“Bless the Lord, O my soul: and all that is within me, bless his holy name.” Psalm 103:1
Very few ladies have been as blessed as my wife, Amanda.
Besides the obvious blessing of me rescuing her from being a sad unmarried spinster, there have been many other blessings which have come from our union together. Not the least of which has been the way that I have lavished her by spending money on her. Over the years, I have spared no expense for my sweetie.
For our honeymoon, I took her to the luxurious Jumping Toad Motel in beautiful Frogville, Oklahoma.
In the past two decades, we have dined at extravagant restaurants. We have delighted in the barbeque at Sam’s Pig Stand in Burt Corn, Alabama; fried chicken at the Pretty Foul in Belt Buckle, Tennessee; Mexican food at Nacho Problem in Ding Dong, Texas; and sirloin steaks at the Beef-o-rama in Greasy Corner, Arkansas.
In our lives together, I have given Amanda many opulent gifts. Amanda’s jewelry box is full of the world’s finest cubic zirconia. The genuine aluminum plated engagement ring I gave her cost at least $17.00. Last year for our anniversary, I surprised her with a top-of-the-line vacuum cleaner from Walmart.
Over the years, I have spared no expense for my sweetie.
The other day, Amanda asked me to go shopping. She said, “It will be fun.” Shopping is not my idea of fun. But if it makes my sweetie happy, okay, I’ll do it. I was ready to indulge her shopping spree and spend a lot of money.
We left early in the morning and spent most of the day in the big city mall. It wasn’t until the stores were closing that we made our way back home. The shopping trip didn’t hurt me financially. She really didn’t spend that much. But it hurt me physically. Over ten hours of being on my feet, following my wife as she ran from store to store, wore two inches off my height.
On the way home, Amanda leaned over and said, “Today has been a great day – one of the best ever.” I thought, “One of the best ever? How could today be better than our wedding day? Or the days our three children were born? How could a day of shopping be better than any of those major life events?” Then it hit me – Amanda spells love T-I-M-E.
Amanda builds her life around me and our children. However, for one day, totally and completely, I built my life around her and what she wanted to do. My willingness and my company made the day special.
I spent time with God this morning… Most of the time I expect God to be with me and He is, but could it be that He appreciates my making time for Him?
The Bible often uses the phrase “bless the Lord.” The Hebrew word translated “bless” literally means “to kneel.” It is a word picture of someone kneeling in worship. To “bless the Lord” means to praise and exalt God. In other words, God is blessed when we spend time with Him – when we focus our complete attention on Him.
The point is: God wants your time. The Lord is glorified when you bless, praise, and acknowledge Him. When was the last time you spent time with the Lord?
Jesus Christ spared no expense when He paid the price to save you from your sins. Why not show Him how thankful you are by spending some time with Him today?
It might just be your best day ever…
James Collins is pastor of Fort Scott’s First Southern Baptist Church. He can be reached by phone at (620) 223-2986 or by email at [email protected].