January 7, 2015
I Want, I Need, God Wants Me to Have
Sharon Jaynes
Today’s Truth
But godliness with contentment is great gain(1 Timothy 6:6 NIV).
Friend to Friend
Mary Elizabeth was strolling down the cookie aisle at Wal-Mart with her three-year-old daughter, Sarah, riding comfortably in the “front seat” of the shopping buggy. Suddenly, Sarah spied a box of sugar cookies, coated with pink icing and decorated with multicolored sprinkles.
Her eyes brightened with enthusiasm as she put on her best cherub face. “Mommy, I want those cookies.”
“Oh, Sarah,” replied her mom, “we don’t need any cookies today. We have plenty at home. Maybe another time.”
Ten minutes later, as Mary Elizabeth passed through the checkout line, Sarah tried again. “Mommy, I need those cookies.”
“No, Sarah, you don’t need those cookies. We have plenty at home, and I’m not buying cookies today.”
Finally, as they pulled out of the Wal-Mart parking lot, Sarah gave it one last try. “Mommy, I think God wants me to have those cookies.”
I laughed as my friend told me her story. It was a nervous laugh. For just a moment, I saw myself riding through life in a shopping buggy, pointing at first one thing and then another whining, “I want…I need…God wants me to have.”
Sarah already had learned our mechanism for justifying our whims. Whether it’s sugar cookies with sprinkles on top or granite countertops, given enough time we can justify our wants following that same progression. Before we know it, we’re saying “God wants me to have” when He’s said no such thing. For Sarah, she went from I want to I need to God wants me to have in a matter of minutes. For us, it may take a little longer, but the tendency is still there.
God is very clear that He will supply us with everything we need and that can be a far cry from everything we want. I’ve often heard that contented person is not a person who has everything she wants, but a person who wants everything she already has.
As we enter this New Year, let’s strive to be women who are gratefully content. And girlfriend, you really don’t need those cookies with sprinkles anyway.
Let’s Pray
Dear Heavenly Father, forgive me when I act like a child who wants more, more, more. Forgive me when I go from “I want” to “God wants me to have” in the blink of an eye. I say with the psalmist, “The Lord is my shepherd. I have everything I need.”
In Jesus’ Name,
Amen.
Now It’s Your Turn
Have you ever justified your wants by saying that God wants you to have them?
Ouch! That hurts, doesn’t it?
Ponder these two verses today.
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19 NIV).
His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness (2 Peter 1:3 NIV).
Here’s today’s challenge. Let’s memorize Psalm 23:1 from the New Living Translation.
Because the Lord is my shepherd, I have everything I need!
If you’ll join me, click over to my Facebook page and say, “I’m in!”
More from the Girlfriends
Don’t you just love it when God speaks to you through stories? He is always speaking, but we’re not always listening. I never want to miss what He has to say. Let’s make 2015 a year that we become even more in tune to the frequency of His voice. To learn more about how to detect His gentle nudges and quiet whispers, see my book, Becoming a Woman Who Listens to God.
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Girlfriends in God
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