Welcome to another day the Lord has made that we should rejoice and be glad in. (Psalms 118:24)

Let’s spend today appreciating what we have because of who has us.

Today’s scripture, Hebrews 13:5 (NLT) says…
[5] Don’t love money; be satisfied with what you have. For God has said, “I will never fail you. I will never abandon you.”

Consider…
I remember when my oldest son was a little fella, he asked me for McDonald’s. When I told him that daddy didn’t have any money, he told me to just write on the piece of paper and give it to the person in the window to pay for it. He, like his siblings, believed his daddy could provide all he needed and wanted.

My children’s confidence in me reminds me of Matthew 18:2-3 (ERV), which says…
[2] Jesus called a little child to come to him. He stood the child in front of the followers. [3] Then he said, “The truth is, you must change your thinking and become like little children. If you don’t do this, you will never enter God’s kingdom.

God wants us to have unquestioning faith in Him, like the three Hebrew boys in Daniel 3:16-18 (ERV). Scripture says…
[16] Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, “Nebuchadnezzar, we don’t need to explain these things to you. [17] If you throw us into the hot furnace, the God we serve can save us. And if he wants to, he can save us from your power. [18] But even if God does not save us, we want you to know, King, that we refuse to serve your gods. We will not worship the gold idol you have set up.”

Just like my son, these three boys believed their Heavenly Father could, regardless of if He would! Do you believe the same thing about our Heavenly Father?

According to our big Brother, God wants us to have comlete confidence in our Heavenly Father. He tells us in Matthew 6:31-33 (ERV)…
[31] “Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’ [32] That’s what those people who don’t know God are always thinking about. Don’t worry, because your Father in heaven knows that you need all these things. [33] What you should want most is God’s kingdom and doing what he wants you to do. Then he will give you all these other things you need.

Do you know that our Heavenly Father really doesn’t want us to worry about anything? The Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle Paul to write Philippians 4:6 (ERV) which says…
[6] Don’t worry about anything, but pray and ask God for everything you need, always giving thanks for what you have.

God says, don’t worry, just ask! And be thankful retrospectively and prospectively.

Being thankful is a crucial part of not worrying. That’s because, being thankful conjures thoughts of contentment and appreciation.

Contentment and appreciation were two of the most endearing qualities of my wife, as I got to know her. She literally appreciated all the little things in life, including me 🤗. I remember telling her that she was the embodiment of Philippians 4:11-13 (NLT)…
[11] Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. [12] I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. [13] For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

She has taught me, along with Paul’s testimony, that when you appreciate what you have, you don’t worry about what you want.

So, do you appreciate what you have or worry about what you want?

Let’s circle back and deconstruct today’s scripture. The Holy Spirit inspired the author to outline…

• Don’t love money. That’s key because 1 Timothy 6:10 teaches the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.
• Be satisfied with what you have. That’s because 2 Corinthians 9:8 (NLT) says…[8] And God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others.
• God promises not to fail us. That’s critical, be 2 Timothy 2:13 (NLT) testifies…[13] If we are unfaithful, he remains faithful, for he cannot deny who he is.
• God promises to never abandon us. I like the Psalmist said it in Psalms 73:26 (NLT)…[26] My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; he is mine forever.

Our Heavenly Father is telling us that we can be content because He’s always got us!

So today, I encourage you to join me in appreciating and being satisfied with our Savior!

Today’s Song is…
So Satisfied

Blessings 4HG (1 Corinthians 10:31)