If you let yourself get too far away from God you will miss the sound of His voice, and the love relationship He desires of us.
How do you learn more about your spouse? Spending time with each other is a good start. Listening to each other’s cares and concerns. And because time is so precious in our busy lives, make the time you spend with each other quality time. I have been married for almost 30 years. Yet with all the ups and downs a relationship goes through, we are still learning things about each other. Most important to me is, love unconditionally, don't try and earn love, forgive, and don't hold any records of wrong. 1 Corinthians 13:5.
Knowing God, and God is love, you really learn the unconditional part of His love very well for others because it was lavished on you and I. (1 John 3:1---Romans 5: 8)
How do you learn more about God's love, hearing His voice, and feeling His leading? Spending time with Him is a good start.
Some of us are stubborn people, filed with so much pride that we think we can’t learn anymore about God than we already know. I don’t know whether to call that stubborn, or just carelessly ignorant. God says in His word that we suffer because of our lack of knowledge. So why wouldn't we want to spend time with the creator and hear His voice.
You may miss the very important meaning in this scripture when Jesus said in Matthew 7: 20-22. “Not all who say to me, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the Kingdom of heaven. Only those who actually do the will of my Father in heaven will enter." It doesn’t matter what you do, what you give, the first thing God wants is a love relationship through His Son Jesus Christ. That is God’s will. All those other things do matter, but should follow out of love and a thankful heart, not a heart that says, “look at me and all I do.” So don't try to earn His love, "The will of God is to rest in the work He has done for you. To live joyfully and gratefully, serving God in abundant response to His abundant salvation." 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18.
Another thing you may miss is how to hear or feel God’s gentle leading. God knows when we are not in a love relationship with Him, we are spiritually deaf and blind and bound to hurt ourselves. Think of a blind person, they know their only way through the crowd safely is by you guiding them. They are not stubborn or prideful about it, so they take a firm grip of your hand as you lead them. Or how about your child, and if they lost grip of your hand in a crowd of people. They may have the same name as another child being called out to, but they know yours so well, that when they hear you call them they come to yours. That’s how close I want to be to knowing God. When you begin to hear His voice, and feel His gentle leading, you want to know Him even more.
There are gentle motions of the Holy Spirit in our souls that are unheeded by us. Whispers of love and affection that go unobserved. Sin that we can allow to develop in our lives because instead of hearing His voice, we are being carried further and further away by what our stubborn pride wants to hear and think. What it really comes down to is questioning ourselves, “am I in a love relationship with Jesus or not?”
There are so many glimpses of God that we might have seen if our lives if we weren’t so busy, and more in tune with the Holy Spirit.
The amazing thing to me is, all of our ignorance was already foreknown by God. Yet He still deals with us with His wonderful grace and mercy, and undeserving love. These things just humble me daily. Jesus hung upon that cross knowing and foreseeing unbelievers, backsliders, murderers, adulterers, even those of us who call ourselves Christians but spend no time with Him at all, or only when we need something.
When my time is up, I don’t want to look my Jesus in the face and hear the words “you hypocrite” Matthew 23: 27 ---- or Matthew 15: 8 “These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.”
So this year, can’t we just slow down, or maybe get up a little earlier so we can really get to know our wonderful Savior even more. Don’t miss the love. The love that still waits for us with arms opened wide. All because He wants to spend time with us, because that’s what a love relationship does.
“Now that I hear You Lord, I want to know You more. Show me Your way, and I will follow You.”
…..mvdevotional.blogspot.com
Kim
No comments:
Post a Comment