All Good Things Come From God

In reality, nothing I have is anything I actually earned; it all is granted from God.

He tells us not to worry about how we'll feed or clothe ourselves;

Matt 10:25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

26Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

27Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

28And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

31Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

And, He tells us how all good things come from Him:
James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

Sometimes I get indignant when I hear how my neighbors talk about me. I respond with, "Well, if I'm so stupid, how did I manage to create Import Tractor Parts, and..." Blah, blah blah.

No, I'm a high school dropout, and pretty much hapless in all aspects of life. The Apostle Paul said it best: "...there is none that doeth good, no, not one". (Romans 3:12) That verse comes to mind any time my head tends to get fat on self-exaltation. It brings me down to earth and reality, and turns my mind back to humility and recognition of the grace of God.

God gave me the abilities I have. He gave me a background in farming, the interest in tractors, the mechanical and technical inclination, the entrapenuerial instinct, and the opportunity and resources to put these other abilities and qualities to work. I provided nothing of my own making except maybe the effort. All the 'good things' came from God. Without them, how could I have ever managed?

Maybe He gave me these abilities because He knew I'd have the gratitude to give the ultimate recognition and glory to Him. Who knows? Somehow, it is all part of His plan, and I'm just glad to be given the opportunity to acknowledge the gifts He gave me that make it all possible.

Thank you, Lord Jesus - all good things come from You! Praise God!