January 2018 Words of Life (Week 1)

Follow God, Not Blessings 1
…through faith and patience inherit the promises [blessings]. Hebrews 6:12b

          Deuteronomy 28:2 says, “And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord your God:” You do not obtain the blessings by chasing after them. You are to seek God and let the blessings come to you. Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” Once again, you put God first. Then all the blessings shall be added to you. If you are seeking after a home, job, spouse, car, child, etc., you are going about it the wrong way. You are to seek the Lord and let Him show you what to do. Psalm 84:11 says, “For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly.” Homes, jobs, spouses, cars, and children are good things. If we walk uprightly by obeying God, He will not withhold these things from us.
          Our part comes with Hebrews 10:36. “For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise:” We must do the will of God, then we can receive the promise or blessing. You can look at Abraham for an example. He was seeking after the promise of God when he birthed Ishmael with Hagar. Once he realized his mistake and sought God he inherited the promise through faith and patience (Hebrews 6:12). Imagine yourself going north on a train track. If the blessings are chasing you from behind to overtake you (Deuteronomy 28:2), you would still be going north. However, if you are chasing the blessings, you would have to turn around and head south. This means you are going the wrong direction. This will create problems and challenges that the Lord never intended for you to walk through. Trust God and stay on the path going the right direction. God will not withhold the blessings from you as you walk in obedience to His Word (Psalm 84:11). God knows what you need and wants to bless you (Psalm 34:7). Follow God and not His blessings.

Follow God, Not Blessings 2
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? Psalm 42:2

          An Economics teacher once asked his class, “Do you want 1 million dollars?” Every student raised their hand and said yes. The teacher then asked what would you do with it? The answers varied from; buying houses, cars, moving to exotic locations, investing in stock, etc. The teacher then told everyone, “You do not want 1 million dollars. As soon as you get it, you are getting rid of it. You just want what the million dollars can get you.” Are you following God because you love Him, or for what He can do for you? Do you spend time daily with Him in prayer, or just when you need something? We are not to love God for what He can do for us, but because we want to be with our Father and glorify Him. David wrote in Psalm 63, “…I thirst for You, my whole being longs for you… Because your love is better than life..”
          Unconditional love in a marriage is not loving your spouse for what they can do for you, it is loving them because you want to be with them and want the very best for them regardless of what they do or say. Our relationship with God is no different, but few people are walking there as Paul said to the Philippians in 2:21. “For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus.” If we are loving God, for selfish gain, we are not truly putting God first in every area of our lives. Mark 12:30 says, “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.” To love God with our whole heart, we must give all self-seeking interests to Him. True love is found in giving with no conditions to receive anything in return. God demonstrated this to us. John 3:16a, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Choose to love, honor, and obey God not for what He can do for you, but because you long to be in His presence (Psalm 27:4).

 

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