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“The Grocery Cart”
By Susanne Scheppmann
Key Verse:
“You care for the land and water it; you enrich
it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people
with grain, for so you have ordained it. You drench its furrows and level its
ridges; you soften it with showers and bless its crops. You crown the year with
your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance.” (Psalm 65:9-11 NIV
Devotion:
I
dislike grocery shopping. It tops my list of least liked chores. I find most
shopping carts veer to the left when laden down with canned pumpkin and a
twenty-pound turkey. Worse, they squeak when I try to sneak down the ice cream
aisle.
Of
course, the supermarket is only the beginning. I complain as I load the bags
into my car. Groans issue forth as I haul the heavy bags into the kitchen. The
ultimate irk comes when I try to find room for everything in my
all-ready-stuffed pantry. “Where am I going to put all this stuff until
Thanksgiving Day?” I ask myself.
Oh,
Thanksgiving Day. A day to remind me
of the bounty God blesses me with each day. It’s the holiday when I gorge
myself on delectable food and then still find room for the pumpkin pie topped
with white mounds of whipping cream for which I am truly thankful. I use
Thanksgiving Day, every fourth Thursday of November, as a time to encourage my
children to be thankful for all of God’s goodness that we have experienced
throughout the year.
Today’s
key verse states, “You crown the year with your bounty.” It reflects the fact
that God provides, especially during the harvest season. It’s a festive time to
thank our Lord for all He provides for us throughout the year. My over-stocked
cupboards should be a reminder of God’s abundance in providing for my family
and me.
Next
time I need to do the “dreaded” grocery shopping, I think I will ask for
forgiveness for an ungrateful heart. And as I grab the unruly shopping cart, I
will recite, “and your carts overflow with abundance.” I want to have a “Thanksgiving
Day” each time I go to the store. I want to remember Thanksgiving Day should be
every day.
Prayer:
Dear
Lord, forgive my ungrateful heart. My grumbling about grocery shopping is a
flagrant insult to Your bountiful goodness in my life. Help me to remember Your
provision each day. I thank you for the groceries in my refrigerator and
pantry. You are so good to me. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
Application
steps:
The
next time you are grocery shopping, pray a prayer of thanksgiving for the food
in your cart. Thank God for His
provision each day as you prepare your meals.
Reflections:
Do
I complain inadvertently about God’s provision?
Would
my family consider me grateful?
How
can I celebrate “Thanksgiving” every day?
Power
verses:
Psalm
100:4,”Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give
thanks to him and praise his name.” (NIV)
Psalm
111:5, “He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant
forever.” (NIV)
1
Timothy 6:17, “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be
arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put
their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.”
(NIV)
© 2008 by Susanne Scheppmann. All rights reserved.
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