What a bountiful heart lies within the bosom of our Heavenly Father! I suspect that one of His greatest pleasures is to bless His children with “good things.” How sad it is that we so often thwart His kind intentions to bestow such blessings.
God’s perspective in this relationship became real to me one time when I found myself in a situation where I was the one giving to another person. There was a particular Christian who I cared about very much. A certain set of circumstances unfolded in such a way that I was going to be in the position to do something very special for this person. However, it was going to take several weeks to accomplish it.
My excitement mounted as I looked to the day I would be able to present my gift. About two weeks before the grand announcement, I received some very disturbing news from a reliable source. The beneficiary of my small act of kindness had done something extremely selfish, deeply hurting another loved one. In one instant, the bottom fell out of my excitement. I still loved this person, but the last thing I wanted to do at that moment was to go through with my surprise gift. The whole plan had already been set in motion and I did in fact make my presentation. Unfortunately, it proved to be a very hollow experience for me.
I can’t help but wonder how many times the Lord has longed to pour out blessings upon His children, but our selfish actions have hindered Him. I suppose only eternity will tell the full story of how often we have cheated ourselves of God’s rich bounty.
Yes, there are those occasions when the Lord goes through with His intended gifts—even though our behavior has not warranted such blessings. At the very least our selfishness has robbed Him of the joy of blessing us—grieved His heart, in fact.
Then there are those times when He gives us what we demand, even though consequences will surely accompany it. Psalm 78 tells the story of the children of Israel in the wilderness demanding food from God. The Message offers it in modern vernacular: “They whined like spoiled children, ‘Why can’t God give us a decent meal in this desert? Sure, he struck the rock and the water flowed, creeks cascaded from the rock. But how about some fresh-baked bread? How about a nice cut of meat?’ When God heard that, he was furious—his anger flared against Jacob, he lost his temper with Israel.” (Psalm 78:19-21 MSG)
Toying with God’s giving nature certainly has its dangers. The best course of action is to live to please the Lord and allow Him to bless us as He sees fit. Surely He will be extremely generous if we will live our lives in this way.