Lavish abundance

Several years ago, when I was working for McDonald's, one day I was eating lunch in the break room. One of the managers was also there and she was listening to a preacher on the radio. I don't remember his topic, but I do remember how he referred to God's love. It is laaaavish. Not just "lavish" - imagine the word dripping off your tongue like butter. Imagine cake slathered in frosting. God's love is "laaaavish".

I like telling that story (in person!) whenever I'm in an environment where we're talking about God's lavish love/grace/mercy/kindness/etc.

In my ladies' Bible study we're now going through John MacArthur's "Twelve Extraordinary Women". Chapter 1 is about Eve. I'd like to quote a paragraph from the text on page 11:

"[Satan] twists the meaning of God's Word: "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden'?" God's commandment had actually come to Adam as a positive statement: "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat" (Gen. 2:16-17 NKJV, emphasis added). The serpent casts the command in negative language ("You shall not eat of every tree"), making God's expression of lavish generosity sound like stinginess. He was deliberately misrepresenting the character and the command of God."

I underlined the part that most stand out to me. Do I, in my attempt to have control and maintain self-sufficiency, view God's grace and compassion towards me as stingy? In my desire to lose weight, am I angered by the 'limit' imposed on food in the Thin Within plan as stinginess?

What has the Lord not provided for me? What do I lack? I lack nothing physical - even in the tightest times of my life I've always had a roof over my head and enough to eat. I lack nothing spiritual (in Christ I have everything I need for life and godliness). So what am I whining about?

In my Thin Within meeting tonight we were talking about grace and belief. We need not "do" anything - just believe. It sounds simple, but it is often more easily said than done in my life!

Lord, your love is poured out upon me lavishly. You continue to moment by moment provide for an abundant life. Let me never consider You to be stingy just because I don't get my way. You have given me so much more than I could ever ask or hope for. Thank You!