Moment by moment of every day, we have our Living Lord abiding within us by His Spirit and giving us guidance and an intimate union with Him. God wants us to love Him with ALL our heart, soul, and strength (Mark 12:30). That takes a daily commitment and singleness of focus, but it also gives us such a blessed life once achieved.
God is looking for a converted life, not just conviction that we are sinners accompanied by a quick prayer of repentance, or good works in His name, or church attendance, or living a good life, or pursuing spirituality. Conviction is the first step, but only total surrender to Him and conversion through His Spirit will bring about an intimate union with God.
No eye has ever seen, nor ear has ever heard what God has in store for His children (1 Corinthians 2:9). He rarely gives us what we want, but always gives us what we need. Even when we are disappointed in Him due to our selfish mindset, He knows what is best for us and thankfully blesses us only with His perfect plans for our life (Jeremiah 29:11).
We develop a relationship with others by spending time with them, talking to them, sharing activities with them, relying on them, caring about each other, preferring one another, etc. We deepen our union with the Trinity of God within us by these same methods. This takes a commitment to pray without ceasing – not on our knees the whole time, but throughout our day.
As we talk to God through prayer and we listen to His guidance for each moment of our day, we follow His peace in our heart that leads us in His will, we rely on His joy which is our strength rather than seeking happiness in this world, we read and meditate on the wisdom and direction of His Biblical instructions, and we gain our fulfillment by learning from the example of the life of Jesus and the lives of God’s Saints chronicled for us in His Word.
Prayer:
Father God, thank You
for continually encouraging us through the trials of life,
· for exhorting us not to feel worry, anxiety, or fear (Deuteronomy 31:6; Luke 12:27),
· for advising us to trust in You alone (Proverbs 3:5-6),
· for calling us to meditate on Your Word all day long,
· for encouraging us to obey Your precepts (John 14:15, 21),
· and for inspiring us to sing praises to Your name for who You are
· and encouraging us to feel gratitude in our heart for all You do and have done for us (Philippians 4:6-8; Psalm 138).
Our committed relationship with You is our only means for true fulfillment in this life, as well as a guarantee of Your presence with us both now and throughout eternity. Teach us to center our focus on Your will for us each moment of the day. Help us to experience Your presence within us (Galatians 2:20), to abide in Your rest, and to wait on You and Your timing before venturing out into our day. We only want to live in Your will for us, and to follow Your peace that guides us, rather than to depend on our human resources or the wisdom and dictates of this world.
Thoughts for the Day:
God abides within His converted children, and He will never, ever leave or forsake us. He knows the end of all things from the beginning, and He really, really enjoys our times of companionable silence with Him. He has good things in store for those who love Him and who have walked away from willful sin and have entered into a personal relationship with Him alone.
- Matthew 7:22-24; John 15:4-5; Luke 10:27; Psalm 46:10-11; Colossians 1:27; Deuteronomy 6:5 ALL; Jeremiah 29:11; Romans 8:28
