Dessert?

 When Thanksgiving was approaching my Aunt bravely asked our family, via a text message, if we had any particular requests we’d like her to make for dessert. Homemade desserts are one of my favorite treats! She is an excellent cook, so to be asked “what would you like?” is almost a dream come true. Since there are five of us in my family, by the time I noticed the text there were already 26 responses! It’s funny, though, as soon as I read the question my imagination went tilt from the overloaded of possibilities. I couldn’t come up with anything specific for fear I might miss out on something better. In the end, I just decided everything she makes is delicious, so it was best to be surprised.

When I read promises in the Bible like, “You will ask what you desire and it will be done for you” and “To Him who is able to do abundantly more than we could ask or think,” I tend to do the same thing. At first, I am filled with a full-fledged excitement from the sheer consideration of mind-boggling  possibilities. The magnitude of these promises is enough to cause my heart and mind to tilt with an overload of anticipation. But when my feet finally hit the ground, and I have a chance to sober up, I pretty much decide to defer to His judgment.  After all, you can’t really beat “every good and perfect gift.”  I had this same challenge as a child. Every time my parents would take me to a restaurant and say “go ahead and order whatever you want from the menu,” after careful consideration, mixed with a lot of imagination, I would end up deferring to their choice. Why? Because I feared settling for “good” when I could have had the “best!”
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I firmly believe God means what He says! I also believe He is thrilled over our imaginative exhilaration when the truth of His promises, made to us in Christ, take hold of our hearts with child-like faith and wonder.    Yet, when we realize the limitations of our incarcerated flesh, our inability to imagine the very best, then choose instead to ask our Abba Father for His best--This is His greatest delight of all! He loves to share His best plans with hearts that sincerely trust in His goodness.

Let the magnitude of His promises overwhelm you with His goodness! Then I pray it will lead you to greater dimensions of trust, so your journey is full of joyful anticipation.

                            Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Luke 12:32

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