The Giver

I wrote this out for an intern devotion and honestly, I'm speaking to myself throughout the whole thing. Maybe it'll be a blessing to you as well.

There's a devotion I've been going through and one day it ended with a phrase that has stuck ever since. "He wants the glory as the giver." It's all through His power as the Giver that we’re able to do anything. (Even our salvation is through His power, Ephesians 2:8-9,  it’s by GRACE that we are saved) I think I have trouble remembering that sometimes. I'm one that likes control, order, productivity, things I can predict. I literally wake up in the mornings thinking about what I need to do, how I’m going to do it, and I start by trying to do everything myself.  But I realize there are lots of “I’s” in that.

Scripture tells us that we can’t do anything alone. John 15:5 says "I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." Romans 7:18 says "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out." When I'm believing that I can do everything on my own, then that makes me the star when, in reality, Jesus is. 

So we know that He is the Giver. The Giver of strength, salvation, life, power, peace, ability, thoughts, realizations, even this breath. If that’s true, and we live that out, then He can be praised for what gets done. John 15:8 tells us that when we give Him praise for that, He gets glory and we bear fruit! So it’s a win win. And it always is. Because Jesus is for our good, our joy, and His glory. Its silly that I would chose my power over His power, because His power is the power that raised Christ from the dead. My power is small, but with Christ, our power is infinite, we are able to do all things THROUGH CHRIST! 

So recognize Him as the Giver in everything you're able to do today, be thankful, praise Him, and give Him glory as the Giver. Psalm 50:15 says "call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify me.” When we do this, it shows the world that we are helpless, and that our God is strong and able because we are asking for His help and counting on Him.