SEEK HIM

I find that my mind so quickly becomes entangled in thoughts that are so far away from God….makes me wonder why He puts up with me.  But, that’s when I am reminded that God is perfect love and He never moves away from me.  He is as close to me as my heartbeat and life-giving breath. GOD’S PERFECT LOVE IS ACTIVE -  He continually beckons, warns, and comforts. HE GIVES US HIMSELF!!  And, He gives us the freedom to choose all that He has to give us – it is up to each of us what we receive from Him.

Psalm 105:3-4 (NLT)
³ Exult in his holy name; rejoice, you who worship the LORD.
⁴ Search for the LORD and for his strength; continually seek him.

This verse makes me very mindful of the fact that I am to continually seek the Lord – and not just on special occasions, but DAILY!!   What exactly does SEEK God mean?  We are talking about consistently seeking God…not just occasionally but diligently, earnestly, and carefully.  We are looking for God to know Him better, love Him more, and follow Him obediently. 

Several Scriptures teach us basic truths about seeking God.

One : God Rewards Those Who Seek Him

Hebrews 11:6 (NLT)
⁶ And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that God exists and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.

The book, Everyday Expressions Found in the Bible, explains this concept well:

It means to seek out God; to diligently seek to find Him and to follow Him. God does not reward the sleepy-eyed, complacent, non-thinker, half-interested, worldly-minded, pleasure seeker. God rewards those who diligently seek to know and follow Him. The idea is that we must be in earnest and persevere and endure to the end. What is the reward to those who diligently seek God? It is the same reward given to Abel and Enoch: righteousness and God's care in this life and deliverance from death unto eternal life.

Two : Jesus Assures Us We Will Find God…When We Sincerely Look

Matthew 7:7 (NLT)
⁷ “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

 Three verbs should be a part of our search to know God better and better: ASK, SEEK, AND KNOCK.  Why do these verbs work? Because our loving God answers our searching hearts; His great desire is to meet our needs.  If we are not finding God perhaps it is because we are not looking for Him with our whole being…. Ask yourself, Is finding God – knowing Him better and better – is that on my spiritual “bucket list”?

Three : Seeking God Takes Purposeful Effort Especially During Difficult Times

Jeremiah 29:13 (NLT)
¹³ If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

This word from the Lord was given to the Children of Israel when they were in exile.  What is God teaching us?  Simple truth is that when circumstances are not the way we planned them – they are not easy – there seems to be no end in sight…that is when we are to give our whole hearts towards finding God and knowing that He is Sovereign and in control. Once we take that step our understanding of His love and our faith-walk with Him are deepened and joy is overwhelming!

Four : Seeking God Is Easier Than It Sounds… BECAUSE HE IS SO CLOSE 

Acts 17:27 (MSG)
²⁷ so we could seek after God, and not just grope around in the dark but actually find him. He doesn't play hide-and-seek with us. He's not remote; he's near.

Our God is not a distant God.  He is our personal, intimate God. His desire is for us to KNOW HIM!

In closing, we are to seek…look for, search for, hunt for, ask for…. God with our whole… entire, complete, total, undivided, entire self. The wonderful part is that it is so easy to do because God through Jesus Christ is very near and available to be known…

Recognized, identified, acknowledged, accepted as our personal God.

Joyfully,

Yvonne

Moment by Moment

I’m getting ready to take a road trip with my sister Barbie….got me to thinking about my “road trip” with God. 

  Our spiritual journeys are lived moment by moment, not day by day or even week by week – Leslie Williams

Moment by moment…  My goal is to continue on a joyful journey with the Lord each day by being mindful of how I am living my moments.

We can choose to focus on certain practices that make our journey both fruitful and full of abundant joy:

One – Regularly recognize that Our God is a JOYFUL GOD!

Rejoicing and focusing on this wonderful trait of God’s brings such joy into your journey with Him. Zephaniah 3:17 (NCV)
¹⁷ The LORD your God is with you; the mighty One will save you. He will rejoice over you. You will rest in his love; he will sing and be joyful about you. “

God delights in you and breaks out into song when He thinks about you! That’s hard to believe, isn’t it? I love how the Living Bible paraphrases this verse: “Is that a joyous choir I hear? No, it is the Lord himself exulting over you in happy song.”

