Don’t Spit in God’s Face
February 1, 2009
by Maria Simone
I was purchasing some new clothes at the mall today, and was talking with the sales clerk about healthy eating and exercise. She proceeded to tell me how she walks on a regular basis and listens to her body’s cues for eating. She said she realizes that God has blessed her with her body, and she “doesn’t want to spit in God’s face” by failing to take care of it. Her statement hit me like a ton of bricks. I had never thought about my poor choices as “spitting in God’s face”, but when I squander a blessing He has given me, or fail to accept one of His gifts, that is essentially what I am doing.
Ephesians 1:3 says “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ”. Every spiritual blessing – not some, not most, but every spiritual blessing. Our spiritual blessing account is always full to the brim. Take a look at James 1:17 for a moment – “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows”. There we go again with that word every. God doesn’t do anything half-way, He’s gonna do it all the way or not at all. So we see from these two verses that we, as believers in Christ, already have every spiritual blessing, and that every good gift that we have is from God Himself – that’s every material possession you have, your house, your body, your job, your kids, your spouse, food to eat, every answered prayer, your clothes, the fact that you can walk…I could go on and on.
Okay, so if everything we have is literally from God, what is our role in this? Our role is three-fold.
Number one, we must receive His blessings. This means not letting our pride get in the way when someone is trying to bless us with a gift. It means not letting ourselves feel condemned after confessing our sin, when God has already given us total forgiveness in Christ. And finally, it means receiving the freely-given fullness of God’s love for us, instead of trying to fill ourselves in other ways.
Number two, we are to be continually thankful to God for all He has given us. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “…give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus”.
Third and last, we are to be good stewards of these blessings that He has entrusted to us, to use them for HIS glory. Dictionary.com defines the word steward as “a person who manages another’s property or financial affairs; one who administers anything as the agent of another or others“. We represent God, and how we manage His blessings speaks volumes to a watching world. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25 reveals that Jesus is pleased when we are faithful with what He has given us, because it brings Him glory. This can mean, for example, taking care of your body through healthy eating and exercise, giving a portion of your money in tithes and offerings, loving your spouse and children, or praying for someone who needs a touch from the Lord. God will show you what He wants you to do.
Do I have a long way to go in this area? Absolutely. But as we surrender to the Lord in each area of our lives, He is faithful to conform us to the image of His Son Jesus. So together, my friends, let’s ask the Lord to open our hearts to receive every blessing He has for us, to be thankful in all circumstances, and to be good stewards of all that He has entrusted to us, for the glory of His name!
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