Living It Up!

Ernie beamed as he spoke about the wonderful day he had riding a four-wheel ATV. The deer in the field fled as he took the machine up hills, down hills, and over downed tree limbs with the wind in his hair and a big smile on his face.

This is all to be expected —except perhaps for one detail.

Ernie was blind. In spite of what most people would consider a major obstacle, Ernie rode a quad bike around a farm. His nephew whistled to warn him if he got too close to anything hazardous. Ernie had a great day! Some people refuse to let what we might call disabilities get in the way of living life to the fullest.

What is holding you back from enjoying God’s blessings? Jesus came to give us life. And, even better, He came that we might “have it more abundantly.” Jesus doesn’t intend that we should live empty or unremarkable lives.

His plans for us are vast. God’s blessings are realized by faith. When God says, “Get as many jars as you can so that the little oil you have may fill them all,” our job is to take God at His word. Imagine the prophet’s disappointment if the poor widow in the story had borrowed only two or three oil jars.

And imagine the blessing she would have missed! A woman experienced miraculous healing because she believed Jesus could heal her.

Touching the hem of His garment demonstrated that she expected God to do much in her life, not little. Four men who couldn’t get their paralyzed friend into the presence of Jesus would not be turned back by the crowd. Instead, they took their friend onto the rooftop and lowered him down into Jesus’ presence.

No one would have blamed Ernie if he had not ridden the four-wheeler. But his willingness to step out gave him a story to tell and memories he would always treasure. If we take God at His word and give Him the opportunity to fulfill His plan for us, He will shower us with blessings we will never forget.