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“I do not give to you as the world gives.”
— Jesus
John 14:27
Hang these 10 words on a string this Thanksgiving & you’ll have the explanation- not the answer but explanation-for so much that baffles us about God.
— Jesus
John 14:27
Hang these 10 words on a string this Thanksgiving & you’ll have the explanation- not the answer but explanation-for so much that baffles us about God.
“Lord, I asked You in faith without doubting for that and You did not give it to me.”
I do not give to you as the world gives.
“Lord, what others received naturally took years and miracles for me to get. I do not understand Your ways.”
I do not give to you as the world gives.
I do not give to you as the world gives.
“Lord, what others received naturally took years and miracles for me to get. I do not understand Your ways.”
I do not give to you as the world gives.
We’re trained by the world to judge what qualifies as a gift. Success. Money. Importance. Talent. Natural gifting. Promotions. Great health. Great house. Our kids winning all their competitions. Our teams winning their championships.
“I do not give to you as the world gives.”
“I do not give to you as the world gives.”
We have so often thought He was holding out on us when, all along, He was offering us a far greater gift. I do not want to romanticize the example I’m about to use because it’s been painful & tearful but nothing has had bigger implications. I wanted a really secure & happy home.
What we got instead was a lot of grace to make it. What we got instead were enough happy times to make decent memories. What we got instead was a lot of practice forgiving. What we got was prayer. I learned how to get up before the sun rose and fight for my family in prayer.
What we got instead was FAITH. Because the “seen” didn’t come through like I yearned for & in all the ways I hoped for, I had to set my sights on things unseen. And most of all, what I got was Jesus. Jesus Himself. Just making it on Him every day. I have friends who got it all.
They had really great romances, relationships, stability! AND great faith. But that’s not my business. Jesus knows what He’s after with each of us. To think otherwise is for us to think like the world. To you He says, to me He says,
“I DO NOT GIVE TO YOU AS THE WORLD GIVES.”
“I DO NOT GIVE TO YOU AS THE WORLD GIVES.”
My prayer for us this Thanksgiving is that we’ll give profuse thanks for such wonderful things Jesus has done for us that we can behold with our eyes & hold in our arms - but also be moved in gratitude for those things this world could never give us. Those are our forever gifts.
