What's in Your Storage Bins?

"How great is Your goodness which You have stored up for those who fear You, which You have wrought for those who take refuge in You!" Psalm 31:19



"Because of a stubborn and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath and indignation for yourself" Romans 2:5



Enjoy reading Psalm 31 and Romans 2



There is no doubt in my mind that God, the creator of all life, is good. From the beginning of all He created ("and God said it was good") to the end of the book when evil will be overthrown by good- God is good. Whatever good is in this world comes from Him and He wants us to take part in it.



I love Psalm 31:19. The meanings of the original Hebrew words "stored" and "wrought" here are "reserved, treasured up" and "commit". Wow! God has things He has specifically committed and treasured for you on reserve! Just imagine- a room in a storehouse just for you! Storage bin after storage bin with your name on all of them. Can you even imagine what good things God has stored in those storage bins for you? Peace? Complete health? Favor at work? Wisdom? Strength? Loyal friends? Knowledge? Contentment? Joy? You may be realizing how many of those things - and others- God has already given to you. Or you may question "how do I get those good things God has for me?"



The second half of the verse answers this- when we fear Him. The original Hebrew word here is "reverence", which means to honor, esteem, adore and have deep respect toward. This (sincere) attitude and way of life gets God's attention- just like (if you're a parent) children with this attitude get your attention. (Oh, how many more good things I want to give my children when they give me respect and honor!) The bottom line is to revere God and receive all that He has for you.



This brings us to what God is not- bad. The "bad" things we encounter in life do not come from God, but rather Satan, who is the source of evil. It is Satan who would have us filled with darkness and turned from God. Because God created us with free will, He will allow us to walk into evil, receive it and entertain it, but He doesn't give it to us. In fact, He teaches us in Romans that by being irreverent, we store wrath up for ourselves! (Greek "wrath"= anger/punishment). If we walk before God irreverently and in sin, we cannot receive the goodness He has for us; thus we become weaker and more vulnerable to the bad we store up- in other words, if we aren't repentant, we just keep heaping up trouble for ourselves! It is wise to remember that the most damaging thing sin does is separate us from God. And, although He allows it, He doesn't want us to choose it. God longs to be gracious to us. (Isaiah 30:18)



I don't want bins with things like jealousy, insecurity, illness, stress, heartache and worry in them. How about you? God, please help me to always make the daily choice to honor You and receive Your goodness.