Every Necessary Thing

As I prayed this morning, laying November on the altar before the Lord, its potential for achievement and gain, the Holy Spirit impressed on me the truth that I have "more than enough".

Don't you just love November?  Despite the fact that I lost my precious, best-in-the-world daddy twenty years ago this month, it is still one of my most favorite months of the year.  I just love being thankful and grateful, although I'm not very good at it! 

Most of the time, my prayers are along the lines of "let me be more for You, do more for You, expand Your kingdom with the gifts You have given me...", etc.  Not a selfish, prideful prayer, I hope, but also not a prayer of thankfulness and gratefulness.

I shared with you back in January of this year that God had given me a word for 2017 and that the word was "grateful".  Goodness, I could do an entire post on how He has worked that word through and through my life so far this year.  Oddly enough, it has occurred against the backdrop of loss.

As I stare 60 in the face, this year I've lost several old friends and dear loved ones.  Let me just name some of them here, even though most of you won't know them.
Clifton, Lessie, Mozelle, Ted, Jeanne, Mike, Bob, Al, Jewell, . . . April and May were particularly rough.

God reminds me, through His Word that, despite earthly losses and difficult circumstances, this is the only hell I will ever know.  Because ... Jesus.
In the words of the apostle Peter - - -

I can pray this because his divine power has bestowed on us everything necessary for life and godliness through the rich knowledge of the one who called us by his own glory and excellence.

2 Peter 1:3 (NET)

Do we really believe those words, Christian?  You know, yesterday, there was another horrific terrorist attack in our country.  Unfortunately, we become more and more anesthetized to them, as they seem to be intensifying in their frequency.  I heard on the morning news that the perpetrator is in the hospital and is GLEEFUL about what he did.  He is gleeful and giving all the glory to his false god, Allah, for the death, injury and destruction he caused.  The god of this world, Satan, has deceived this man, and others like him, causing them to believe that they are gaining favor through their heinous, deadly, hateful acts.

Do we believe there is hope for him, that Jesus is what this man needs?  Do we believe that Jesus could radically transform his life?  Do we as Christians deeply believe that we truly possess the world's greatest treasure and that He lives within our hearts?  Or, have we acquiesced to Satan's deception - - - that our spiritual treasures (the Spirit, His fruits of righteousness, scripture and prayer, worship and giving) are simply NOT ENOUGH?  For someone like this muslim man?  Or, for each of us, God's very own beloved?

I will not grade my life on my accomplishments, my life events, my perceived "failures" or "successes", because those are transient and illusive.  The truth is this:
Yes, in Jesus, I "have it all", everything necessary.  He is more than enough for me and, yes, I am grateful!