Receive

A few months ago I was flipping through the channels and stopped to watch a TV evangelist for a couple of minutes. She was talking about receiving blessings. We are really good about asking for blessings, but we are not very good at receiving them. We tend to believe that we don't deserve them. So when the blessings come we don't declare them, we don't accept them, we feel that we are not worthy.

There's a guy that I run into from time to time and when I ask him "How ya doin?" his answer is always the same, "Better than I deserve". Which sounds like he feels that God is blessing him, which is true. But every time he says it I cringe. Without realizing it he is saying that God is blessing him but he doesn't deserve those blessings. He does deserve them. He has gone through some pretty tough times in his life, but he made the decision to follow Christ and change his life around. He prays, he volunteers, he's a good father, he's a good man. He does deserve God's blessings (victories), but his words say that he isn't worthy of them.

When God blesses us we need to joyfully receive those blessing. If we don't it's like getting a great birthday present from a loved one, but telling them we don't want it because we don't deserve it. We are denying them their joy.

What would happen today if we believed that we do deserve God's blessings (victories)? What would happen today if we joyfully received those blessings? What would happen today if we got down on our knees every night and thanked God for His love and declared the victories of the day? What would happen today if we stopped denying God His joy?

What would happen today...?

Psalm 21:1-7

¹ The king rejoices in your strength, LORD.
How great is his joy in the victories you give!

² You have granted him his heart’s desire
and have not withheld the request of his lips.
³ You came to greet him with rich blessings
and placed a crown of pure gold on his head.
⁴ He asked you for life, and you gave it to him—
length of days, for ever and ever.
⁵ Through the victories you gave, his glory is great;
you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty.
⁶ Surely you have granted him unending blessings
and made him glad with the joy of your presence.
⁷ For the king trusts in the LORD;
through the unfailing love of the Most High
he will not be shaken.