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1 Timothy 6:17b – God richly gives us everything to enjoy. (NCV)
This past summer, I went on my first cruise. My daughter's family and I had planned a "last hurrah" sort of family trip before their two busy, active teenagers would soon be heading off to college and unknown parts of the world. One leg of this exciting European trip was a Mediterranean cruise.
A cruise is not simply a way of getting from Point A to Point B. Had that been the case, I could have stayed in my cabin the entire time, stepping ashore along with everyone else when we reached our final destination. The point of a cruise, however, is the experience, not just the journey. Among my delights on this cruise were enjoying afternoon teas on the ship, savouring lunch at a lovely shaded patio restaurant in Corfu (the birthplace of Prince Philip of England), seeing the dazzling white buildings trimmed in blue (like the Greek flag) on the island of Mykonos, and on and on. The thing to note is that these delights were at my disposal whether I availed myself of them or not.
Our Christian life, which is also a journey, is much, much more than getting from Point A (earth) to Point B (heaven). We could feasibly fill our days with nothing but spiritual activities such as praying, reading our Bible, attending church, and being involved in a multitude of Christian pursuits. We could keep our noses to the grindstone and fill our lives with things related only to pious living.
Or … in addition to these commendable and worthy things, we could also freely enjoy along the way the many blessings that God has given for His children's enrichment: art, music, nature, friendships, family, learning, and a wide array of other things which nourish and delight the soul. We need not be spartan or miserly to be holy.
These wonders all around us refresh our hearts and minds and draw us closer to God as we marvel at all the magnificent things that He has created and provided for us. But these God-given blessings are not ours for the hoarding. As we receive God's abundant gifts, so are we to share them with others around us.
Luke 6:38 – Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. (NIV)
That's abundance!
Prayer: Dear heavenly Father, thank You for all the beauty and wonder that You have created in our world. Please open our eyes, all our senses, and our hearts to these wonders all around us, and cause us to be grateful for the pleasures that You have intended for us to enjoy. In our thankfulness for Your gracious gifts, may we be willing to abundantly share them with others around us. Amen.
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Amen!!
May we do just that, Gail. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you, Gail. What an encouraging message!
Very well written. Future prayers and delights abound!
Thank you, Gail, for sharing this devotional with us. Blessings.
Good morning Gail,
What a beautiful reflection. Thank you for sharing!
Blessings on your day.
It is a wonderful world! Too bad so many of us get sidetracked by the world’s attractions and that is our choice: To keep focused on God and His Word and will in the midst of all the world’s distractions, or to be led off to follow the world’s way.
Hi Gail, Thank you for your words of abundance today. This resonates with me, as it is something that l struggle with. I personally need to see above my circumstances and enjoy the abundances of this world that God offers me. He will take care of the rest. Thank you for this reminder. Blessings.
Oh, my dear friend, how well-thought out and inspired your devotional is this morning! Yay for pointing out the Journey IS the Destination! Makes me think of Pilgrim and John Bunyan. I didn’t know it was yours when I was reading it and I was struck with how clear and helpful it was for Christian living.
Hello Gail,
I appreciated reading your mindful devotional today. Yes, it is so true that there is so much around us that God has created for our pleasure and joy and it is important that we share these discoveries with others and above all, give gracious thanks to our loving God.
Bless you.
(B.C.)
Thank you, Gail, for your timely thoughts. We were on a cruise last year where one man who was in his 80’s (I think) told us he goes from cruise to cruise. He has no home, no car, and I would say no responsibilities other than to himself. Often I have thought of him and that lifestyle and what it means in terms of lasting friendships, connections to the world – natural, political, theologically, and otherwise. Wouldn’t work for me!
(Texas)
Thanks for sharing these inspirational thoughts, dear Gail.
Christ’s abundant Love causes the several things you mentioned, to become more beautiful when we see things more clearly, knowing He has caused all into existence.
Our hearts become abundantly full to praise Him with whatever He supplies us.
Thank you for giving me thoughts which fueled me with greater praise to our Beautiful Savior.
Dear Gail Lundquist,
Your devotional sent me searching the Bible for related matters like tithing.
I found 13 references, most of which were from the Old Testament.
I don’t want to scare you.
The whole last little book (only four chapters) of the Old Testament is a great read.
Hi Gail,
There are so many beautiful things to see in the world for sure and I really appreciated your devotional the other day.
Blessings.
Hi Gail,
I read your wonderful devotional and wanted to say I enjoyed it very much and thank you for sharing. I am so glad you got to go on your first cruise with your daughter’s family and in a creative sense took all of us readers along with you to enjoy it too!
It is so true our wonderful God has given us so much beauty to behold all along our spiritual journey, and sometimes we don’t even need physical eyes to see them! Thanks again.