Today : Love the Giver More Than The Gifts
TODAY’S VERSE
“Jesus replied, ‘I tell you the truth, you want to be with me because I fed you, not because you understood the miraculous signs. – At this point many of his disciples turned away and deserted him. Then Jesus turned to the Twelve and asked, ‘Are you also going to leave?’” Matthew 6:26, 66-67 (NLT)
TODAY’S THOUGHT
Sometimes we don’t get it. Our priorities get all mixed up. Like many of Jesus’ disciples, we follow Him for the food and miracles. We want His blessings. We have the offer of a deep relationship with God and yet we would rather have the blessings than the blesser. After all the time they spent together, Jesus still had to ask His disciples, “Are you also going to leave?” In his book, “The Pressures Off”, Dr. Larry Crabb writes, “Until we develop a taste for God, we prefer a better life of blessings from God over a better hope of intimacy with Him.” But what happens when blessings don’t come? What happens when the job we wanted doesn’t pan out, when sickness interrupts our plans, our children don’t act the way we think they should? When our eyes are on our circumstances and not our creator, it is easy to get discouraged. We can lose hope and become bitter. Why, because we have worshipped the gifts and not the giver, the blessings and not the blesser. Today, we need to renew our love for God. Knowing Him is the real blessing. We need to love God, who alone is our source of our joy. No matter what circumstances come our way, as we develop a relationship with God and truly love Him, we will find true peace and joy in life.
TODAY’S PRAYER
Father, help me love You today more than ever. Help me seek You more than Your blessings. Help me understand Your love for me and the incredible joy that is mine as I follow You.
AMEN
TODAY’S AFFIRMATION & MEDITATION
I desire to know God more
It’s about trust and knowing that His love for us is real. Today meditate on His unconditional love for you. Let the thought of His love overtake your senses. Ask Him to open the, “eyes of your heart” that you may truly know how great His love is for you. Go from a “head” knowing to a “heart” knowing. Feel His love. See God Almighty looking at you, holding you and touching you with His love. Ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His love. More than blessings, more than fame, more than success, more than honor today desire Him.