Revelation 5:12 Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing.

Do you like being taken for granted?

Yesterday I ended my bog with this comment; “I believe He deserves more than a thank you born of expectation.” A thank you is an acknowledgement of a gift given but what you do with that gift says more than mere words. How you treat the gift says how much you value the gift.

I have a wood carved cross on the wall next to the entrance of my home. Is that supposed to tell everyone who I am so that I do not have to actually love them? “See the cross, know who I am.” Then I can go about being me, I’ve done my part. Taking who He is for granted is disrespectful.

Allow me to point out just how important that gift is in relation to all of us. God placed all His commandments, laws, and the works of His creation in the offering. Jesus Christ, the Lamb who was slain, offered up for all of man’s sins for all time, no matter how big or how small, is that line drawn in the sand. Entrance into eternal salvation is based solely upon His sacrifice. It does not matter how good you are if you have not accepted that gift, you will be on the wrong side.

A gift that important deserves so much more than a thank you. It isn’t to be put on display, it isn’t a badge of honor, it is not a thing possessed, it is a life changing event and if you cannot demonstrate that change in word and deed to His glory, then you have taken him for granted.

I say this to myself first.

Genesis 2:9b the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

One of these trees came with a warning and a curse. The other was the cure. So often in this life solutions are right there in front of us, or at least close at hand. I find this to be true in the scriptures.

The Holy Spirit orders the scriptures and fashions them, neatly woven together to answer many of the questions which I present to the Lord in my seeking.

Psalm 119:2 Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.

I depend on the Holy Spirit to reveal truth and in this He does not fail me. Praise God. This week He revealed a truth to me I did not seek, and I was surprised. It came as I prepared myself for this week’s discipleship meeting. I was reading the relevant scriptures and the answer in the scriptures. I already had the answer before I set the assignment.

Then as I read the whole chapter I was surprised to discover the answer right there in close proximity to the problem text. The cure was close to the curse. It was so obvious now. Why had I not seen it before? It was only obvious because the Holy Spirit showed me the connections beforehand.

This answer was in a summation form. It was boiled down to one salient point without any historical significance. So much of the Word is like that. You know that it works together without knowing why. We receive the blessing blindly without understanding why it was granted. Thank you Lord, then we move on.

I believe He deserves more than a thank you born of expectation.