By Chris WittsTuesday 13 Feb 2024Morning Devotions with Chris WittsFaithReading Time: 1 minute
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Transcript:
We don’t always care or think about each other. I spoke about this yesterday about the matter of being appreciated. We get preoccupied with life. We forget the people closest to us, our family, friends. And we might forget birthdays and anniversaries. And Mother’s Day slips up and we forget. The truth is that most of us are better at remembering bad things. We can recall the hard times and the insults of others against us.
We All Want to Be Appreciated – Part 1 — Morning Devotions
I’ve met a few people who seem to have what I call a grievance metre – that remembers every mean thing that anyone did to them. Even things that happened 20, 30 or 40 years ago. Some people have got memories like an elephant. They say an elephant never forgets. But some people remember every bad thing that’s ever happened to them. And they nurse these grudges for years.
God never forgets his children
Even when we do have good thoughts about each other, we do tend to forget that person out of sight, out of mind. You heard that statement. But with God. God never forgets his children. Even though he has the universe to rule, he never forgets his own. He always loves us and appreciates us, even when we do wrong things that I’m sure it pains his heart.
But the Bible tells me that his love is from everlasting to everlasting. I’ve got plans for you, he’s saying. I’ve been thinking about you, and that’s much better because it’s very personal. I mean, the boss might say to an employer, I’ve got some plans for you.
We’ve said, Lord, what are you doing? Why is this happening? This this doesn’t make sense. My life doesn’t make sense. The good and the bad gets jumbled together. But God has a plan. God knows what he’s doing, what he’s thinking about. It was Charles Spurgeon who said that the child playing on the deck doesn’t understand the tremendous engine whose beat is the throbbing heart of the Atlantic liner. And yet all is well, the engineer, the captain and the pilot are in their places. They know what they’re doing. Let not the child trouble itself about things that are too great for it. That’s how Charles Spurgeon used to say it.
You know, we know so little. We’ve got so many questions, but the divine God is thinking about us. Always.
The Bible says, you, Lord God have done many wonderful things and you’ve planned marvellous things for us. There is no one like you. (Psalm 40:5). So what I’m saying to you today is that God desires and wants this loving and genuine father and son relationship with you. Not a relationship that many have come to know today, but a real, genuine relationship.
Often when a person’s got an abusive relationship with their father, they tend to perceive their relationship with God, the heavenly Father in just the same way, and they have this fear of God.
And of course, the devil wants us to think like that. But our heavenly Father is the most loving and the most caring father that anybody could ask for. In Isaiah, we read our Holy God lives forever in the highest heavens and this is what he says. Though I live high above the holy place, I am here to help those who are humble and depend on me.
The Psalmist in Psalm 103:13 says, “Just as parents are kind to their Children, the Lord is kind to all who worship him because he knows that we are made of dust.”
How do I know today that God’s thinking of me? Well, just take this verse. Jeremiah 29:11. Another wonderful verse. I will bless you with a future filled with hope.
Now God is sometimes referred to as the ancient of days. But that doesn’t mean he’s gone to sleep. No, God is with you, with me today.
Wouldn’t it be great if we could speak encouragement like that to others? Just as God speaks to us?
Let’s Pray
Well, Lord, sometimes we do forget that you’re with us. I know that we are your personal concern. How can I forget that your presence fills my life every day? One blessing after another. Thank you, Lord, for all that. I pray for Jesus’ sake. Amen.