You get the Whole Bucket for that Price

July 22, 2020

bucket of veggies

Last month, we decided to have a garage sale. We spent a lot of time going through everything and cleaning out stuff that had acuminated. Believe me, the garbage men earned their keep for a couple of weeks!

During the sale, a couple came in with two adorable, little boys. I soon realized that English was not their first language. I had a bucket filled with toy dinosaurs marked $2 for the bucket. The mom and boys went through the bucket one by one. After some discussion, they brought one over to buy. I told them they got the whole bucket for $2, not just one. I got some big smiles from those boys with that message. Because they could not read the sign, they didn't understand they got the whole bucket for that price.

Jesus paid for it all

After they left, the Holy Spirit whispered to me, "Jodee, you get the whole bucket. Jesus paid for it all, not just one thing." As I sat there thinking about what he said, I realized I was guilty of going through the bucket to pick my favorite thing. I was prioritizing what I wanted and needed from God. Seeing my children saved and having a personal relationship with God was top of the list, but we also need healing in our family and financial help. I had forgotten He died so I could have it all, I didn't have to choose.

Most of us are raised not able to have everything we want. Children can spend hours choosing the exact right one. When we go to a candy store we get to choose one piece of candy. In the toy store, we can pick out one toy. I believe that is a good thing, children who get everything they want are often spoiled and irresponsible.

Salvation is more than eternal life

However, when we bring that mindset into our relationship with God, we miss out on so much of what He has for us. We know Jesus died so we could be saved. The word saved means so much more than getting eternal life with God in heaven. Sozo is the Greek word for save and it also means heals, restores, delivers, and makes whole. I love the way the urban dictionary describes Sozo like this:

Sozo

to make new, to protect, to save, to heal, to preserve, to have faith, to be liberated, to make whole, to love, to make joyous,( something exciting, funny, happy, amazing, amusing), to have control, to worship, to be made pure; everything good that comes from God.

From <https://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Sozo>

I don't have to choose healing or abundance. I don't have to choose my children's salvation or yours. I don't have to choose peace over joy. I just have to read my Bible, ask, and receive.

John 16:24 TPT Until now you’ve not been bold enough to ask the Father for a single thing in my name, but now you can ask, and keep on asking him! And you can be sure that you’ll receive what you ask for, and your joy will have no limits!

Ripple effect

girls joy buckets

When I receive what is in that bucket, it causes joy and thanksgiving. It also increased my faith to ask for more.

Here is how it works.

I ask in Jesus's name
The Father gets joy from giving it, abundantly more than I asked for.
Receiving creates joy and thanksgiving in me.
I can't wait to tell you about it.
We both get a shot in the arm of our faith
We then ask for the next thing we see in the bucket.
The Father gets joy from giving to us.
We each tell someone.

Do you see it? Receiving what is in your bucket produces a glorious ripple effect that gets bigger with each testimony.

But you have to know what is in that bucket to ask for it. My garage sale customers didn't understand what they got for the $2. Do you know what Jesus has paid for? That is where reading your bible and sharing testimonies come in. I may not know about something that is in my bucket until you share what you found in yours.

A Challenge for you (and me!)

Last year, I wrote a blog about reviewing and renewing your expectations for the rest of the year. https://jodelights.com/blogs/news/review-and-renew-your-expectations July is the perfect time to do this. Look back to the dreams and goals you had at the beginning of this year. This year has been a rough one. Have you given up on what you asked for? Have you decided that it's too late to get the whole bucket?

So here is the challenge.. Take a look at what you are asking for. Have you dumbed it down because of what is going on in the world? That is what I was doing when He whispered "you get the whole bucket" to me. God has not changed because our circumstances have. And, yes, we have had to make some adjustments, but He has not forgotten what He promised.

Keep your faith strong and trust in His timing. You do get the whole bucket if you don't give up!

Let's start a new ripple of joy! Write your testimony in the comments below. Let's create an explosion of joy and thanksgiving that will ripple throughout the rest of the year.

jodee