A Great Teacher Asks the Best Questions: “Is not life more than food…?”

November 12, 2025.

Day 12. A grateful heart. I am grateful for the bounty of oranges this year. Grateful because we’ve done absolutely nothing to produce this fruit. And yet, it is ours. And they are delicious!

We purchased the house with the means God has entrusted to us. But the trees were already here. The sprinklers water on a timer set by a friend who knows what is needed throughout the year.

““Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

God brought rain this year, sunshine and some milder summer temperatures. None of this has been in our control. Oh wait, I did add some coffee grounds to the soil several times this year, but mostly I’ve enjoyed what God is doing in His creation.

The flowers bloomed – the aromatic orange blossoms – in January. The bees pollinated. We watched. The tiny oranges began to form in February. Literally, we have taken {daily} our front row seats, and watched God do what He does.

He feeds us. Protects us. Provides shelter and shade. He is good to us even when we don’t know what to do. He’s generous with us when we have no ability to contribute. He’s not expecting us to earn these oranges. We {my dear man and me} simply participate in harvesting this bumper crop, peeling a few and eating them straight from the tree.

And He’s given us more than enough to share.

Isn’t it so wonderful to get to share something Father God has put in our hands?

“Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life?”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭26‬-‭27‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This tree, and the oranges, are not just kind provision. They bring literal tears to my eyes that spill over onto the dusty sand some days. These are the most tender evidences that Father, God, knows me, sees me, and cares about the details.

He knows that I grew up in South Florida surrounded by groves of fresh citrus and fields of fresh produce. He is telling me that He remembers how as a youth I loved to go out to a tree in our backyard, pick something lovely, peel and eat it right there with the juice running off my elbows.

He’s reminding me of the goodness of His garden, which He will restore one day, and include His children in it.

Thank You, Father God, for loving me first. I love You too. And thank You for teaching me about Your generosity through the orange tree (and the grapefruit tree too). You see Father, one citrus tree would have been more enough for me. But You gave extra with this home – a juicy red grapefruit tree as well as the tasty and fortifying orange.

Open my eyes, Lord Jesus, while I’m here, open my senses to the bountiful delights You have made and gifted. Help me. Teach me to look up. To recognize Your nearness, Your ever present help, Your witness, Immanuel.

You have been just so good to me.

For Your glory,

Amen.

Lisa

Eyes on Jesus and Shine

Linking up with Joanne

YouTube : Elevation Worship

Something to Ponder with Jesus:

Think about something God has given you to enjoy and you did nothing to earn it.

If you need a nudge to get you started in your pondering, think about the breath in your lungs. The blood pumping through your heart.

What would you like to say to God as you recall His overwhelming generosity?