We tend to
cling to God more during trials than when things are running smoothly. God uses
the negative aspects of life to strengthen our soul, to increase our spiritual vision
and to give us His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4).
As we take
the focus of life off our self and place it on Christ in us, we are much less
earthly minded and much more spiritually minded. God's influence increases in
us as we decrease and get out of His way (John 3:30).
God replaces
the negative character traits of our personality with the fruit of His Spirit
(Galatians 5:22-23). We are no longer self-reliant, but we depend on the Holy
Spirit to direct our steps.
We learn to
depend on God instead of our human understanding and reasoning. People will
fail us, but God never leaves or forsakes us (Hebrews 13:5). He never changes
and He is always reliable (Hebrews 13:8).
Pursuing
peace, which the world gives, is elusive and fleeting. Only peace found in an
intimate relationship with Jesus Christ is deep and dependable (John 14:27).
There is no
requirement in order to form this personal relationship. We simply sit at His
feet (Luke 10:42). We abide, motionless and clearing our mind and heart of
clutter.
We give Him
praise and glory for all He does for us each day. We pour out our gratitude to
Him for His benevolence, grace and love.
Prayer:
Father God, let us follow the example
of the psalmist and sing of Your excellent love and impartiality (Psalm 89:1),
Your power (Psalm 59:16) and Your goodness (Psalm 100:5). As we give You a more
intimate place in our heart and life, we gain more intimacy with You.
Remind us to have fun as Your child and
to enjoy spending time with You. Our soul thirsts for You, our Living God
(Psalm 42:2). Our flesh cries out for You and we attentively seek You (Psalm
63:1). You are so real to us that we can almost taste and see that You are good
(Psalm 34:8). We love you with our whole heart.
Thought for the Day:
We can chat with God throughout our
day even about the mundane issues we are facing or the most boring of chores or
responsibilities; we ask His advice about hurdles we encounter, the best way to
perform a task and for wisdom about issues with our personal relationships.
