Delight In The Lord!
Tuesday, March 23, 2010 at 10:24AM Hebrews 11:6 states the following: “And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
As I pondered this verse last night I started to break it down in my head and really think about how I earnestly seek God. I also thought about the rewards. I like being rewarded for my efforts in anything I do, everyone does. My mind was racing with different possibilities of what prize God would give me for my heart that was seeking him. At first my thoughts were on material things. Maybe I would finally sell that multi-million dollar house this year, maybe we would win the lottery and be able to pay off all our debt. The list of “things” that God could reward me with went on and on, and I was almost giddy with the possibilities of the prizes that would fall from heaven!
Then my spirit was convicted as God spoke to me quietly. I heard him say to me that although He could certainly send me my money manna from heaven that wasn’t going to happen because He knew, as I did, that my heart was changing and that the desires of my heart were changing to be more in line with his. Psalm 37:6 says “Trust in the Lord and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”
Faith isn’t about believing in God because you want and expect rewards from him. I think for a long time that is what I expected. I wanted a good return on my investment! I expected materialistic rewards from God. As I trust in him and attempt to do good in my little world he is revealing to me what Faith really is. It isn’t thinking that if I have a bible study at my house that God is going to automatically bless me. He may, and he has, but I shouldn’t expect it and that should not be the motivation behind my actions. Faith is obeying God’s direction in tough situations with friends and family and letting him work it out. Faith is looking at your bank statement and praying that He just provides what I need and nothing more than watching him replenish it to the dime of what you need to pay your bills and give you a little extra.
God desires for me and for all of us to do exactly what these two scriptures instruct us to do. He wants us earnestly seeking him, he wants us trusting him in all situations and delighting in him.
If we look at the word earnest and it’s meaning the dictionary defines it as “serious in intention, purpose, and effort.” Being earnest implies to have a purpose and to pursue it diligently and with eagerness. Is this how we have been seeking God? Have we been diligent? Have we been eager about it? Have we been serious about it? Too often I think we see God and prayer time as a chore and something to check off our list. That is not what he wants! God is not a chore. Scripture says we are to delight in him!
It then dawned on me that what God is after is not only my good works. I can have all the bible studies I want in my house but if my heart is not in it and I’m not earnest about it I’m not honoring him, and I’m certainly not delighting in him, I’m just going through the motions. I want to earnestly seek him, and I do want to receive his rewards for my life of belief, faith and service. That is how he shows his glory. He just made me realize that the rewards are different than what I had envisioned. Life is not a game show. The rewards of living these two scriptures out is a life filled with the rewards of peace, joy, love, and the belief that through anything we face that what God’s word says is true. “For I know the plans I have for you.” He tells us in Jeremiah 29:11. “Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”
My future may not entail winning the lottery, or even selling the multi-million dollar home this year (although I believe I will!) But I have faith that God’s plans for me are better than anything that I could ever dream up as the desires of my heart let go of worldly gains and shift towards the desires he has planned and purposed me to obtain.
Reader Comments (2)
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