January 26, 2005

[Rev. Doc]

Claim The Blessings Of God

"I will bless them and the places surrounding my hill. I will send down showers in season; there will be showers of blessing."
Ezekiel 34:26

Many years ago a young Dutchman saved and scrimped his money to buy a boat ticket to immigrate to Canada. All his life he had dreamed of going to North America, the Promised Land, to have freedom and to purchase land to start a farm. He didn't know much about traveling and he was a bit concerned about what he would eat going across the large span of water, the Atlantic Ocean. He decided to buy a BIG bag of crackers with plenty of peanut butter.

He boarded the ship and when it came time for breakfast, lunch or dinner, he would sit in his little corner by himself and would eat his crackers with peanut butter. This went on day after day as the passenger ship crossed the ocean. Finally, the last day came and as he was eating his crackers with peanut butter, while all the other people ate their grand dinner, a man noticed him sitting there in his corner.

"What are you doing here, friend, eating crackers and peanut butter?" he asked.

The young Dutchman replied, "Don't embarrass me, I had only enough money to buy the boat ticket, so I'm eating crackers and peanut butter during the crossing. However, I'm glad we are arriving tomorrow morning in Canada."

The man said, "Didn't you know when you bought your ticket that all the meals were included in the price? You ate crackers with peanut butter, whereas all the while a banquet-table was available to you?"

Many of us are traveling through life not realizing the wonderful blessings and provisions that God provides to us because of the fact that we placed our faith in Him. We are spiritually eating crackers and peanut butter when He has steak waiting for us at the grand table.

Prayer: Ask God to help you see the blessings He has for you, and then thank Him.

"We should certainly count our blessings, but we should also make our blessings count."
~Neil A. Maxwell