The Greatest Gift
By: Kellye Smith
“Then Amaziah said to the man of God, ‘What should I do about the 7,500 pounds of silver I gave to Israel’s division?’ The man of God replied, ‘The Lord is able to give you much more than this.’” 2 Chronicles 25:9
I have what they call a scarcity mindset. I dislike spending money because it feels impossible to recoup that money. I covet my time because it feels like I’m always running out of it. When the toothpaste reaches half capacity, I feel an internal panic that we need to buy more immediately. I can be stingy with snacks because once they’re gone, they’re gone and who’s to say I’ll ever be able to find that snack again?
One of my favorite few verses in Scripture is in Joel 2:25-32. You can stop here a moment and go read it. In fact, Joel is a pretty brief Book of the Bible so I highly recommend giving it a full read in one sitting so you absorb the context.
Every single person on the planet has and will experience loss. Some people seem to get more than their fair share of it. Loss is one of the hardest concepts to reconcile as a Believer because it feels like once we came into belief, what happened to all that stuff we were supposed to get? What happened to all of those desires of our heart that God promises? As we mature in faith, we recognize that much of what we sought was a mix of cultural Christianity and prosperity gospel, not necessarily the Gospel. At least our distortion of it, anyway. So where do we land?
The greatest gift God could have ever given us is salvation. Full stop. Even the greatest day on Earth where all of our wants and needs are supplied can’t hold a candle to that. We simply cannot hold this life too tightly in our grasp. I believe God will absolutely restore loss, and with Him at the helm of your life, He is able to accomplish much more than any of us could on our best day. It’s all about His glory and God is all about that.
What the Lord has revealed to me over and over again is that He is a generous God and through Him because of His generosity, I don’t have to live in constant panic of all that’s running out. If His promises are true, which they are, I can capture every thought that makes me anxious for the lack and look forward to the abundance that He will provide.
This is where the rubber meets the road. Do I believe what Scripture tells me? Do I trust the Lord? If there’s hesitation, that’s a great place to start in asking God to work on that within you.
Reflection Questions
In what areas of your life do you struggle with a scarcity mindset, and how do you react to it?
How does God restore to us what we’ve lost, and how might His methods be different than ours?
What blessings do you take for granted that come as a result of salvation?