Do you ever think about what you give to God?
This morning, very early as I was just waking up with the sheet and the blanket pulled up around my neck in the cool bedroom, I raised one hand up and gave God a wave and a smile and a greeting, “Good morning, Father, I love You,” I whispered.
As with any action or behavior, this one was born out of some things I’d been thinking in my mind. Since Wednesday of this past week, I’ve been mulling over something Beth Moore said in our video Bible study that wasn’t even something that made a great impact on me at the time.
It was just a fleeting, brief thing I heard in passing, so to speak, as I was making notes on the lesson details that were making a great impact on me, as a woman, because they are basic life issues: joy and anguish, set in the context of Scripture references to birth, and specifically connected to childbirth.
Beth was painting some beautiful, large strokes with the Scripture brush she was using to help us see that joy can be birthed from anguish and through anguish, and that joy and anguish can co-exist. I hope, if you have opportunity, you will be sure to get into her study on the Book of James: Mercy Triumphs.
I’ve thought a lot about the things I learned on Wednesday, and the small thing that stuck in my mind was so vague, so brief, so fleeting that it was almost a concept, not even formed yet into words strung together to make a real thought.
It was overshadowed in my thoughts for a particular reason: she mentioned it in talking about her grandchildren and how she fell completely in love with each one upon hearing of their impending arrivals.
Because I could totally relate to that, my mind had its own rush of memories of having had that same experience on two separate occasions ( I have only two grandchildren to date), and I promptly fell in love with them and began daydreaming about them long before their birth-dates.
Needless to say, the love became like a living thing from the moment I saw them and will continue to grow, until the day somewhere in the future when my physical life gives way to my fully spiritual life, and only God knows then how love will be when we reach heaven and eternity.
I fully expect to continue to love my loved ones forever and ever.
In speaking of her relationship with her grandchildren and their obvious desire and delight to be with her, Beth mentioned the small thing, and it lodged in my mind and got covered over with a hundred other thoughts, but it prompted me to write in my notes that day:
“What does our joy in and toward God make God feel? Consider the process of falling in love with our grandbabies; consider my own story.”
My own story is that I have had so much fun with my grandbabies from day one! I have a million stories to tell of the cute things they did and said, not to mention the utterly profound things they’ve said as children that was almost too deep for an adult, much less children!
The Scripture says, “out of the mouths of babes…”
Seriously, my grandchildren have said things that affect me deeply because they were, and are, so foundationally true in life, both physical and spiritual. I hope to share more about some of those things later.
But, my heart-thread thought today is to look deeply at the things I give to God, and how that makes Him feel. He loves me because He is God and He loves, so nothing I can give Him will make Him love me more.
Much like me and my grandbabies and the delight they gave to me in the forms of a picked flower, a pretty rock, a hug, and so on; no matter what they gave me, I loved them with all of my heart.
One of the things they gave me that I treasure to this day, was the opportunity to grab my Bible and head outside to the swing to read Bible stories and talk and laugh and swing together. My granddaughter, in particular, had a love for the stories of Jesus and the people in the Bible. What joy!
What joy do I give to my heavenly Father as I get out of bed every morning? The joy of seeing me reach for His word with absolute delight and anticipation of what He will say to me today?
The joy of hearing my prayers of praise for the greatness and the grandness of Who He is and the forgiveness of all my sin and the resulting salvation He has given?
The joy of seeing me pause throughout my day, while in a particularly difficult set of circumstances, to remind Him (and me) that I am depending on His goodness and kindness and faithfulness to see me through each one?
The joy of seeing me in attendance in His house of worship each and every Sunday, wearing a full-faced smile as I greet His other children?
The joy of seeing me return good for evil to others who’ve hurt me or offended me or behaved irresponsibly (in my own opinion!) ?
The joy of seeing me embrace His Son as my Savior who saved me once and forgives me daily as I ask?
The joy of seeing me as I listen attentively to His Holy Spirit as my comforter, counselor, constant companion, and guide into all truth?
The joy of seeing me studying His Word, The Holy Bible, really studying it and not just giving it a quick and brief reading, or neglecting to open it at all for days on end?
How do I spend my time, my energy, my money? I use the word “my” very loosely for there is nothing I can give to God that He didn’t give it first to me and all I can do is return a good investment on what He has so abundantly provided to and for me.
How about you? What do you consistently give to God?
I turn from my examination to what I give to God to the question of what I give to Him that I can stop giving to Him.
I can stop complaining and grumbling about every little thing, I can stop giving Him disrespect and stop wasting all the good gifts He has given to me.
I can daily show Him my love and respect and appreciation and worship of Him through my actions and behavior in my personal and quiet alone time, my actions toward my family, my friends, my neighbors, and those whom I meet in the daily routine of life.
I can behave as the ambassador of Christ that I truly am because I have repented of my sin, received God’s forgiveness through His Son and my Savior and daily surrender control of my life to God through Jesus by the help of His Holy Spirit, and live to point others to God in Jesus Christ.
In God’s Word, Jesus said:
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
Already you are clean because of the Word that I have spoken to you.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be My disciples. As the Father has loved Me, so have I loved you. Abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.
This is My commandment that you love one another as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down His life for His friends. You are My friends if you do what I command you. No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.
You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in My name, He may give it to you. These things I command you, so that you will love one another.”
---John 15:1 -17 (ESV)
O Father,
You give joy! Help us to give You joy because our whole hearts delight in You!
Thank You so much for all of the great and good gifts that You bestow on us.
We give You praise! In Jesus’ name. Amen.
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