Saturday, January 24, 2009

A God of Quality

"But to this day the LORD has not given you a mind that understands or eyes that see or ears that hear. 5 During the forty years that I led you through the desert, your clothes did not wear out, nor did the sandals on your feet." Deuteronomy 29:4

I read this verse about twelve times when I got to it a few days ago. Can you imagine? Can you imagine wearing the same sandals for 40 years and not having them wear out? Can you imagine clothes that didn't wear out? We tend to wear clothes for a season, and then many times they are worn and need to be discarded. Every summer I find myself buying new summer clothes, because they simply just don't last. Yet, right here in the Bible we read that God is a a God of quality. First of all, he provided His children with the quality clothes and sandals to withstand a journey. And secondly, he watched out for them by making sure that those items did not wear out, he blessed them with his favor, so much so that the shoes on their feet lasted for forty years. Just imagine that!

I happen to think that this says something about the character and nature of God. I spend a bit of time reading blogs and different websites that have different points of view about being a Christian. One of the more common trains of thought is that a lot of people tend to think that buying something cheap is a better way to spend money than to spend a lot of money on the same item. For example, if I need a new dishtowel, I can go to the inexpensive dollar store and pick up a whole set for about $2.00, or I can go to the department store and buy one towel for about $12.00. On paper, it looks much better to spend lesser money for the same item. But which would God really rather we had? Are we being a better steward of our money by purchasing the cheap towel, which really is just going to need to be replaced in about four months anyways? Or are we being a better steward by purchasing the expensive towel that will withstand hundreds of washings and usings and last for six years? I tend to think the latter. God isn't a God of junk, he wants us to want the best.

I guess part of me thinks that if I think cheaply, that will reflect on other areas of my life. When I am serving God in one way or another, I want to give him my very best. I don't want to just slide through and do the bare minimum. When I am participating on the worship team at church, I give God every ounce of worship that I have. I leave my troubles at the door, and I focus on God and worshipping Him. That is where I am meant to serve at the present time, and each and every time I do it, I am going to give God my absolute best. When I am caring for my children every day, I don't do just enough. I don't feed them just enough to get by or just what they need to fill their tummies. I give them the best that we have. I give them the fruits and vegetables that their young bodies need to grow. And yes, sometimes, when times are lean, that means that I go without having that same piece of fruit or cookies. That's okay, because I am putting my best where it counts. I just think that there's so much that we can glean from the idea that God is a God of quality. He wants the best, he deserves the best, and doesn't it hold to the idea that as a child of God, he wants me to have the best too? It's something to think on anyway.

"For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

11"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?" Luke 11:10-12

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