The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, without painful toil for it. (Proverbs 10:22, NIV)
Life, they say, comes at us in seasons. If this is true, we are going through a season when we cannot help but see what has been taken from us. All of us have seen it in the ravages and restrictions of the coronavirus. Some have had it magnified yet again in the injustices that come when you are the wrong color in the wrong country.
Together we grieve: “If one part suffers, every part suffers with it” (1 Corinthians 12:26). If the heart of Christ beats in us, that heart has skipped some beats of late. These are the gasps between tears.
Coupled with this grieving, however, should come an assessment—often quite personal—of what we’ve been given. Our privileges. Our blessings.
God is in heaven and we are on earth, yet he reaches into our lives and wakens us each day.The man or woman of God should never be ashamed of the blessings of God. Scripture speaks often of the way God delivers favor to us for no good reason. It speaks even more of the way his blessings will follow us when we follow him. But at the same time, we should never take these blessings for granted. Maybe we should, as they say, count them:
- Where will you sleep tonight? Under a roof? With a comfortable bed and cool air?
- How many choices do you have for what you will eat next? Are you amazed that it’s more than one?
- Do you have ready money to pay for new tires when Lincoln’s head tells you that you need them?
- Would the doctor gladly see you today if you’re not feeling well? Is that visit mostly paid for by insurance?
- Will you play golf this week? If so, will you be all that concerned if you lose a $4 ball along the way?
You know we could keep going. Big and small, the blessings we experience are as readily forgotten as they are remembered. This should not be so! God is in heaven and we are on earth (Ecclesiastes 5:2), yet he reaches into our lives and wakens us each day. We rise to our feet, walk to our breakfast, enjoy the fruit of our labor, and come home for an hour or two of respite—all because of God’s care.
Yes, things have been taken from us this season (and maybe for a much longer time than that). But so much also has been given. Let us see God at all times, for he reigns through every circumstance.
—
Jeff Hopper
June 9, 2020
Copyright 2020 Links Players International
The Links Daily Devotional appears Monday-Friday at www.linksplayers.com.