FROM TODAY'S READING...
And God Said, "No"
I asked God to take away my pride. He said, “No, that is not for me to take away but for you to give up.”
I asked God to make my handicapped child whole. He said, “No, her spirit is whole, her body is temporary.”
I asked God to grant me patience. He said, “No, patience is a by-product of tribulation, it isn’t granted it is earned.”
I asked God to give me happiness. He said, “No, I give you blessings, happiness is up to you.”
I asked God to spare me pain. He said, “No, suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.”
I asked God to make my spirit grow. He said, “No, you must grow on your own but I will prune you so you will be fruitful.”
I asked God if He loved me. He said, “Yes, now and forever…that is why I say no so often.”
I asked God to help me love others as much as He loves me. He said, “Ah, finally you have the idea.”
Claudia Minden Weisz
1 John 5:1-5, 13-15 (NLT) Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves the Father loves his children, too. We know we love God’s children if we love God and obey his commandments. Loving God means keeping his commandments, and his commandments are not burdensome. For every child of God defeats this evil world, and we achieve this victory through our faith. And who can win this battle against the world? Only those who believe that Jesus is the Son of God...I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for.
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