Only God Can Provide

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Jan 5, 2015 Only God Can Provide by Rick Warren “Since he did not spare even his own Son for us but gave him up for us all, won’t he also surely give us everything else?” Romans 8:32 (TLB) The major cause of stress in your life is worry. You worry because you wonder if you will have what you need when you need it. But anytime you expect other people to meet your needs instead of God, you’re going to be frustrated and disappointed, because nobody can meet all your needs. Only God can meet all your needs. If you want a cure for stress, you need to learn to look to God to meet your needs. Some people find their security in their job, and when they lose their job, they lose their peace of mind. Others put their security in their marriage. Then their spouse dies or they go through a divorce, and they ask, “Who am I? What is my identity?” Or maybe you put your security in your money. There are a lot of ways to lose your money. I recommend that you never put your security in anything that can be taken away from you. You can lose your job, your health, your reputation, your spouse, and your mind. But you cannot lose your relationship to Christ. When you put your security in that promise, you can trust God to meet all your needs. Romans 8:32 says, “Since he did not spare even his own Son for us but gave him up for us all, won’t he also surely give us everything else?” (TLB) If God loved you enough to send Jesus Christ to die on the cross, don’t you think he loves you enough to take care of every other need in your life? Yes! Of course he does. Every time you start to get stressed out, you need to pause and say, “The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1 ESV). God’s going to provide. He’s going to take care of you. Instead of stressing out, you need to look to him to meet all your needs. Talk It Over How do you normally react when you have a major need in your life? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4wZU1STsi4 What do you need in your life today? Do you trust God to provide for it? What kinds of things do you think God wants to give you? What do you think he wants you to do with those things?

Love the Job You’re In TODAY’S SCRIPTURE “Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Colossians 3:23, NLT) TODAY’S WORD from Joel and Victoria Some people think that loving their work means they won’t have to work hard, or that they won’t have frustrations. No, those things are all a part of life. But ultimately, God can help you enjoy what you’re doing. When you’re in God’s will, there will be a joy on the inside and in your spirit, you will feel a sense of accomplishment. When you’re serving in your purpose, you will be fulfilled and enjoy your life. You’ll live the best life that God intended for you — and He’ll take you places that you’ve never even dreamed of! You’ll experience the abundant life He has in store. Our deepest desire for you is that you discover and follow God’s perfect will — knowing your calling, so that one day you can look back and say, “This is why God put me here.” A PRAYER FOR TODAY God, I want to thank You today for giving me meaningful and fulfilling work to do. Help me to see Your ultimate purpose and experience Your joy in even the most ordinary aspects of my work. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.