God’s joy can be transmitted directly to us by His Holy Spirit who lives within us. That’s exactly what Nehemiah discovered in Nehemiah 8:10 (NIV) … for the joy of the LORD is your strength."

Two – Constantly Enjoy the Character of God

Throughout your day, focus on the holiness and awesomeness of God.  Praise and acknowledge His nature, His character traits, and His loving kindness.

Psalm 66:1-3 (NLT)  Shout joyful praises to God, all the earth! ² Sing about the glory of his name! Tell the world how glorious he is. ³ Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! …

Psalm 28:7 (NLT) The LORD is my strength and shield. I trust him with all my heart. He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy. I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

Three –Repeatedly Release Your Problems to the Lord

Christian joy …the kind that allows your “road trip” to be smooth in spite of any bumps along the way – comes from responding to the continual presence of God Himself in your life circumstances.

James 1:2 (NLT)Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy.

Four–Remain Close to Jesus

On our Christian journey Jesus is our “GPS” – don’t try to travel without Him.

John 15:4 (NLT) Remain in me, and I will remain in you…

Remaining (abiding) in Christ means to stay in close fellowship with Him so that His life can work in and through us.  This involves the Word of God, Confession of Sin, Obedience, Prayer, and a Constant Awareness of His Presence…we participate in all of these because we love Him.

If we focus on these four things moment by moment I can guarantee the journey we are taking will be an unforgettable, abundant one.

Moment by Moment

By Gideon’s Army
I've come to realize that I need You
I can't make it on my own
Now I'm feelin' so much better, Lord
Knowin' You're with me 'til we're home
Moment by moment
I am tryin' to be true
Moment by moment
I am trustin' in You
Well, I know that You live inside me, Lord
And You give me power I've never known
And You and I will climb those mountains together
If my hope is in You alone

Joyfully,

Yvonne

HE IS RISEN

In five days we will celebrate Easter Sunday – Resurrection Sunday!  What a joy!

1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NLT)
³ I passed on to you what was most important and what had also been passed on to me. Christ died for our sins, just as the Scriptures said.
⁴ He was buried, and he was raised from the dead on the third day, just as the Scriptures said.

As we prepare to celebrate this coming Sunday, let me remind you of some important things I plan to celebrate this Easter Sunday:

1)  The cross as a symbol of power and resurrection – it is no longer only a reminder of bloody execution. The cross is now a reminder of love and forgiveness – of unconditional love and mercy – of perfect love and eternal life  – of God’s love that  provides a way of reconciliation and restoration..

2)  The burial tomb…  a mark of hope… that we no longer have to fear death – because of Jesus’ resurrection, we can rejoice that physical death for believers is where real living begins.

Dale Evans once said, "I spent most of my life searching for the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. Then I finally found it at the foot of the cross."

Luke 24:1-7 (NKJV)
¹ Now on the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they, and certain other women with them, came to the tomb bringing the spices which they had prepared.
² But they found the stone rolled away from the tomb.
³ Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.
⁴ And it happened, as they were greatly perplexed about this, that behold, two men stood by them in shining garments.
⁵ Then, as they were afraid and bowed their faces to the earth, they said to them, "Why do you seek the living among the dead?
⁶ He is not here, but is risen! Remember how He spoke to you when He was still in Galilee,
⁷ saying, 'The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.' "

3)True Life -  Rich, abundant living that does not depend on daily circumstances. Jesus said,

John 10:10b (NKJV)
…I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 12:46 (NLT)
⁴⁶ I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.

Even if our lives on this earth are filled with pain, loneliness, sorrow, disappointment, frustration, and yes, failure…we are able to go on because of the strength and confidence that comes through Jesus and His resurrection power in our lives.

4) The powerful plan of a loving God – We know the message of Easter – that soldiers, and liars, and stones, and plots, and denials can never stop the plan of God.  God’s plan of salvation has been accomplished and nothing can stop it from moving forward.

John 3:16-17 (NLT)
¹⁶ “For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
¹⁷ God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

Easter is truly a day to remember – a day for celebration! 

He is Lord, He is Lord
He has risen from the dead
And He is Lord,
Every knee shall bow,
Every tongue confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord.

Joyfully,

Yvonne