It happens to all of us — we receive a gift we never requested, wanted, or imagined. Whether an item of clothing that just doesn’t fit your personality and style or a knick-knack whose purpose eludes you, graciously accepting that item can be difficult.
Did you know that God also loves to receive gifts? And sometimes what He is given is not what He desires.
As Christians, we have been taught that God is our ultimate Provider and will give us all that we need. The Old Testament is filled with assurances that God will pour down His blessings on us (Malachi 3:10), satisfy our desires (Isaiah 58:11), and provide us with all good things (Psalm 34:10).
New Testament authors as well as Christ, Himself, spoke of God supplying our needs (Philippians 4:19), working out everything for our good (Romans 8:28), and bestowing daily physical blessings on us (Matthew 6-7).
In return, we are directed to honor God with our praises (Proverbs 3:9-10; Psalm 51:12, 16; Hebrews 13:15-16) and to follow His commandments (Exodus 20). Unfortunately, early Jewish religious leaders translated those directives into some 613 laws, placing heavy, almost impossible expectations on God’s people.
Jesus often reminded His listeners that the laws they attempted to follow could never make them as holy as God required. He stated that man’s hearts rather than the foods they ate made them evil and unpleasing to God (Matthew 15:11-20). Hundreds of years earlier, both Samuel and King David clarified that the Creator desires only obedience stemming from a pure heart (Samuel 15:22-23; Psalm 51:10-12, 16-17).
Imagine your daily thoughts and actions as physical gifts selected to place before God’s throne. Do your rigid, judgmental expectations of others delight His heart? Are you certain the choices you make indicate your understanding of His love and holiness?
Our heavenly Father has openly revealed what pleases Him the most — the gift of willing, loving obedience (Micah 6:8; 1 Samuel 15:22-23; Jeremiah 7:21-22). Anything less is unnecessary and unwanted.
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