Word of the Day
Beloved, remember relationship isn’t an obligation or drudgery. Oh what a wrong concept you have if you believe this. Obligation causes you to miss out on so much, forsaking true riches for temporal pleasures which intrude and contaminate your thoughts. The more time you spend with worldly thoughts and actions, the less time there will be for Me. Worldly things crowd the rooms of your heart with unprofitable distractions and blockages. Be careful what enters your eyes and ears.
I am not saying you shouldn’t have fun. Quite the contraire. I am saying do not engage in activities based on the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes or the prideful things of life, all of which are at enmity with the Spirit of God. I am saying to not spend so much time on the good pleasures of life that you forsake being with Me. Being away from Me makes it easier to engage in evil seeing, hearing and speaking.
Beloved, sometimes obligation and drudgery rule the day because of your own unfulfilled self-expectations about what time with Me is all about…what loving Me is all about. Read an hour, pray an hour, meditate an hour and on and on the story goes. None of the afore-mentioned things are bad, but when done to fill a square they are robbed of life and relationship. I would rather you speak to Me about one Scripture for a month than be caught up in ritualistic or legalistic mindsets and ways.
Take a child for instance. When a child looks at something; say a flower, a butterfly or an ice-cream Sunday, they without thought automatically express their delight. When they see a scary bug or feel lost in a dark room at night they call out for their parents. When they are playing with others they experience the joy of the moment. They have a simple faith and a simple expression capable of moving mountains. They enjoy, they trust and they know when to ask for help. No drudgery there. Everything is seen through eyes always waiting to discover the next amazing adventure. That is how it should be perceived when you are with Me; a great adventure without condemnation. I would rather you enjoy one moment with Me than drudge out a thousand other days. We could accomplish a lot more.
The best and most sure way to watch what you see, watch what you hear, watch what you say and abandon drudgery is to receive the heart of a child and enjoy Me moment by moment. This simple faith will help you to love Me, others and yourself. Receive a new heart and be filled with joy…Read Complete Love Letter
IF THEN you have been raised with Christ [to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead], aim at and seek the [rich, eternal treasures] that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things), not on the things that are on the earth. For [as far as this world is concerned] you have died, and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in [the splendor of His] glory (Colossians 3:1-4 Amplified)
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my [firm, impenetrable] Rock and my Redeemer (Psalms 19:14Amplified)
Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it (Ephesians 4:29 Amplified)
Prayer
Lord, I know you must need to remind me of the difference between obligation and relationship. You love a cheerful giver and this applies to all areas of life, including my time with you. First and foremost, teach me to understand time with You is not only a “go away and be with God” kind of thing. It is not just a prayer closet kind of thing. Being with You is an all the time thing which takes many expressions all the way from serious prayer to enjoying the light touch of a butterfly drinking nectar from a beautiful flower.
Relationship is enjoying my life and sharing it with You. Relationship is about enduring the hard times with faith in Your enduring love and provision. Unfulfilled self-expectations are a great robber of my time with You. I keep list upon list of things I must do or should do so many times and do not ask You what You want. However, when I do ask You, the answer is so much simpler than my own.
Lord, teach me to walk in the grace of only following Your voice and not my own ideas of performing. Teach me…draw me…woo me to the place of a child-like heart…a heart that notices and rejoices in the simple things of life…a heart that runs to You when all inner self-perceptions and ideas say run, when I encounter the scary bugs of life or those of my own making.
Today I enter the rest of my life with a whole new perception and attitude. I forsake an over abundance of worldly pleasure both good and bad that I might not walk in a place of death or too much busyness. I declare my heart, my soul and my emotions to be child-like yet mature in faith. I am on a whole new journey of grace and faith. I am amazed. Amen.
Reflect and Journal
- What activities, though good and profitable, are you engaging in to the point you do not have time to rest in and be with the Lord?
- How have you seen being with the Lord only as time in the prayer closet, reading so much of the Word, or spending the appropriate time at church? Take some time to experience Him in the beauty of nature, in the smile of a child or in the melody of a song. Experiencing Him in these things makes the heart more open to the other. Gratitude, appreciation and thanksgiving go a long way to open the inner chambers and go beyond the veil.
- Describe the difference between the words obligation and relationship? Look up obligation and you might be surprised. Obligation is not always bad; but, when it comes to God, relationship rules.
- Describe a child-like heart in your own words.