8.21.9 "What Right Do You Have?"

"What Right Do You Have?"

Job 1:1-3:26
I Corinthians 14:1-17
Psalm 37:12-28
Proverbs 21:25-26

Another familiar portion of scripture today. We know the story of Job: A Godly man who does not turn against God in times of hardship. His response to the calamity that falls on his life is in verse 21: "'I came naked from my mother's womb,' he said, 'and I shall have nothing when I die. The Lord gave me everything I had, and they were his to take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.'"

Looking at this portion of scripture gives us a good opportunity to evaluate where we are at in our Christian maturity. Would my response resemble Job's? My first reaction is probably not. Why is that?

It really comes down to the fact that we feel we have a "right" to things. When God blesses us, somehow we attach ourselves to that blessing and we make it "ours". If you've ever seen "Finding Nemo", we're like the seagulls that always go around saying "mine! mine! mine!"

Often it takes a significant event in our lives to bring to light how connected we really are. Our youth pastor & his family lost everything in a house fire on a Saturday night. They were in church that next night & I spoke briefly with Heather, and she said, "We're fine, it's just 'stuff'." Sure, there were tears for heirlooms and other memories that were gone, but there was no despair.

How connected to your "stuff" are you? Whether you live in a place of great financial blessing, or adequate provision, you are blessed with your "stuff". You know what? You have no right to any of it. It is only by the grace of God you have what you have. You have no "right" to good health. No "right" to financial gain. It's purely by the grace of God.

Living with that attitude can make quite a difference. It's much easier to live the Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship when we are not hung up on our "rights". When we realize what little we really deserve, we are already postured for worship. This denial of our fleshly desire for rights opens our eyes to the greatness of God, his awesome power, and his love for us.

You may have heard the phrase, "I know God wont give me more than I can handle, but I wish he wouldn't trust me so much." there are times when our "connectivity" to the blessings will be tested. Realizing that everything is God's sure takes away some of the worry and fret over these issues.

Don't get out of balance in this, however. We are still Responsible to be good stewards of the blessings he has given us. We are to put the blessings of time, talent and resource to work to bring an increase for the kingdom, but they are not "ours". They are his. What I'm saying is that to be blessed with a thousand dollars and say "oh it's not mine, it's God's" and set the pile of money on the front step and let it blow away is not God's plan either. To live the DREAM, we must understand the principle of Active Ministry involvement is Responsibility. We must be good stewards of all that God has given us. But never get out of balance to the point that we think what is given to us is ours.

Psalm 37:23-26 says, "The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take. If they fall it isn't fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand. I have been young and now I am old. And in all my years I have never seen the Lord forsake a man who loves him; nor have I seen the children of the godly go hungry. Instead, the godly are able to be generous with their gifts and loans to others, and their children are a blessing."

Our life may be filled with abundance, or it may be scarred by disease, but the circumstances don't change the fact that we have not been forsaken. All we have is the Lord's. We are in the palm of his hand.

We don't have any right to any of the blessing we have, but in his infinite wisdom, graciousness, love and mercy, God has poured out these blessings upon us. Take time today to say, "Blessed be the Name of the Lord!"



Through the Power of the Spirit,
Live the DREAM!

P Greg


Dynamic Lifestyle of Worship
Relationships Devoted to Unity
Empowered Through Biblical Training
Active Ministry Involvement
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