Give and Take

"Naked I came from my mother’s womb, And naked shall I return there. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.”  In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong.

Job 1:21-22 NKJV

We have heard it said that life is all about the give and take. I'm inclined to agree with that. While we may think that being given something all the time may sound like living a blessed life, it's wrong. Have you ever been in a relationship where it was all one-sided? If it's you doing all the giving - time, energy, etc - it gets old pretty quick. By the same token, if you're on the receiving end all the time without the opportunity to give back, that doesn't work either. It is give AND take. That's what makes a relationship.

We've all heard numerous sermons about being a blessing to others. However, there is the danger of becoming the Bless ME generation - believing the teaching that propagates the untruth that God is there just to bless us. How many people do you know who have fallen away from following the Lord because something bad happened or they didn't get what they wanted and they believed God should have, would have, could have done something? Therein lies the danger. We accuse God of wronging us when we don't get what we want.

We were / are created for worship. We are to worship God. We are to bless Him. And while it IS true that God will bless us, Hebrews 11:6 assures us He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. It also says that without faith it is impossible to please God and that those who come to God must believe that He IS. Does God withhold from us? Yes, He does. Does He withhold from us just to be mean or just because He can? No, absolutely not! He is our Father - a true Father. One who is all about caring for His children, loving us, raising us up to be the best that we can be...and that means training AND discipline. That's REAL love. That's TRUE love.

Scripture tells us He delights in us. It is His good pleasure to give us the kingdom (Luke 12:32). According to His good pleasure, He laid out the plan for our salvation so we could be adopted by Him (Ephesians 1:5), revealing to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself (Ephesians 1:9).

God gives us freedom (Psalm 146:7). He gives us wisdom (Proverbs 2:6). The Lord gives rest from our sorrow and from our fear and from our hard bondages... and even though that Scripture (Isaiah 14:3) is in reference to the fall of the Babylonian king, the Word also tells us in Acts 10:34-35, that God shows no favoritism. In every nation he accepts those who fear him and do what is right.

God so loved the world that He GAVE His Son to die on the Cross for OUR sins (John 3:16). Behold the Lamb of God who TAKES away the sin of the world (John 1:29). Let us learn the lesson from Job. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; Blessed be the name of the LORD.

Prayer:

Father,

          You are holy and You are righteous and You are God and we are not. We acknowledge Your lordship and submit ourselves to You. We give our lives to You and ask that You take away everything in our heart that does not please You. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen