It Isn’t Luck…It’s the Love of Jesus
For many of us, it is difficult to distinguish between luck and his love. When a little something extra special comes our way, how often do we think about how lucky we are instead of thanking him for blessing us?
Maybe it is good news on a health test. Perhaps you have been really wanting something and you finally get it. You are the winner of the gift basket filled with items your heart desires, or your boss gives you that promotion you have been longing for.
“I am so lucky!” “Wow, was it my lucky day today!” “I’m so glad luck was on my side!”
Do any of these comments sound familiar? Can you recollect a time when you spoke these words, reveling in the luck that seemed to be carrying you to greater heights?
The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the Lord. (Proverbs 16:33 ESV)
This scripture tells us clearly that luck has nothing to do with the blessings we receive. Every thing that comes to us comes to us from the Lord, the giver of good blessings. It is through him that we receive those things that bring joy and excitement to our hearts.
It is God who covers our health with his hand of healing and protection. He is the one who is our great provider. Through him we are able to grow in our wisdom and knowledge.
There is an old hymn that says “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” Once again through these words we are reminded that the good things in life come from our good father.
What if we changed the way we look at things and responded to our good fortune with a different mindset?
“I am so blessed!” “Wow, God really provided for me today!” “I am so glad God had my back today!”
By changing the way we look at things, the way we think in the midst of things, we can turn our praises from praises of the world to praises of God for his goodness and the blessings in our lives.
How To See Our Blessings For What They Are
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. (James 1:17 ESV).
So, how do we turn our way of thinking from luck to blessings? How do we see these good gifts for what they really are?
In order to give God the glory for the good things in our lives, he has to be on our mind. By seeking him each day, spending time in his word, and offering our prayers of thanksgiving to him, we draw closer to him.
The closer we are to him, the more we are able to see him in all the goodness of our lives. We get a ringside view of his working amidst our days, and when we see this, we start to recognize these things as blessings instead of just being lucky.
When we remember to thank him, for things great and small, this helps us see how he is intervening in our lives in all sorts of ways. For instance, the next time you start to back out of a parking place and stop a split second before you hit the car behind you, give God the praise. He was watching over you in that moment, it wasn’t just blind luck.
When you get that promotion at work, take a moment to thank God for his provision. He has a plan and purpose for your life and will help you get there if you put your trust in him.
When a friend offers you a word of encouragement, glorify God that he brought that friend into your life. You weren’t lucky to meet her. You were blessed to meet her.
When your doctor gives you good test results or a clean bill of health, thank the great healer for keeping watch over your health. He is working in all areas of our lives. We need only open our eyes and see.
The Blessing of Being Called
And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. (Romans 8:28-20 ESV).
My friends, he knows us. He has called us to far greater things than we can imagine. He has set a path before us that leads to goodness and blessings. He is busy right at this moment, working things out for the good of all of us who call him Father God.
We have been created in his image, not for luck, but for the ability to be called, justified, and glorified in his name. There is no luck involved. No lucky day is going to out-measure the goodness of his love and mercy, or the predestined plan he has for our lives.
We are set apart, gloriously blessed, vastly loved, and fiercely protected. And none of that, not one tiny bit, has anything to do with luck.