Reveration Blog
8/23/2023 0 Comments Ability
Meditation
Deuteronomy 8:17-18--You may say to yourself, ‘My power and my own ability have gained this wealth for me,’ but remember that the Lord your God gives you the power to gain wealth, in order to confirm His covenant He swore to your fathers, as it is today. In God’s kingdom, ability does not equal identity. This cuts two ways. The Israelites may have felt good about their power to accumulate possessions, but Moses quickly reminded them that God was responsible for their success. According to God, Susana’s ability for good is irrelevant if she thinks it is her admission ticket. Heaven is not accessible by our aptitude because all of us are tainted with sin and therefore offensive to our holy Creator (Romans 3:23). Only through faith in Jesus is sin dealt with and ability validated and rewarded for eternal purposes. Conversely, many followers of Jesus get a case of collywobbles when, like Joe, they try to measure their worth to God based on ability. God is not concerned that you cannot fix a car, play the trombone, write or speak well, run fast, or get straight A’s in school. God measures ability by what proceeds from our hearts. When you give to meet a need from a place of scarcity, God sees it and applauds (Mark 12:42,43). He does not look at poverty; He looks at generosity. When you do your best before Him, that is a quality offering weighed by heavenly understanding. Ignore the sarcasm or criticism of those who puff their chests at superior performance yet lack humility. Their talent is nullified by pride. Do your best is always a wise mantra in the context of working for the Lord. What is remarkable in God’s economy is how he takes what we think is meager and turns it into something special—like the small boy with five barley loaves and two fish. He gave what he had to the disciples, who passed them on to the Messiah, who then fed 5,000 people with twelve baskets of leftovers (John 6:9-13). Never measure ability on human scales. Consecrate what you have and who you are to the Lord, and let Him surprise, bless, and equip you for even more excellent service. He can. Inspiration “God does not begin by asking our ability, only our availability, and if we prove our dependability, He will increase our capability.”—Neal A. Maxwell ©2023 Daniel York ARR. Reveration is the weekly devotional ministry of First Cause. To receive these devotionals, go to www.firstcause.org and click on the “Click here to receive weekly devotionals” box. Unlimited permission to copy this devotional without altering text or profiteering is allowed, subject to the inclusion of this copyright notice. Ecclesiastes 12:10-The Teacher sought to find delightful sayings and to accurately write words of truth. (Holman CSB)
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Photo from Rachel Maxey Miles