What to Use & What to Enjoy
“Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” (Luke 15:31)

“Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours.” (Luke 15:31)
For many of us, faith was easy as children but has become far more difficult to sustain as adults. The problem, at least in part, is that we try to carry our childish faith into adulthood and find it inadequate.
Jesus said that God hears our prayers with the ears of a loving Father who gives good things to His children. With this image of God in mind, we are to ask for what we need and desire. This has led some to incorrectly think God will grant whatever we ask.
We want to be impressed and even overwhelmed by God’s love for us. It should inspire our worship and provoke our obedience, but can we still be motivated by His love if it is indiscriminate?
How do we not constantly compare our circumstances to others’ when everywhere we look, every form of media we engage and virtually everything in our consumer society is designed to make us discontent?
“Just as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, [I ask] that they also may be in Us.” (John 17:21)
We do not live by bread alone. We are more than our desires, and the purpose of life is more than satisfying our natural longings however legitimate they may be.
Pure thanksgiving is possible when we focus on the source of our blessings rather than merely the blessings themselves.
Why do we struggle so much with prayer? I am convinced that much of the burden comes from misunderstanding the purpose of prayer. If we believe that God exists to be used, that He is the means we employ to get what we need or want, then prayer is a necessary chore when life isn’t going the way we desire.
“Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’… Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” (Matthew 6:31-32)
“At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God.” (Exodus 16:12)
“Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another.” (Hebrews 10:24-25)
Why is giving thanks to God with a joyful heart so important? To start, we need to look more closely at God’s heart and what makes Him joyful. We may think of God as powerful, or merciful or loving, but have you considered that God, in His nature, is happy?
This excerpt from Whole-Life Generosity Devotional by GenerousChurch guides us to a more biblical understanding of our citizenship in heaven.
God wants His children to be people who experience and practice an overflowing life gratefully released to God for the blessing of others. This excerpt from Whole-Life Generosity Devotional by GenerousChurch points us to the beginning point of this whole-life generosity.