Skittles

The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.

Genesis 2:15

A while back I took one of my cousins to a high school football game and she asked for some money to buy candy. I handed her a five dollar bill and off she went to the concession stand. When she came back with a package of Skittles®, I asked, “Casey, can I have a few Skittles?”

She looked at the candy, then looked back at me and said, “No!”

Casey didn’t understand several realities. One, I could have physically taken those Skittles away from her. Two, I was the one who actually bought them for her. And three, if I had wanted to, I could have bought her so many packages of Skittles that she couldn’t have eaten them all.

We all have Skittles. Some piles are big, some small, but God has given us all some Skittles. You may have never thought of your possessions, money or talents as gifts from God, but they are. So when God asks you for a few of your Skittles in return, what do you say? Because your answer often reveals the truth about your relationship with him.

Don’t hold on tightly to what God has given you. Instead, recognize the reality that God has blessed you. And discover the blessings that return through a life of generosity and obedience.

The Next Step:

• Make a list of your “Skittles” — your talents, possessions, finances, etc.
• Evaluate your attitude toward those things. Are you willing to share them with the one who gave them to you?
• Ask God to help you develop a better understanding of your possessions, and to realize that God is still the owner of everything.

Needless Needs

What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

Romans 8:31-32

We’ve all heard of high-profile celebrities donating large amounts of money to charity. And in our minds, a $1 million gift to a charity is an enormous gift—something many of us can’t imagine. Yet, the generosity we see in those times pales in comparison to the generosity of God. We cannot even fathom the generous nature of our Creator!

That is the point of this passage in Romans 8. If God willingly gave his only Son for you, what would he possibly keep from you?

We all have areas that we are tempted to worry about. And during those times, the evil one is doing his best to get us to doubt God’s provision for us. But when you realize the power behind God’s generous gift of his Son, you will begin to see that God has a plan to provide for all of your needs, no matter how big or small we may think they are.

A Prayer for Today

Dear Father, It is so easy to get caught up in the worries of life. Please help me to trust in you and your promise to me that you will give me the provisions I need. Thank you for the generous gift of your Son, the greatest blessing I could ever receive. In Jesus Christ’s name I pray, Amen.