To Be....Seeking, Knowing and Responding to God

March 7
"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself.  Each day has enough trouble of it's own."  Matthew 6:33-34

Check out The Message translation.  It's challenging me to change!

"If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers- most of which are never even seen-don't you think he'll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you?  What I'm trying to to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God's giving. People who don't know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don't worry about missing out. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met."  Matthew 6:33-34  MSG

I'm getting a quadruple whammy (God sending the same message to me through four different sources) related to my relationship with God.

There are people, as referred to in the passage above, who want God for what he can give them.  We see earthly relationships with people like that too! They have a one sided, receptive agenda in their relationships. Lately, through studying God's Word, I've realized I can become intensified on knowing what God wants me to do, instead of craving a deeper knowledge of Him and finding joy in Him alone.  That call to be still and just enjoy ME.

Priscilla Shirer writes, "It's easy to start seeking God's direction more than just seeking to know God Himself...simply be in His presence....We must constantly maintain the far superior privilege of knowing God over merely getting something from Him or implementing an action plan."

Makes me thinks of times I've entertained and been so busy serving, that I never simply sat and enjoyed my guests.  That has changed. The other day I said to a friend who was helping me clean up after a large luncheon here, "Let's leave the kitchen and go sit together on the couch. I've missed you!"  God wants us to want to be with Him because he is our Father.

Think about the people who go to visit with no agenda, no activities scheduled, you truly cherish simply being with them.

This week's BSF notes had this input relating to Paul's teaching in Romans 12.
"Christians often want God to tell us His will for us, but we try to reserve the right to decide whether His will pleases us...Developing a Christian way of thinking never happens without deliberate surrender....We reveal our faith as we offer ourselves to God."

Peter Lord, in his book Hearing God comments, "You can hear God better when you give him quality time."  In this book he makes an analogy of how absurd it would be if we went to a doctor, laid out all of our symptoms and then got up and left before the doctor made a diagnosis.  We are prone to dump all our woes, concerns and needs on God and say, "Amen," never waiting for God's diagnosis of our situation and plans for recovery!

So how do we "steep our lives in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions."
We must know who He is.
God-reality
"But whoever loves God is known by God."  1 Corinthians 8:3

"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments." Deuteronomy 7:9

"For this is what the Lord says-he who created the heavens, he is God; he who fashioned and made the earth, he founded it; he did not create it to be empty, but formed it to be inhabited-he says, 'I am the Lord, and there is no other.'" Isaiah 45:18

God-initiative
"So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now more more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."   Philippians 2:12-14

God-provisions
"Lord, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago."  Isaiah 25:1

"And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:19