Daily Digest #376

As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God. —Psalm 42:1

Allow me to share the latest entry from the Purpose Driven Life online.

Snatching from God’s Hands of God

“Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Who is he, this King of glory? The LORD Almighty--he is the King of glory” (Psalm 24:8, 10 NIV).

This guest devotional is by Jon Walker, author of ‘Growing with Purpose.’

In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and gave it to man.

We, too, steal things from the One True God:

- We steal when we take matters into our own hands, thinking God is too slow or not coming at all;

- We steal when we insist on our own answer instead of being content with God’s;

- We steal when we grab for something we want, because we think God won’t give it to us;

- We steal when we say we did it when the truth is it only happened because God worked through us.

The problem with this promethean pattern is it destroys our ability to be grateful. If we took it, then we got it no thanks to God or anyone else.

When we snatch things out of the hands of God, it says more about our ability to trust God than it does about whether or not God is trustworthy.

When we grab for what we want, it quite possibly reveals a root of bitterness growing within us, defiling us to think God will not be there for us when we need him (Hebrews 12:15).

When we steal from God’s infinite bounty, we’re submitting to the lie that we’re unworthy to be blessed by God and so we have to take because he’s unlikely to give.

Gratitude is one gauge that measures our dependence on God. The more dependent we are, the more grateful we become.

The psalmist sings of gratitude that overflows your soul, compelling you to praise the Almighty, King of Glory: “I long, yes, I faint with longing to enter the courts of the LORD. With my whole being, body and soul, I will shout joyfully to the living God” (Psalm 84:2 NLT).

Let us pray for enlightenment, encouragement and strength to face and act on the purpose that He has instilled on each of us today. May we be reminded of our duties as humble servants as we await eternal life, and be grateful for another day of blessings and opportunities. May His will be done always. Amen.

Happy Monday! Pray always. God bless!