Some Christians mistakenly believe that God gives and also takes away. At funerals, we sometimes hear the minister say, “The Lord giveth, and the Lord taketh. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
I remember an occasion when I was looking at a baby who was suffering from cancer. I heard one of his family members comment, “You can’t be sure what God’s will is. He may or may not heal.” What that person meant was that although the Lord had given the parents this baby, He might later take the baby away from them.
Job displayed this very same attitude when he received the news that he had lost his property and children. Thinking that God was the source of his problems and not knowing that it was actually Satan who had come against him, he said, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). Such a statement seems to honor God, but in reality, it reveals an erroneous view of our heavenly Father.
As children of God, we know what the Father’s will is for us. He is a giver, not a taker! Jesus said, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). It is the devil who is the thief. He comes to steal, kill and destroy. But Jesus came to give us life more abundant (see John 10:10).
Jesus met every need and healed every sickness brought before Him, and at the cross, He gave His own life. Never once did He take anything away from the people who came to Him. And the Bible says that whoever has seen Jesus has seen the Father (see John 14:9).
Beloved, your heavenly Father wants you to know today that He is the one who gives you all good things. And if He has already given us heaven’s best—Jesus, “how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
"I'M HERE TO TELL YOU" EDITOR'S NOTE
See how erroneous thinking can leave us hopeless and at odds with God. There are so many things in life that we just take at face value and believe that it's just 'God's will'. The children of God know God's will. They know that God's is not out after them. They know that He isn't just waiting for us to mess up so He can curse us. They know that God loves them. That God loves them so much that He did't even spare His own Son for us. That He has given us every good thing - already. That He loves and comforts us every day. That He gave us His own Holy Spirit, to be in us and guide us all the days we have here on earth. And that when we die a physical death, that He has already made new creations of us that will dwell in the house of the Lord forever. God loves you. Today, pray to God that He will make you see that He loves you and always is for you and that after all, God is love.
