This morning, the Lord reminded me of something that I think we can all stand to hear. It has to do with "receiving". The image I saw in the Spirit when thinking about this was like in baseball when someone tosses you the ball... it's up to YOU to catch it. You don't have to catch things that are thrown at you, it is your choice.
First of all, In life we can have good things tossed to us (so to speak). These may be answers from God, encouragement from others, or other blessings. Again, it is up to us to take a hold of those things when they come our way. This is the simple concept of receiving. We must literally "take hold" of what is being offered.
Years ago, I wrote a simple song for altar time which succinctly said "Ask and believe, have faith and receive, He's ready to meet your need!" The God we serve is one who gives generously to all who ask, according to His will and purpose for our lives. We don't have to "earn" His favor or achieve some high standard in order to be blessed or have our prayers answered. He liberally gives to ALL who seek Him. And if we have a need or a mess in our lives that needs the mercy of God applied... we should be bold and ask the Father for what we need. The point I really want to drive home here though is that we must RECEIVE what is being offered to us. What's really cool is that usually when God gives something to us, it's a free gift... we just have to reach out and take it. Mercy? Free! Grace? Free! Salvation? Free! Wisdom? Free! Direction? Free! Hope? Free! Healing? Free!!!!!! When we receive the "good", it brings health and nourishment to our souls and we grow stronger in Him!
On the flip side, in life we can have bad things tossed to us. These may be harsh or unfair criticisms of our character, ungodly opinions, temptations, or even the rotten fruits of ungodliness (hate, jealousy, rage, unkindness, worry, etc). If you receive things like that when they are tossed to you, you end up being soiled by their filth and become like a living trash can! Sadly I can say that looking across our congregations across the nation, I see a lot of "garbage dumps" rather than people living in the wake of receiving God's best for their lives. These things end up costing us dearly in the end (unlike the free life-giving gifts of the Lord). They steal our joy, rob our peace, and grip us with fear.
So, I ask you today, what kinds of things are you receiving today? YOU play a vital role in the course of your life simply by what you are "receiving". My prayer for us today is that God will literally direct us in what we "receive" and give us the discernment and wisdom to know what to catch and what not to! And if you've received anything that needs to go into the trash... don't keep holding onto it... put it where it belongs!!!!!
Blessings to you today, friend! May you receive God's best in your life today!
Receiving
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