A woman was out shopping one day and decided to stop for a cup of coffee. She bought a bag of cookies, put them into her purse, and then went into a coffee shop. All the tables were filled, except for one at which a man sat reading a newspaper. Seating herself in the opposite chair, she opened her purse, took out a magazine, and began reading. 

After a while, she looked up and reached for a cookie, only to see the man across from her also taking a cookie. She glared at him; he just smiled at her, and she resumed her reading. 

Moments later, she reached for another cookie, just as the man took one. Now feeling quite angry, she stared at the one remaining cookie, whereupon the man reached over, broke the cookie in half and offered her a piece. She grabbed it and stuffed it into her mouth, as the man smiled at her again, rose and left. 

The woman was really steaming as she angrily opened her purse, her coffee break now ruined, and put her magazine away. And there she saw her bag of cookies. All along she had unknowingly been helping herself to the cookies belonging to the gracious man whose table she had shared!

How many times have we received graciously from the hand of God, all the while thinking we have supplied our own need only to discover later that He had? God isn’t stingy and is more than willing to “supply all your needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Let’s remember who’s sharing what with whom!

Bro. Ken