Sweet Oranges

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm a huge fan of Dr. Adrian Rogers. I have always enjoyed listening to him on his radio broadcast. I can listen online, too, and so, that makes it even better. I can listen any time I get good and ready.

There's a story he tells in a sermon on prayer that I've dwelt on and thought about for a long time....I heard it probably about 9 months ago. I've thought about posting it before, and never have and this morning I've been thinking on it again, so I thought I'd take the time to share it with you.

Dr. Rogers in his message on "Prayer" spoke on how there are so many things in the "storehouse of God," that he believes, when we get to heaven, God is going to show us what was inside the storehouse and we will be terribly shocked at the good things God wanted to give us. Why don't we have them, he asked? Because we never asked for them. Well, sometimes we ask...but not diligently. We are so busy pursuing to get our own "things", that it usually never occurs to us to ask God for them or continually trust God for them. He said in our human states we are so geared to be as independent of creatures as we can, and in the process, forget that God wants to give us good things. But we're so busy "making and developing our own lives and livelihood" we forget God in the process. And he wasn't referring to sinners when he preached this message. It was directly to me and the rest of the saints sitting in his church that day.

You know what, he's right....if I want something new, I go get it! I don't consider asking God, usually, to get it for me, or provide a way. I worked for the money, I'll buy what I want to and need with it......not being rude, but that's usually the way it works. As a matter of fact, my mom declares up and down that I am the hardest person in the world to buy for because I usually get what I want....I feel the same way about Jeremy and a few others (who I'll leave nameless - but have bought for and will buy for again this year!!) LOL!

He said this concept was made extremely clear to him while he was a very young pastor living in Florida. This is the way he says it.....

"When I was a young pastor in Florida, still in seminary, my wife and I lived in a small one room apartment above someone's garage. One of the church members in my little church down there had given me a HUGE 50 lb bag of the sweetest oranges you ever ate in your life. Being that space was limited, we were forced to keep this big 50 lb bag of oranges in our closet. Every day I'd see someone I'd ask them if they wanted some of the BEST oranges in Florida - and I'd give them some. It seemed like that bag was bottomless. I simply couldn't give them all away......

One day I looked out the window of the apartment and watched a little neighbor boy sneak into our back yard and "steal" a couple oranges off the orange tree in the back yard. I kinda snickered to myself thinking "Buddy, if you only knew how bitter those oranges are, you wouldn't even want one!" But, I watched him sneak back off with what he thought was a prized possession and I was wishing I could be there to watch him take his first bite out of that bitter orange. He was going to regret that he got THAT orange.

I thought about that little boy and the more I thought about it, it came to me.....if he had climbed my steps and asked me if he could have that orange....I'd have told him "NO." It wasn't because I didn't want him to have that orange, but I know that they're bitter. I also knew that if he'd have climbed up my steps and asked me about it I'd have said this....."No, little guy, you can't have that orange, but I'll give you an orange that is the sweetest and best that the state of Florida has to offer."

I stood there as the emotion of the moment overtook me and God allowed me to see that sometimes when I seek and search after things I want, I sometimes get them and then they end up not what I was really wanting. I learned that He not only wants to give me good things and the desires of my heart, He wants to give me better things than I can get for myself - all He wants me to do is seek it from Him.....not my own strength."

I admit, I've been rather frustrated with the fact that God didn't allow me what I wanted, when I wanted it - especially in my younger years! Yet, there's one particular example that comes to mind and I think to myself......."Thank you, Lord, that you were merciful enough to me that You stopped my will and my ability to keep pushing it upon You. Then, later on down the road, I actually got exactly what I asking you for, just in different manner....but to say the answer was much better is not even GOOD enough!"

I want the sweet oranges in life. Sometimes, God doesn't allow me to get what I want for myself, when I want it, because I will fail to give Him the glory! And with Him is where it ALL belongs! Because there's no doubt in your mind or anyone else mind when God hands you a SWEET ORANGE!

Anyway, these are my thoughts for the day.....I needed to write it for ANITA so I can go back and remind myself of it when I want to act like a baby when I haven't gotten my way in the matter!! Jeremy said to me just a day ago, "just because God says "not yet" doesn't mean he says "no." I should be a master at knowing that by now! By the way, there really is nothing WORSE than a bitter orange.....REALLY!!