Our Daily Bread – What Love Is
I like the old German proverb that says, “Begin to weave and God will provide the thread.” Making sure we are confident in God, eliminating any “needy” mentalities we might have, developing an abundant mind-set, and aggressively expecting God to be faithful to His nature and to meet our needs opens the door for Him to work in our lives. The Bible teaches us that God is waiting to bless people, but He is looking for someone who is expecting His favor (see Isaiah 30:18).
Sometimes we expect nothing; we merely wait to see what happens. At other times, we may fall into the trap of expecting to be disappointed because we have been disappointed time and time again in the past and we are afraid to hope for anything good. Because of the traumas I experienced early in life, I became extremely negative as an adult in my outlook on life. I was always waiting for the next disaster, and I expected it to be right around the corner. I am so glad God has taught me to aggressively expect good things to happen in my life. My life is not without challenges, but I enjoy a lot more good things than bad ones. When I expected trouble, I often got it, but now that I expect good, I often get that. Sometimes I even get better than what I have hoped for or expected because that’s the way God is. He gives us exceedingly, abundantly, above and beyond all that we dare to hope, ask, or think (see Ephesians 3:20).
Let me share with you a story I hope will encourage you to believe God can do more for you than you think. Prior to the Civil War, a man named Edmund McIlhenny ran a salt and sugar business on Avery Island, Louisiana. A Union invasion in 1863 forced him to leave his home and business, and when he returned in 1865, he found his sugar fields and salt works completely devastated. He had almost nothing left-except some hot peppers that still grew in his garden. McIlhenny began to experiment with the peppers, to see if he could make a sauce to add taste to the bland foods he had left to eat. His sauce is now known as Tabasco® and in 2008, the sauce, still produced by the McIlhenny family, celebrated its 140th anniversary.
McIlhenny lost everything in the war; his life could have been ruined. But it wasn’t. God took care of him, and God will take care of you too if you won’t give up. Begin to meditate on and say, “God abundantly meets all of my needs. I expect Him to provide for me in every area of my life. He has a good plan for me and I am expecting a great future.” See yourself as someone who operates in wisdom and has the answers that are needed to make proper decisions in life.
See yourself as a healthy person who is filled with energy and vitality. Believe that you are creative and have lots of good ideas. Expect to be invited to social gatherings and have many good friends, as well as a loving family. God wants you to expect good things from Him. He promises in Jeremiah 29:11 that He has thoughts and plans toward you that are good and not evil. Take Him at His Word, and have great expectations of Him.
Think about I
What are you expecting?
