“When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth. He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him.”
Genesis 8:11-12
What a blessing and confirmation that it was when this dove didn’t return. It meant, more than anything, that a new season had come. And while we tend to be kind of spiritual horders we must realize that oftentimes our greatest blessings begin with a series of losses. The gift of the Holy Spirit, in fact, was predated by the loss of Jesus from the earth. And if we think about virtually every worthwhile thing we realize that it requires loss of some kind. Want to start a family? You will lose a lot of your current freedoms. Want to start a business? Front end investment, big time.
The point is that some of us are so afraid to lose anything that we never open up ourselves to gain, either. If it were not for the “joy set before Him” then perhaps Christ would have refused the cross. And what joy has been robbed of us over the years because we cannot think to give up our little treasures for the satisfaction of being in the center of His will?
First World Revival 