The
most important ingredient in our relationship with God is not how much work we
do for Him, but how much time we spend with Him. He is a jealous God and does
not want to share our attention with anyone or anything else (Exodus 34:14).
We
receive our validation through God's Word and by maintaining our constant vigil
in His presence as we walk in His Spirit each moment of our day. This helps us
to perform the works that He created us to accomplish (Ephesians 2:10).
The
only aspect of life that can change this intimacy with God is willful sin on
our part. When we choose unrighteousness instead of His truth and holiness, we
grieve His Spirit and interrupt the channel of our communication with our Holy
God.
God's
Word encourages us to delight our self in the Lord, and He will plant His
desires in our heart (Psalm 37:4). We pursue Him with our whole heart, and our
intimacy with Him increases day-by-day. We enjoy supreme pleasures in His
presence.
He
increases as we decrease, His plans are our desire, and His pleasure is our
motivation for service. God rejoices over us with singing, considers us His
friend, and delights in our death as much as in our birth - because it brings
us home to Him (John 3:30, 15:15; Zephaniah 3:17; Psalm 116:15).
We
lift up our face to Him, and delight in the Almighty as we fellowship with Him
without ceasing (Job 22:26, 27:10). We delight in Him day after day, continually
rejoicing in His presence forevermore (Proverbs 8:30).
As
we do, He provides us with so many blessings that we can barely contain them
all (Isaiah 58:14). We overflow with His goodness, delight in His ways, learn
at His feet, abide in His Son, and follow the guidance of His Spirit.
Prayer:
Father
God, the delicious delight that we enjoy in our constant communing with You
helps us to walk away from any temptation to sin. We lose all desire to walk in
the ways of the flesh or the world, because it blocks our unity with You.
Remind us not to look to our mate, children, worldly activities and other
relationships for our fulfillment, because they are simply inferior
alternatives to our real source of supply.
They
cause us to experience increasing levels of thirst (Psalm 42:2, 63:1, 143:6);
yet, our relationship with You gives us abundant provision of delight in so
many ways. Help us to spend more time enjoying Your company than in working to
please You and in interceding for earthly needs. Your unconditional love,
calming peace, indescribable joy, and blessings in every area of our life - in
both the mundane and in the terrors of a trauma - fulfill us.
Thought
for the Day:
Our
God is faithful, righteous, powerful, wise, caring and vigilant over us;
therefore, we have no need that He does not want to supply, and no work that is
more important than spending deep, intimate times of loving Him, worshipping
Him and obeying Him each moment of every day.
-
1 Peter 5:7; Jeremiah 11:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:24; 2 Thessalonians 1:6;
Colossians 2:12; John 14:15
