So in telling people how we "wheeled and dealed" and came out so far ahead, JM and I started to feel pretty good about our tag team negotiating skills. We started patting ourselves on the back....and totally missed the mark.
Today, church was humbling as our assistant pastor, Young Lee, gently reminded us that all gifts are from the Lord. In listening to the study in Exodus, it it clear that God always provided sufficiently for Israel whether they deserved it or not. Time after time, God provides for us solely by his grace and not by our merit.
The sermon was specifically on the eighth commandment, "Do not steal." As pointed out today, this commandment preserves the sanctity of God's physical provisions. In this economy, while we may not be driven to commit illegal acts, our heart of "wanting" is amplified. Instead we need to remember that the Lord is our Jehovah-Jireh "God will Provide."
I constantly have to remind myself: I deserve nothing; I've earned nothing; I've been given everything. God has provided it all and His greatest gift is Jesus Christ.
Since recently going through some tough medical issues, I have been working on recognizing God's everyday blessings. Today, I am ashamed at how quickly I took credit for one of those blessings.
Here's to praising the Lord for a very undeserved gift!
