a little different perspective to share.
Being a father for 33 years, I know a daddy’s love for his children. We just finished souvenir shopping for our four children and four grandchildren. This is my wife’s time to lead and I dutifully follow. As I watch and respond to her questions I realize she is seeking the perfect balance. She wants to get them something they will enjoy, but that is also beneficial. No to excess sugar and candy, yes to clothing that says laid-back Hawaii. No to things with sharp edges or that can choke a little one, yes to cuddly and cute. Since God is the perfect Father, He wants to give us gifts that achieve that perfect balance in our lives. He knows our talents, our personality, our likes and dislikes. He knows what is best for us. His gifts are meant to draw us to himself since a deep and growing relationship with Him is what we are created for. And just like giving gifts to our children warms my wife’s heart, I sense that God is also pleased when He is able to give us good gifts that bring us joy. Oh, and when we recognize and give Him thanks, the mutual joy is amplified.
I believe the Father loves to hear us laugh and this is frequently one of the purposes of God’s blessings. In some cases it may be the only reason. But at other times God has multiple motives behind the gift given.
Being open to and responsive to the Lord’s leading in gift-receiving and gift-giving is an acquired wisdom. God will bless us so that we can in turn bless others. Giving of tithes and offerings is a tangible demonstration of finding our place in God’s economy of blessing. Less formal but just as important is being open to the Holy Spirit’s leading to provide help for someone when the Lord prompts us to. Our home group purchased a moped for a young woman in difficult circumstances recently and we know it was a God assignment. Today we are excited to see what God is going to do through this simple act of passing His blessing on.
There is one other aspect that I believe the Lord wants us to understand about His blessing, but I hesitate for fear I will not be able to adequately explain. It is that obedience brings blessing. As we live life the way God desires us to live, we will experience His protection, His provision, and His favor. The Holy Scriptures contain God’s blueprint for life. Everything necessary to know how to enter a personal relationship with the Creator of the Universe is there. However, it is spiritually discerned. That means God Himself must be living within us by His Holy Spirit for us to read, understand, and apply the truth contained in the scriptures. Sadly just knowing the scriptures isn’t enough. The Jewish leaders of Jesus’ day were thoroughly knowledgeable of the scriptures, yet they crucified the one the scriptures foretold.
There is a progression in this flow. The first is to recognize that there is a Creator of all that is. He has been called many things… El Sahddai, Elohim, The LORD God, Almighty God, but it is safe to call Him God.
Second is to search for Truth. When we honestly and openly search for Truth, asking God to guide us to Truth we will run into Jesus. There are numerous reasons this is true, but suffice today I’ll point out the one I know to be true and unassailable. Jesus’ resurrection proves He was Who He said He was – God’s one and only Son, sent to redeem mankind through His sacrificial death on the cross.
Third, once we recognize Jesus for Who He says He is, it is only right to surrender our life to Him and take up the life He is calling us to. It is a life of dying to poor life choices, bad decisions, and irresponsibility. It is letting go of living according to your own agenda and morality and learning how to live a life that aligns with God’s game plan for life. It is saying yes to Jesus in how we live.
Fourth is to ask Jesus to help us to know Him better and to live the life God desires us to live. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to help us live life the way God intends. He never takes away our ability to choose whether to follow or not. In fact He partners with us in the work of transformation, but He will do the heavy lifting if we simply turn to Him and ask for His help.
As we live a life of consistent obedience, God’s blessings will flow. It is not that we are immune to difficulties, but knowing God and trusting Him provides a solid place to stand even when all around is shaking and unsettled. And when we thank Him in the midst of the hard and difficult, when our suffering is wrapped in thanking God for being with us in the storm, we will know His peace and comfort, which is one of the greatest of His blessings to His children.
As I shared in an earlier post, my wife and I are celebrating our 33rd anniversary in Hawaii. I am going to post a few more pics of our trip for those who are interested. The week has contained a snapshot of life. We’ve experienced a good bit of clouds, rain, and wind. The conditions were not always ideal. But through it all God has been with us, showing us His love and care. We have thrilled with new adventures and quiet times together. Today the sun broke through and it is gloriously beautiful. It happened just in time for a morning helicopter ride… with the doors off and a sunset on Waikiki Beach.
Wherever you are in life, know that God loves you and He is for you. If you are at one of those points of progression that I mention above and you would like to know more, please drop me a comment. I would be happy to chat and pray. It’s what I’m supposed to do. In the meantime, enjoy the pics. and be blessed today. And don’t forget to pass the blessing on!
Waimea Beach on Oahu’s North Shore. A big wave surfing tournament is held here when the conditions, at least 30 foot swells, allows.
All the commercial pineapple operations have moved to other countries. Everything grown on these pineapple plantations are for consumption on the islands.
Kualo Range where Jurassic Park and Lost were filmed.
Dole Pineapple Plantation and maze behind the gift shop. The pineapples are so sweet on the islands.
Jordan, our pilot, is hanging loose behind us.
Sunset Beach on the North Short where the World Championships of Surfing are held each November / December.
Kane’one Bay where we snorkled around “Gilligan’s Island”.
View toward Diamond Head
Sandy Beach on the east coast of the island.
Waikiki Beach. Our hotel was on the beach at the pier on the farthest left of the photo.
View along Waikiki Beach toward Diamond Head from our hotel beach.
View from our room.
And it appears she says yes.
I watched this young man hurl himself into wave after wave and then body surf to shore.
And then I thought of our daughter-in-law with her children tenderly loving and playing with them.
Look closely at the person with their hand on their head. They are walking on water… I caught them just as they lost their board but before they splashed down. Funny!
Coming in for a landing.
These last three reminded me of our children when they were babies and how our weekends we would often squeeze as much fun out of the play days as possible.
And the toys are ready for the next day of fun for the crowds who will arrive before the sun tomorrow.
I think that’s his mother telling him its time to come in.
He persists in assking, “Just a little longer, please?”
It was a fitting remembrance on our last day in Oahu.
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