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Search for them as you would for silver; seek them like hidden treasures. Proverbs 2:4
Several years ago I was attending classes at a University about two hours away. I would leave Sunday night and return on Friday. One Sunday, I was just getting ready to leave. The car was packed and all I needed to do was grab my wallet and be on my way. THAT was the problem. My wallet had disappeard!
We looked in every conceivable place and a few other places as well. Some were checked numerous times. I HAD to have that wallet in order to leave. Nothing else mattered at that point. Finally I resigned myself to the fact that it may have been dropped in a park we were at the day before. Most likely someone had found it and taken my cash and credit cards. Trying to find it in the park would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
I called the credit card company and was in the process of canceling my card when all the sudden, my wife called from the other room, “Found it!” Somehow my wallet had fallen off the bed and gotten weirdly wedged between the frame and the mattress. How she happened to see it there remains a mystery. However, the crisis was averted and I was on my way in a matter of minutes, very relieved at the outcome.
The things we see as the most important are the things we search for the hardest. When we make knowing God a priority, he responds by revealing himself more fully. Growing deeper into God takes more than casual church attendance or quick, thoughtless prayers. Growing deeper in God means spending as much time with him as we possibly can by spending time in his word, spending quality time with his people and serving him with our God-given gifts.
Your Father is earnestly seeking to reveal himself to you more fully. The enemy will do whatever he can to keep you from that source of power. Make your relationship with God a priority.
PRAYER: Father, my simple prayer to you today is that you would reveal yourself to me in ways I’ve never seen before. In Jesus name, Amen.
Proverbs 2:1 — My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.
Chip Ingram, in his book “God, As He Longs for You to See Him” makes the statement, ‘God has created each of us with an innate desire for deep, meaningful fellowship with him.’
We know this to be true from the very beginning for the Bible gives us a brief glimpse into the heart of God when we’re told in Genesis that God walked each evening with Adam and Eve. He talked with them as you would talk with an intimate friend.
While sin placed a barrier between God and man, it didn’t destroy God’s desire for that intimacy that was lost in the garden. When Jesus died for us, the barrier was destroyed and fellowship with God was available once again!
The problem is, the enemy doesn’t want us to realize what a marvelous position we have with God. Our vision of God is clouded with religion, tradition, lies and misunderstandings. So, can we really know God as he wants us to know him? YES!! But how?
Proverbs 2:1-5 gives us path we can follow to know God as he wants to be known. I’ll warn you though, it’s not an easy path to follow. However, it’s well worth the journey.
Proverbs 2:1 tells us, “My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands.”
The first step in knowing God is to listen. Listening is a lost art in our society. There are so many distractions calling us away from God. Here’s what I’m learning about listening:
- Remove distractions. In my physical life that may mean putting the phone/device down, turning down the TV and/or turning my body in the direction of the one I’m listening to. With God it’s a similar thing. Put away the distractions, get alone when you can give him your undivided attention.
- Eye Contact is crucial! It amazes me how much power is behind looking the person you are listening to/talking to has. When you are talking and looking each other in the eyes it seems to put a connection that isn’t easily taken away. The same is true with God. Physical eye contact isn’t possible of course, but train yourself to focus on one object as you seek him. It could be a distant object. It could be a picture or a verse. This one is a tough one, but your Heavenly Father WANTS to build this relationship. When you look into the eyes of God you don’t see judgment, anger or hate, you see love, grace, mercy and passion for you.
- See the Love. I’ll confess to you that I may be the world’s biggest sap. However, although we’ve been together for years, there are times when I look into my wife’s eyes and she still takes my breath away. Why? Because I love this woman more than anyone (except Jesus of course). When you seek to know God try to envision the passionate love he has for you. He loved you so much he gave the one thing he cherished most, his son.
To know God as he wants you to know him is to learn to see the great love he has for you and listen to him through His Word (The Holy Bible) and prayer.
PRAYER: Father, there are so many distractions that keep me from really knowing you. Empower me to listen to you, to focus on you, and to see the passion in your eyes for me. I’ve failed you so many times but I want to know you more. Help me to see you in your glory. Amen.
Teach those who are rich in this world not to be proud and not to trust in their money, which is so unreliable. Their trust should be in God, who richly gives us all we need for our enjoyment. Tell them to use their money to do good. They should be rich in good works and generous to those in need, always being ready to share with others. By doing this they will be storing up their treasure as a good foundation for the future so that they may experience true life. 1 Timothy 6:17-19
“Tis more blessed to give than to receive” is a nice saying, a comforting thought, and even found in scripture. The reality is, however, during those times when we are completely honest with ourselves, we admit it’s easier to live by the adage, “It’s far better to receive than
it is to give.”
There’s ‘good reason’ for that of course. We all know the horror stories of people who have taken advantage of the system. These are the ones that feel they are entitled, for a variety of reasons, to a free ride. They make constant excuses for the way they are and fail to take responsibility for the condition they are in.
It’s amazing to me that some of the stingiest people are those who claim to follow Christ. They put qualifications on their giving such as economic need, church background, race, sexual orientation and the list goes on. It seems we are afraid we may be taken advantage of, or that someone may get something they don’t deserve.
