“He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45
God’s blessings are not limited to those who are born again and live with Him on the throne of their heart. Even those who are not God’s children experience times of beauty, provision, success, love, and joy. They feel warmth from the sun, laughter around a table, and satisfaction from work well done. God is good to all. His goodness is meant to lead us to repentance so we might be reconciled to Him. But Scripture also makes something else clear:
When we forsake God and His ways—we are choosing to live on mere scraps.
It is like living in a cave where, at certain moments of the day, narrow shafts of sunlight break through cracks in the stone. The light is real. It warms the skin for a moment. But it is not the fullness of daylight. Step outside the cave, and the contrast is undeniable.
This is what it is like to experience God’s blessings outside a relationship with Him. There are temporary pleasures, but no lasting peace. Provision, but no abiding purpose. Relationships, but no covenant love that anchors the soul. It is like smelling fresh-baked bread but never tasting it; or watching someone fall in love without ever experiencing it yourself. God wants to give us the fullest life!
“How precious is Your lovingkindness, O God! Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of Your wings. They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the river of Your pleasures. For with You is the fountain of life; in Your light we see light.” Psalms 36:7-9
To fully understand God’s blessings, it’s important to distinguish between the blessings of the body and the blessings of the soul.
We were created in the image of God—to have our soul satisfied by Him. This means we need to know what soul-food looks like and where to get it. Jesus said:
“And Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.’” John 6:35
Those who are NOT born again can only experience God’s blessings externally—through the body and the circumstances of life. Their joy, peace, and love is purely circumstantial. They may enjoy health, success, family, beauty, and moments of happiness, but none of it satisfies their soul. They are missing the eternally satisfying gifts. Until a person is born again, that deep longing remains unsatisfied. No amount of physical goodness can satisfy it. They are perceiving blessings, but their soul remains starved.
By contrast, the born-again believer who has been made alive in Christ is given access to the fullness of God’s blessings. We are meant to begin experiencing satisfaction right now. But when a believer adopts the values of the world, abandons prayer, church, the study of the Word, sharing the Gospel, and serving the Lord in every area of their life—while they do not lose salvation—they DO lose the satisfying intimacy of God’s presence. They are not hungry because the table is empty; they are hungry because they have chosen to abandon it.
Unlike the lost, who have never known soul-satisfying fullness, the believer who retreats into the cave does so with memory. They remember the warmth of the sun. They know the taste of that wonderful daily bread. And that is what makes the emptiness so sharp.
To live in the fullness of Christ, we must be consistently disciplining ourselves to have His mind and His attitudes.
Scripture exhorts us, “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 2:5) The mind of Christ is marked by humility, surrender, obedience, and love rooted in truth. The world offers a competing mindset—one that exalts autonomy, appetite, image, and self-rule. When a believer exchanges the mind of Christ for the “carnal mind,” the shift rarely feels dramatic. But it is.
“For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.” Romans 8:6-8
Salvation wasted is not salvation lost; it is rather living as an enemy to the One who gave it.
Living in the ways of the world always pulls us back into the cave—back into partial light, fragmented joy, and spiritual restlessness. The world can offer pleasure, affirmation, and even moments of deep affection, but it cannot offer real love. When believers step away from living in loving obedience, we are choosing to chase shadows of love and joy.
Jesus declared, “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) The abundant life is not found living in proximity to physical blessings, but in communion with Jesus, who is the Blesser. The question is not whether God is generous, but rather, whether we are choosing to live fully surrendered to Him in the deep satisfaction of His glorious presence.
Prayer:
Father, You are generous beyond measure, and Your kindness reaches farther than we can comprehend. We thank You that even in a broken world, Your blessings still fall like sunlight—testifying to Your goodness and mercy. We confess that too often we have settled for fragments when You have prepared a table. Forgive us for the times we have chosen the cave over Your presence, comfort over obedience, and the values of the world over the mind of Christ. Search our hearts and reveal where we have grown content with partial light and borrowed joy. Awaken in us a holy hunger for what truly satisfies.
Lord, for those each of those who have never been born again, we ask that You would draw them out of the shadows and into the fullness of life found only in Christ. Let them know not just blessings they can feel, but the soul-satisfying love that restores, redeems, and makes all things new.
And for those of us who belong to You, teach us to abide in Your love, to walk in joyful obedience, and to live with Your mind and the attitudes of Christ. We do not want to watch from a distance—we want to dwell in Your presence and receive all that You desire to give. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.
