Give 'Em What They Want?

A department store manager overheard one of his clerks say to a customer, “No, we have not had any for a long time.”
Quickly, the manager rushed up and assured the customer, “But we’ll get it for you right away. We’ll send out and get some.”
Then, drawing his sales-clerk to the side he quietly ordered, “Don't you ever tell a customer we are out of something. Tell them we will get it right away!”
“But,” the clerk protested, “we were talking about rain.”

A philosophy of many businesses is: “Give the customer what they want!” In fact, some businesses have even been established by looking at what people wanted and then opened up to provide that very thing. Now, this may make wonderful business sense, but the tragedy is it has come into the realm of religion too.

In I Samuel 8 we read where the people wanted a king to lead them like it was with all the nations around them. ( I Samuel 8:5). God had Samuel warn them of the problems they would have under a king (rather than just following God as their King), but the people would not be dissuaded from their desire. ( I Samuel 8:6-21) They got a king so they would be like the other nations and sure enough, they struggled as most of the kings were not good godly leaders. [If you happen to have a Halley's Bible Handbook, just take a look at his chart of the kings and see how few good kings there were compared to the bad ones.] Due to the stubborn desire of the people it appears getting a king was the only way they would learn.

What’s the good news? The good news for us, if we keep our faith properly directed, is that God has not promised, nor set out, to provide our every want. He knows many of those wants are not good for us or may not be handled properly. However, He has promised and set out to provide for our every need! God has attempted to get us to realize this through many passages of Scripture, but note what He conveyed through the Apostle Peter:

“(3) His divine power has granted to us ALL THINGS THAT PERTAIN TO LIFE AND GODLINESS, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, (4) by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.” ( 2 Peter 1:3-4 ESV)

Let us continue to look to God in faith, knowing He will provide what we need. He knows best what we need and how to provide for those needs.

Have a great day GETTING WHAT YOU NEED!
Carl
[This focus was originally sent 11/22/1998, (Edited some and passage has been changed to ESV)]

See other teEn-MAIL on God's Provision