DRAWING NEAR
March 25
Appreciating God's Gifts
"Give us this day our daily bread" (Matt. 6:11).
God has given us everything good to enjoy, including rain to make
things grow, minerals to make the soil fertile, animals for food and
clothing, and energy for industry and transportation. Everything we
have is from Him, and we are to be thankful for it all.
Jesus said, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to
your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give
what is good to those who ask Him!" (Matt. 7:11). James 1:17 says,
"Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above,
coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no
variation, or shifting shadow." Paul added, "Everything created by
God is good, and nothing is to be rejected, if it is received with
gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and
prayer" (1 Tim. 4:4-5).
Sadly, unbelievers don't acknowledge God's goodness, though they
benefit from it every day. They attribute His providential care to
luck or fate and His gracious provisions to nature or false gods.
They do not honor Him as God or give Him thanks (Rom. 1:21).
The great Puritan writer Thomas Watson wrote, "If all be a gift, see
the odious ingratitude of men who sin against their giver! God feeds
them, and they fight against him; he gives them bread, and they give
him affronts. How unworthy is this! Should we not cry shame of him
who had a friend always feeding him with money, and yet he should
betray and injure him? Thus ungratefully do sinners deal with God;
they not only forget his mercies, but abuse them. 'When I had fed
them to the full, they then committed adultery [Jer. 5:7].' Oh, how
horrid is it to sin against a bountiful God!--to strike the hands
that relieve us!" (The Lord's Prayer [London: The Banner of Truth
Trust, 1972], p. 197).
How sad to see such ingratitude, yet how thrilling to know that the
infinite God cares for us and supplies our every need. Don't ever
take His provisions for granted! Look to Him daily and receive His
gifts with a thankful heart.
Suggestions for Prayer:
Be generous with your praise for God's abundant blessings.
For Further Study:
Read Genesis 1:29-31, noting the variety of foods God created for
your enjoyment.
Drawing Near, Copyright c 1993 John F. MacArthur,Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Romans 1:21 (NKJV)
21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God,
nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their
foolish hearts were darkened.
Genesis 1:29-31
29 And God said, "See, I have given you every herb that yields seed
which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit
yields seed; to you it shall be for food.
30 "Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and
to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I
have given every green herb for food"; and it was so.
31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very
good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
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In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase1@wideopenwest.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
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To forgive is to set a prisoner free, and to discover that the prisoner was you. -Alistair Begg
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