Thursday, August 23, 2012

Giving is Better than Receiving

Today I was reminded of how selfish I am. I was reminded that God did not promise me glory, material wealth, or comfort here on earth. He promises Himself. And He should be all I need. Not God AND anything. God plus anything = idolatry. I constantly prove to God that I don't understand Him when I create images of a God I'm comfortable with in my head. God is who He says He is and nothing less. I should be giving my all to glorify Him. I should be worshiping Him with every moment of my day and yet I'm constantly worried about myself and receiving things and answers and comforts from Him. I read this verse earlier this summer and I believe that God placed this verse in my heart again through my dear roommate who had a lovely conversation with me on repentance.

Acts 3:19-20 says:

"Repent therefore and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out, that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus."


My constant focus on receiving gifts from God is a selfish act and an idolatrous view of who God is, believing that He's not important enough for me to worship and that His main function is to satisfy my wants. He satisfies my soul and that's all that is important. My times of refreshing will come after I repent of my wrong attitude and God grants me His presence. Giving worship to God will bring me way more joy than anything I could ever receive on this earth. I can rejoice in the presence of the Lord and he provides refreshment for my soul. Thanks be to God for his wonderful blessing of Himself.

No comments:

Post a Comment