Every Day Light

God-Given Abilities

"That everyone may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all his toil - this is the gift of God." (v. 13)

For reading & meditation: Ecclesiastes 3:12-13

When God is in our lives, then His presence makes a world of difference. God gives us four things so that we might enjoy our life here on planet earth.

First, He gives us the ability to be happy (v. 12). Happiness is a gift. Only God can give us the perspective on life that enables us to remain happy even when things don't go our way. A new Christian put it like this: "I am happier now when I am sad than before when I was happy."

Second, God gives us the ability to do good (v. 12). It takes God to help us be good to those who are not good to us. We don't have the kind of hearts that want to do good to those who are not good to us; that ability flows from God's heart of love and compassion into ours.

Third, God gives us the ability to eat and drink (v. 13). Have you ever considered that your appetite is something that comes from God? It is a gift from our loving Father's hand. Thinking about that will, I promise you, help you enjoy your food much better.

Fourth, God gives us the ability to see good in our labor (v. 13). The whole workplace could be transformed overnight if men and women saw it from God's perspective. Instead of asking, "What is the least I can do for a day's wages?", our question would be: "What is the most I can do for a day's wages?" Hard to take? That's because it is an "above the sun" perspective.

"O God, when I see how much of my life depends on You, I feel ashamed at how slow I am to appreciate that fact. Forgive me, dear Father, and evoke within me an ever-growing consciousness of Your own continued goodness. In Jesus' Name. Amen."

Every Day Light