Created for God

Did you ever wonder why the earth's axis holds its exact degree of slant and stays in its exact obit? If it did not do this, we would all be frozen or burned up.

It is only due to God's great love and compassion that we are not consumed. His care for us never fails. It is new every single morning because God is faithful. This fact gives us unending hope.

The Lord is our provider as we wait upon Him. He is good to those who quietly hope in Him and concentrate the largest portion of our energy on seeking Him and the fullness of His salvation (Lamentations 3:21-26).

At times, we feel like the Lord does not really care about us. That is only because we have unrealistic expectations of Him that are not part of His will for our life.

We treat Him like a genie in a bottle created to grant our wishes, rather than as our Lord and King who created us to do His will with our life.

If we align our will with His, we are never disappointed in the answers to our prayers, because we pray in the Spirit rather than in our flesh.

We are taught by false prophets to claim Biblical promises, as if this puts God under obligation to us to do our will. He provides His promises to encourage us, not to give us some weapon to use against Him; which by the way, does not work and just leaves us frustrated.

God never changes. His mercy never fails us. His goodness is everlasting. His love is eternal. He is under no obligation to grant our wishes or to do our bidding. Instead, He requires that we lay down our life every day, take up His cross and follow Him (Matthew 16:24; Numbers 23:19; Hebrews 13:8; James 1:17).

Prayer:
Father God we often weave a tangled web with the circumstances of our life and then expect You to get us out of the mess we made. When we live in the center of Your will, Christ strengthens us to accomplish everything which You call us to do. You make us more than conquerors over the issues of life which You allow us to encounter, not over the jumble we create by our self-centered pursuit of this world.

In You we find peace, joy and boldness to walk in Your ways, which are so superior to our ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). Remind us that at the moment of salvation You move into our life, abiding there and desiring for us to get out of the way and to allow You to use us to accomplish all that You created us to do.

Thought for the Day:

As we live fully in each present moment, with no expectations or goals of our own, we can more easily follow the leading of God's Spirit and walk in the center of His will; we hope in God alone, instead of hoping that He meets what we think are our needs.

The Bread of Heaven

All of humanity is made in the image of the Trinity (Genesis 1:26). We are a triune being: body, soul and spirit. Prior to salvation, our spirit is dead in sin. 

We enjoy controlling our own life and we have no need or desire to think about God. In fact, thoughts about God, which intrude on our conscious mind, disturb us and make us feel uncomfortable.

We run from this conviction and reject people who cause us to feel this way. We forget that the “Hound of Heaven” is constantly pursuing us to draw us into His loving embrace. 

Once we capitulate to His sovereignty, we wonder why we took so long to submit to His call and relinquish control of our life to Him. When we finally surrender to God, life is no longer a struggle (Romans 8:28; Hebrews 4:10).

Salvation is the first step in our walk with God. The next step is sanctification: the process of holiness. God’s Holy Spirit changes us from one stage of glory to the next (2 Corinthians 3:18).

Each stage brings us closer to perfect union with God (Ephesians 2:1-5). The more intimate our relationship with Him grows in the Spirit (John 4:24), the more intimacy we want with Him.

Some Believers are content with their fire insurance from hell and they live a shallow, carnal life, without this intimate union with God.

Yet others often feel like we are in a desert, so we thirst for more and more of His Living Water (John 4:14). We hunger and thirst after righteousness (Matthew 5:6). Our spirit longs to receive more nourishment from the Bread of Life (John 6:35).

Prayer:

Father God, even though we cannot sense you in our physical body, our spirit and soul – our mind, will and emotions – feel Your presence every day of our life (Deuteronomy 31:6). 

We form this union with You by spending time in Your presence as we go about our day, consulting You and relying on You as we follow Your Spirit’s direction. When we pray, remind us to listen, as well as to commune with You from our heart.

Thought for the Day:

Do not despair if God seems silent; He is simply enjoying your companionable silence.