The Longing of God to Meet with You.. Craig Denison Ministries

 

The Longing of God to Meet with You

Craig Denison Ministries

Weekly Overview:

This life is marked by a single choice: who or what will we center our lives around? This choice takes each of us down a path of decisions that shape who we are, what we feel, who or what we value, and what we will have accomplished at the end of our days. To center our lives around ourselves or the things of this world leads only to destruction. But, to center our lives around meeting with God fills each moment with the glorious abundance of God’s love, provision, and transcendent peace. May your life be marked by union with your Creator as we explore what it means to center our lives around meeting with God this week.

Scripture:“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.” Psalm 139:17-18

Devotional:           

I used to view my time spent in secret with my heavenly Father as something for which I needed to drum up desire. I pictured God waiting for me in a room, ready to bless me for sure, but I felt the weight of choosing him was all on my shoulders. The truth of God’s heart is far from my previous misconceptions.

We serve a God who constantly, sweetly, and powerfully pursues us. Revelation 3:20 says, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” God is knocking on the door of your heart right now. With every gentle fall breeze that moves sweetly across your face, with every beautiful sunrise, with every breathtaking star in the sky, God is declaring his love for you.

God pursues us in any and every way he can. The greatest desire of his heart is for communion with his people. So it’s in knowing and receiving his overwhelming affections for us that our hearts will be stirred to meet with him. It’s in taking time to notice his constant pursuit of us that we will naturally begin to center our lives around meeting with our heavenly Father.

You see, the reason we should center our lives around meeting with God is because at the center of his heart is a deep, insatiable longing to meet with us. The Creator of the universe deeply longs to continually, consistently meet with you. God, who is Almighty, all-knowing, filled with grace, and is the fulfillment of perfect love, longs to be known by you. We are created to be drawn by the desire of our Creator. We are made to be known and to know our heavenly Father. We are created to walk with him every moment of every day. It’s not that we “should” center our lives around meeting with God, it’s that we were created to and must.

Song of Solomon 7:10 says, “I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.” May you grow in the awareness of God’s desire for you today. May you come to know yourself as “my beloved’s.” May your life be marked by the natural response to your Creator’s unending pursuit of you. And may you center your life around meeting with God, not out of obligation, but because he so desperately longs to meet with you.

Guided Prayer:

1. Meditate on God’s desire to meet with you.

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” Revelation 3:20

“You did not choose me, but I chose you.” John 15:16

2. What does it mean for your life that your loving Creator continually pursues you? What would it be like to live a life marked by responding to God’s love in every moment?

3. Take time to meet with God. Ask him how he feels about you. Ask him to reveal his desire for you. Respond to his affections with your own. Tell him honestly how you feel.

“I am my beloved’s, and his desire is for me.” Song of Solomon 7:10

“How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake, and I am still with you.” Psalm 139:17-18

All you have is today. Centering your life around meeting with God is all about the choices you make today. The way you choose to live right now will impact your days to come. Don’t worry about your track record. Don’t concern yourself with the idea of meeting with Jesus every day for the rest of your life. Simply choose to enjoy him today. “Sufficient for the day is its own trouble” (Matthew 6:34).

Extended Reading: Psalm 139

Don’t Get Caught in the Worrying Trap..Jennifer Waddle

 Don’t Get Caught in the Worrying Trap

By Jennifer Waddle

BIBLE VERSE OF THE DAY: “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)

Peace, contentment, and overwhelming joy are the real attributes of an abundant life in Christ. But sadly, the cares of this world often overshadow those beautiful sentiments.

Interestingly, right before Jesus spoke about having life abundant, He reminded His followers about the thief that comes in to steal, kill, and destroy. He didn’t share that to burst their bubble or discourage them. He said it to alert them to a very real and present temptation.

Worry is one way the enemy robs us of enjoying the fruitful life Jesus spoke of. If Satan can get us to focus on the stresses around us, instead of focusing on the Holy Spirit within us, he has succeeded in stealing our abundance in Christ.

Worry distracts us from God's truths.
The father of lies wants nothing more than to distract us from the Word of God. From the very beginning, when he challenged Eve with the question, “Did God really say,” Satan has been on a mission to divert our attention from the truth.

Often, when we are caught up in the cycle of worried thinking, we are too distracted to open our Bibles. Yet, that’s when we need God’s truths the most. 

My suggestion is to print out several key Bible passages to have on hand during times of worry. Post them in prominent places and read them often. The enemy doesn’t stand a chance in the light of God’s truths!

Worry is a false comforter.
People who deal with persistent worry have become severely dependent on the anxious emotions they feel. Sadly, it’s almost like a drug that is unwanted but hard to give up.

Worry becomes a go-to source of comfort. Some of us even start to feel empty or lost if we aren’t continually worried about something.

This may indicate it’s time to seek some help. Making an appointment with a trusted physician or meeting with a Christian counselor might be the best course of action for chronic anxiety.

The truth is, worry is by no means a comforter or friend. It is a tool from the enemy to mask the true comfort we receive from the Holy Spirit.