It’s a complex issue with no easy answers I suppose, but I think the question of generosity can be summed up in our response to two concepts that Jesus himself taught. The first of these is ownership, in other words, who owns what you have? The Psalmist states, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” (Psalm 24:1) If that verse is true (insert sarcasm here) then we need to realize that the car you are still making payments on isn’t yours. Never has been, never will be. There doesn’t seem to be much vacillation in the word ‘everything’. One may argue that we are called to be good stewards of all that is given us and that’s true. But do we refuse to give out of stewardship or greed?
The second issue that keeps us from being generous is simplicity. Especially for those of us in the United States, we like to be comfortable and we like to have the latest toys. (insert my own guilt in this regard here). It’s interesting that Jesus seems to call each of us to homelessness in Matthew 8:20 when someone says they will follow him anywhere (discipleship) and he responds by saying “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place even to lay his head.”
The point is this. Are we willing to give from our surplus or sacrificially? I’m not just about money, I’m talking about our gifts, our talents, the fruit of the Spirit (you know, that whole love, joy, peace thing). There are lonely people all around us. Many would just love to get a smile, a hug, a visit, a card in the mailbox.
Jesus didn’t win people over by his great sermons. The New Testament Church didn’t turn the world upside down by placing requirements on who could join. How can you and I give in a way that will change someone’s world?
PRAYER: Father, I confess that I’m far more willing to give of my excess than to give sacrificially. I’ve grown far too comfortable from the many blessings you’ve given me. Help me to see those in need around me and empower me to do what you can to make a difference in their lives. Amen.
My servant grew up in the Lord’s presence like a tender green shoot, like a root in dry ground. There was nothing beautiful or majestic about his appearance, nothing to attract us to him. Isaiah 53:2
He was the shortest guy on the team. He’d played very little because his height was a distinct disadvantage trying to rebound in the land of the giants. One of his best friends was equally ‘Stature-disadvantaged’ but his quickness gave him the edge. The one thing Tom did have was an amazing outside shot. Usually he never got a chance to use it, that is, until THE GAME.
We’d fought ourselves back from a double-digit deficit. Now, with just two seconds on the clock, we were down by one. I put Tom in. I drew up the plan during our time out which would get him the ball for a last second shot to win the game. It worked flawlessly. The opposition rushed the ‘best outside shooter on the floor’ to try to keep him from getting the ball and shooting the winning shot. No one, however, paid any attention to little Tommy stationed on the other side of the floor. He caught the ball and launched a flawless shot that slid nicely through the basket for the winning shot.
Tom was an unlikely hero that day because he was overlooked by the other players. There was nothing impressive about him yet he became the most important player on the team that day for just a few minutes.
Isaiah refers to Jesus as a ‘tender green shoot’. Tender green shoots are weak and unimpressive to the naked eye yet they hold within them the promise of new life. Isaiah refers to Jesus as a ‘root in dry ground’. Roots in dry ground are repulsive to look at and hold no hope. Yet when water is put on those roots they spring to life.
Too often in our lives we feel like ‘tender green shoots’ or ‘roots in dry ground.’ We think we are of no value in the grand scheme of things. When those feelings of worthlessness overtake us, we need to remember that Jesus too was nothing to look at in the human realm. Yet, he provided for us hope and release from the things that keep us bound. People may not be impressed by your external looks but when we allow Jesus’ light to shine through us they won’t be able to deny God’s mighty work through us.
PRAYER: Father God, I thank you for the example you have given us through Jesus Christ. During those times when I feel I have nothing to offer, help me remember that with you working through me I can make a difference in my world. In Jesus name, Amen.
Control your temper, for anger labels you a fool. Ecclesiastes 7:9
When I was in high school many years ago, I remember a game our school played against one of our rivals. We knew each other well. Perhaps too well as a matter of fact. The opposing team had a player who was one of the best, if not the best, player in our area. He had one flaw though and that flaw evened the playing field considerably.
Even though he had the skills to beat any of us, he also had a temper. The coaches never told us to take advantage of that of course, but we all knew that an occasional push under the basket or a derogatory comment made under our breath would rile him up. If we could get him angry he would likely foul out or his anger would force him to make mistakes.
Abraham Lincoln once said, “Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”
Those words reflect nicely the wisdom of Proverbs 7:9. Once we allow others to influence our attitudes it can affect how we function in our workplace, families or any other relationships. Once that happens, it’s often ‘Game Over’.
The Bible is full of constant reminders and examples of people and situations that can attack our attitude. Once that happens we have a decision to make. Are we going to respond to the situation or react to the situation. Responding has the idea of taking the time to plan and wise and timely action. Reacting is more about quick (and often inappropriate) action.
Responding may require you to take time to think about next steps. The silence when you are pondering next steps may cause others to think you are a fool for not acting quickly. But it’s better to take your time and think things through than to prove to others that you are a fool by acting too quickly!
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I have to confess to you that there are times I’ve hurt others, my reputation and most importantly, you, but rash actions. Forgive me for not taking the time to think wisely. Help me, by your Spirit, to show patience, mercy and grace in situations where wisdom is needed. Amen.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 