Thoughts from daily Bible reading for today – September 30, 2019
“My son,” the father said, “you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.” Luke 15:31-32
Everything God has is yours. What does this radical love mean? The generosity of our heavenly Father is expressed in exactly what we need. All the love we need from Him to feel loved and valued. All the security we need from Him to not be fearful or without hope. All the grace we need from Him for forgiveness for our boneheaded decisions. All the mercy and comfort we need from Him, so we can extend mercy and comfort. Our giving Father is our faithful provider!
In Jesus’ iconic story of the prodigal son, the older brother’s ingratitude is exposed. He couldn’t comprehend why he wasn’t the recipient of the same gifts, attention and celebration that his sinful, but repentant younger brother was enjoying. Instead of celebrating his brother’s spiritual resurrection, he demanded recognition for not doing wrong—which was wrong. So self-serving, pride only looks out for its own interests and is jealous over the good fortunes of others. In this case even worse, since spiritual pride is insidious in its self righteous judgment of another.
“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud” (1 Corinthians 13:4).
At work a long term employee feels dismissed by all the attention and accolades a new hire receives, even though she’s served faithfully for many years. A student sees the popularity of a new student and feels threatened that he might lose friends to another so interesting and attractive. A Christian family, not surprisingly, has an obedient child who rarely causes problems, but whose misbehaving sibling garners most of the attention from mom and dad. Jealousy bubbles under the surface of the compliant child calling her to acquiesce to temptation, so she feels attention from her parents. Perfect love awaits those content in being Christ’s beloved—He has all you need.
The infinite love of the Father provides contentment for His followers. Everything He has is available for His children. But, be careful what you ask for—you may not be ready. Instead of learning from his father and enjoying his presence, the prodigal son immaturely demanded his inheritance and squandered it away. A season wasted, even though he already had all he needed. Thankfully, the radical generosity of the Lord’s love compels your love to a higher level. He has everything you need, without having to demand your way. His love trumps greed and jealousy. Everything God has is yours. Love Him. Trust Him. Seek His provision for your life’s vision!
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I praise you for your generous provision, in Jesus’ name, amen.
Application
What do I need to stop stressing over and trust the Lord to provide?
Related Reading
Genesis 24:35; Joshua 17:14; 1 Timothy 1:14; James 1:5
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Perfect love awaits those content in being Christ’s beloved—He has all you need. #WisdomHunters #generous #Jesus
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