Corona Devo 464

If you could receive one "good gift" today, what would it be?

If you were our 10-year old daughter, it would be a "pop it".  The latest fad-craze for kids, they are flat rubber shapes with bubbles embedded that you can "pop" in or out.  Designed to "calm" children and decrease fidgeting, they are surprisingly satisfying for people of any age to "pop".

Our daughter has a lot of them.  She doesn't need one more.  But...when we passed a mall kiosk the other day and she began presenting her perceived rationalization for getting another one, something odd happened in my mind and I got a soft spot in my heart.

Instead of picturing her messy room and the trails of craft materials that she leaves strewn throughout our house after her latest "invention" has been created, my heart flashed to a picture of her quiet patience as she built a Lego set for hours this week in the conference room of our office as her dad and I worked in our offices on the other side.  I smiled as I pictured her daily eagerness to do "soccer training" with her dad at lunch hour in the backyard, regardless of rain, heat or cold.  I heard her quiet voice replay in my mind when she apologized the other night while being tucked in for being too prideful with some friends.

She doesn't need one more "pop it", but because I love my daughter, I wanted to give her a good gift.

“You fathers—if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? (12) Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not! (13) So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” ~Luke 11:11-13

Consider today that God's heart and mind are filled with a doting love for us and for the efforts we make to please Him.  He sees our kind outreaches and He hears our prayers for others.  He receives our requests to be more like Him and how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:13).

Instead of picturing our messy lives, sinful mistakes and our trails of disobedience, God embraces us in a fresh hug of grace each morning to those who ask him to start the day with them.  

His heart flashes to a picture of us when we are patient with difficult people and situations.  He smiles when we have eagerness to work hard in using the gifts He has blessed us with, regardless of the extenuating circumstances.  And God's heart is blessed when we repent of our pride and confess our sins to Him, acknowledging that only with His help can we diminish our sinful-selves and grow to be more like Him.  (He must become greater; I must become less. ~John 3:30).

Like my daughter, we are spoiled in many ways that we don't even realize or appreciate, and all of our "good gifts" are from God.  We don't "need" one more thing...except the Holy Spirit leading us through today.     

Lucky for us, our Heavenly Father dotes on us, just as we dote on our children.  That is love.  God's love for us is so deep that He sacrificed His Son so that those who ask him (Luke 11:13) can spend forever with Him, even though we do not deserve that good gift. 

God loves us so very much, and in His perfect love, He knows that the best gift He can give us today is more of Himself.  The Holy Spirit is more of God.

Before Jesus left the disciples to go to the cross, He told them (and us): But I tell you I am going to do what is best for you. This is why I am going away. The Holy Spirit cannot come to help you until I leave. But after I am gone, I will send the Spirit to you. ~John 16:7

God will send the Spirit to us, and all we have to do is ask him.

So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.” ~Luke 11:13

The "pop its'" are a great parallel.  Like a 10-year old begging for a toy--we are sinful, sporadic and fickle in our faith, and we do not deserve one more gift.  But just as I have a soft-spot for my daughter, God Almighty has a soft-spot for His children.  

That's us.  

Ask God for a fresh "gifting" of the Holy Spirit today.  I guarantee that He is even more "calming" than a "pop-it"!   

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com

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