Surrendered Hearts

There is someone looking for you. He is the God who has been looking for a special kind of heart so that He might sit and have sweet fellowship with. This heart is described as one that ‘completely,’ ‘wholly’ longs for Him.

If this does not fit your picture of God I encourage you to change that picture. This is the picture we see of God in the Garden of Eden where He comes looking for Adam & Eve. This is the heart that is highlighted in 2 Chronicles 16:9 that God scours the earth longing to find and then support. This is the heart presented in Hebrews 11:6 that meets God’s standard of diligence in seeking Him. So, are you the one God is looking, searching, scouring for? What does your heart say?

Take a moment from the business of life and allow yourself to be found by the God who longs to meet with you.

Father, forgive us for being too busy to ‘waste time’ with you in silence. Forgive our self-sufficiency that blinds us to our great need for you. This day we give you priority in our schedules, passions, and dreams.

God Has a Unique Purpose for You

If you are like me you found the words that God used to call Jeremiah to serve Him quite fascinating. Imagine the intimacy and personal care the God of all the universe had towards the prophet He is now calling—“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, And before you were born I consecrated you; I have appointed you a prophet to the nations.“ Jeremiah 1:5

Wouldn’t you like to hear God personally say the same to you? Wouldn’t you like to know that God has a design and purpose in giving you life and in making you just the way you are?

Please realize that God has said the same to each of us who are Christ followers. Note the words of Paul in Romans 8:29-30: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.” Our heavenly Father did all this before time began. You are special because of who you are.

Allow this great truth to grab a hold of your mind today so that it guides your walk through an impersonal world that often diminishes your value. Don’t allow anyone or any situation to keep you from focusing on the fact that God has a unique purpose for you to accomplish today. My prayer is that the Lord will bless you as you discover this purpose.

The Key Aspects of Investment

Do you remember the key aspects of investment that were highlighted in yesterday’s sermon? We were told that the 2 most important aspects of investing are to know the risk (that you may possibly lose something that you value highly) and that you are confident that what you are investing in is worth your taking such risk.

Have you applied the counsel of Jesus today and counted the cost, evaluated the risk, of letting Him lead your life through this day?  There are only two responses you can make to Jesus’ counsel—refuse to let Him lead because the risk is too great, or put aside your desires this day to get in line with His guidance. I pray that you will heed the Spirit’s prompting and get in line with our Savior’s guidance.

“for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
—Matthew 6:21 (Augusts’ memory verse)

Choose Whom You Will Serve

Monday
“Religion today in the USA is a salad bar where people heap on upbeat beliefs they like and often leave the veggies — like strict doctrines — behind.”
This is how USA Today began its article on the new Religious Landscape Survey findings from the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life which found most Americans (even Bible believing, church going Americans) have a ‘stunning’ disconnect between their beliefs and practices with the faiths they say they hold to.

As we noted Sunday the God of the Bible challenges us in Deuteronomy 30:19—20 to choose life by choosing Him. But this challenge is based on our truly knowing who ‘Him’ is. It is not good enough to believe in “God” if that God turns out to be a personal invention of our desires. The Pew survey noted that although 92% said they believe in God, only 51% said they were both absolutely certain there was a God and that this God was a person, rather than an impersonal force, with whom they could have a relationship.

What does this mean for us? Here are two key responses

1. Get intimate with your God. Commit to reading Scripture and connecting with the God who is clearly presented in the Bible. There aren’t many roads to God for Jesus made it clear—“I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”(John 14:6). This means selecting to read through the whole Bible. You can accomplish this by reading 5 chapters each day for a year. You can also learn about this personal God by joining Jesus University classes where He is studied each week.

2. Don’t think that those who ‘talk god’ truly know God. The Bible is clear that even the demons believe that there is one God and that they even tremble at this knowledge (James 2:19). Remember, we have the words that give life, let us not keep them to ourselves. I encourage you to be bold in sharing your faith.