Friday, March 13, 2015

Seek with Your Whole Heart




“You will seek me and find me when you seek me with your whole heart.”
 Jeremiah 29:13 (NIV)


               God told the Israelites these words after He told them they would be in exile for 70 years. He told them He knew his plans for them and these plans were for their future good (29:11)

               Several years ago, the words of our focus verse caused me to catch my breath. I learned I have to be honest with God and let Him direct my life. God doesn’t want us to “play” at belonging to Him. He wants us to be honest with Him about who we are in relation to who He is and what we want for our lives. God sees all and knows all about us. He knows our every thought, no matter what it may be.

               As we observe the Lenten season, let us evaluate our attitudes and behaviors to see if we need to allow Jesus to prune away any habits we might have that displease Him. When we feel His removing from us those tendencies that displease Him, we need to let go of them. His actions are for our betterment.
               We sometimes have to relinquish who we are and what we want. I recently read a book by Charles Stanley where he spoke of our ‘being neutral in our requests we make of God. What I came away with was that we were to lay our desires before Him and let Him work them out to His glory. We have to remember that God is in control and always has the last word on all things.

               Have you ever tried to send God prayers of thanksgiving and praise? When we do this we don’t ask for anything. I once heard an evangelist say that one day his son came in and lay down across the bed. The father was working on his computer and asked his son what he wanted. The son’s reply was sweet, “I don’t want anything; I just wanted to hang out with you.” We should all want to “just hang out with” God. Be in His presence and enjoy Him.


8 comments:

  1. Just hang out with Him, I love that Cecelia. Not ask anything, just be together and enjoy!

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    1. Marj: Thank you for stopping in. Yes, we should try to 'hang out' with God. When we are able to just enjoy being in His presence, we find we can relax and soak up what He has for us..

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  2. What a marvelous thought! Hanging out with God our Father! Oh yes! I want to do that! Thank you for that word picture. I love it.

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    1. Pam: I really liked it when I heard that evangelist say it. We need to do more of it as we go through our daily lives. It only takes a bit of time and we come away encouraged and empowered.

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  3. I like to hang out with God, too. He is so good and kind.

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    1. Jeanette: He also provides us with what we need. Thank you for dropping by.

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  4. It is a good time to reflect and assess where we are. I've been meditating on scriptures and pondering our righteousness in Jesus lately. Thank you for sharing, Cecelia.

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    1. Karen: Thank you for stopping by. I appreciate knowing that others are meditating on scriptures during this Lenten season. Blessings to you and yours.

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