Ha ha! Just Try!
By Belinda
Happiness is sitting, stomach full of a good supper; Mozart playing quietly on the CD player; candle flame flickering, dancing, and perfuming the room with the scent of cinnamon and cloves; a warm, soft yellow cotton throw, over my knees; the clock ticking, and in this abundance of comfort; the great luxury of time to think, read, pray and reflect.
Tonight I had cause to reflect on the choice we have to give lavishly, generously and with abandonment when investing in God's Kingdom. To be honest I came to be "reflecting" as an improvement on "grouchily ruminating" over a decision made by my love, who has always known how to give recklessly but doesn't always tell me about what he has done until afterwards. But I have found that you can even grouchily ruminate over something and as long as you do it with a prayer in your heart, God will honour the prayer and show up with his light and shine in the darkness--and that's what he did as I sat in the quiet this evening.
First he changed my heart as I journaled my thoughts and followed his lead to various scripture passages. And then he reminded me of some things that I know very well but needed to be reminded of; firstly, that all that we have, has come from God's hand--it all belongs to him; and that you can never out give God. As I thought that thought, I almost heard him laughing and saying, "Just try--just try me and see!"
Happiness is sitting, stomach full of a good supper; Mozart playing quietly on the CD player; candle flame flickering, dancing, and perfuming the room with the scent of cinnamon and cloves; a warm, soft yellow cotton throw, over my knees; the clock ticking, and in this abundance of comfort; the great luxury of time to think, read, pray and reflect.
Tonight I had cause to reflect on the choice we have to give lavishly, generously and with abandonment when investing in God's Kingdom. To be honest I came to be "reflecting" as an improvement on "grouchily ruminating" over a decision made by my love, who has always known how to give recklessly but doesn't always tell me about what he has done until afterwards. But I have found that you can even grouchily ruminate over something and as long as you do it with a prayer in your heart, God will honour the prayer and show up with his light and shine in the darkness--and that's what he did as I sat in the quiet this evening.
First he changed my heart as I journaled my thoughts and followed his lead to various scripture passages. And then he reminded me of some things that I know very well but needed to be reminded of; firstly, that all that we have, has come from God's hand--it all belongs to him; and that you can never out give God. As I thought that thought, I almost heard him laughing and saying, "Just try--just try me and see!"
Malachi 3:8-12
The Message (MSG)
8-11 “Begin by being honest. Do honest people rob God? But you rob me day after day.“You ask, ‘How have we robbed you?’“The tithe and the offering—that’s how! And now you’re under a curse—the whole lot of you—because you’re robbing me. Bring your full tithe to the Temple treasury so there will be ample provisions in my Temple. Test me in this and see if I don’t open up heaven itself to you and pour out blessings beyond your wildest dreams. For my part, I will defend you against marauders, protect your wheat fields and vegetable gardens against plunderers.” The Message of God-of-the-Angel-Armies.12 “You’ll be voted ‘Happiest Nation.’ You’ll experience what it’s like to be a country of grace.” God-of-the-Angel-Armies says so.
Comments
Deborah