A Prayer for When I Need Help..Kristine Brown

 A Prayer for When I Need Help

By Kristine Brown

“Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” Galatians 6:2 NLT

When I found out the good news that I was pregnant, I rushed out and bought several books on baby’s first year, including how to get your baby started on a regular sleep schedule. I soon found out the authors didn’t take into account things like food sensitivities, unexpected illnesses, feeding issues, or a host of other factors that can affect a baby’s ability to rest.

And if baby doesn’t sleep, neither does mom and dad. I remember feeling inadequate as a mom. I thought something was wrong with me. I’d read all the books, for goodness’ sake. Why couldn’t I figure this out? I wanted to be a good mom. I tried everything, but I just couldn’t get him to sleep well. I needed help, but I didn’t want to ask. So I let myself fall deeper into despair instead of reaching out.

In Galatians 6:2, the apostle Paul encourages the church with this, “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.” He knew there would be times when we would need help, and as a fellowship of believers, we can fulfill God’s great plan by being there to help carry one another’s burdens.

If helping others was important enough for Paul to mention to the early church, why do we struggle with it today? Why is it so hard to ask for help? I, for one, like being the helper. I love serving and giving, but when it comes to seeking help in my time of need, I hesitate. I feel like I’m being a burden or that my people will resent me for asking. But that is contrary to God’s Word. Serving others brings joy, purpose, and abundant blessings. Our family and friends are often glad we asked and eager to lend a helping hand!

Luke 6:38 reads, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Reaching out may be uncomfortable. We may feel vulnerable putting our needs out there. But when we do, we are giving others the opportunity to give and receive a blessing.

I remember one day when I’d reached a low point with my precious infant and didn’t know what else to do. My sister-in-law called. She asked how I was doing, and I burst into tears. She simply said, “Pack up a bottle and diaper, and bring the baby to me for a few hours.” Her gesture brought instant peace and calm to my weary heart. 

If you need help today, I pray God will bring to mind someone you can reach out to. May God give us the courage to move past our apprehension and ask for help.

Let’s pray together.

Dear Heavenly Father,
There are times in life when I feel overwhelmed. Times when I think I should be able to handle everything on my own and times when I’ve chosen not to ask for help. Forgive me, Lord, for not reaching out. Help me to see the blessing that comes with asking for help. 

Your Word teaches us that as a body of Christ, we are designed to share our burdens. We are called to lift one another up and serve your children. You never intended for us to handle everything on our own. Help me remember this the next time I struggle with asking for help. Allowing others to help me opens the door for you to work in and through us.

Lord, you also promise to bless those who give. What a wonderful gift! Thank you for teaching us how important it is to ask for help. Bring to mind someone I can reach out to— a friend, family member, neighbor, or someone from church. I know you have the right person in mind who will be glad to help. Thank you for the blessings we receive when we help, serve, and give. In Jesus’ name, I pray, Amen.

To Live a Quiet Life..Heidi Vegh

 To Live a Quiet Life

By Heidi Vegh

“She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” - Proverbs 31:27

I have recently landed in a space in my life where I am home by myself for hours a day while my kids are in school. I am adjusting to the quiet around me as I have been a stay-at-home mom for sixteen years and have yet to experience this “days on end” kind of quiet. I have no trouble at all finding things to do. I have closets or organize, articles to write, laundry to fold, and weeds to be pulled. However, I find myself torn between staying busy and filling my time wisely but also allowing time to just be still. 

I am having trouble finding the balance between good solid quiet time and being productive with the time the Lord has blessed me with. So how do we marry the two? Let’s look at what Jesus says about idleness and being still. 

Being idle could also be termed as laziness or avoiding work/ without purpose or pointless. It is so easy to set aside all important and life-giving work and fall into the temptation to live a life of idleness. Seeking only pleasure and rest. In our “me-centered” culture, we are conditioned to believe that if we can live a life of luxury, laying on a beach somewhere, having people serve us, then we have arrived. 

However, this is the exact opposite of what the Lord has for us. When we live for Jesus, He will instill in us a passion to work for Him, serve Him and bring others to Him. This can happen in ministry, your job, your home, or simply spending time with your neighbors. Pursuing a pleasure-filled life will leave us empty and longing. Although vacations and lazy days on the beach can be a blessed gift from God, it should not be our sole purpose in life to attain that lifestyle. 

We can also get trapped in a life of busyness. We are duped into believing that our busyness is productive, but if its only purpose is to fill our time, then we are wasting our precious energy. It is easy to find many things to fill our time. Do you find yourself staying busy just to avoid being alone with your thoughts? In this age of constant digital disruption, a quiet moment is rare. We can sit still, but we have been so accustomed to the noise that even when we do have a quiet moment, we are quick to fill it. 

"Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not." - 1 Timothy 5:13

Jesus warns us about both kinds of living. He gifted us with talents and spiritual gifts. Every human was created with a purpose. He commands us to utilize these gifts and make good use of our time. Not only for us but to further the kingdom of God. 

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

God longs for us to set aside time in our lives to sit with Him and listen to His voice. He understands that life can become overwhelming with multiple things clamoring for our attention. It takes intentionality to shut off the noise to spend time with our creator. These are precious moments where He can meet us right where you are. You ought not to believe that lie that you do not have the time. If you sacrifice time with the Lord, He will bless you with the abundant ability and time to get all your things done.