Encouragement 12-16-04

 


December 16, 2004
Encouragement for Today

Seek Me with Your Whole Heart
Sharon Jaynes - Vice President of Proverbs 31 Ministries, author, speaker

Key Verse:  

"You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13). 

Devotion: 
  

God promised, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart" (Jeremiah 29:13).  This is more than a casual glance before heading off to work or to the carpool in the morning.  It's more than a hit and run encounter with God.  He desires to speak to us through the pages of our Bibles and it requires meditating and seeking God with our whole hearts. Jesus told His followers, "If you abide in my Word then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free" (John 8:32).  Abide means to continue in, to tarry, to dwell, to remain. It is not reading the Scripture for information, but for transformation.  Many scholars have read the Bible for information, but have never entered into a relationship with Jesus Christ. This reminds me of the difference between the woman who memorizes a menu at a restaurant and a woman who enjoys the food.  Only one gets fed!

Let me ask you, who can describe a sunset more accurately - a blind person who has read all about sunsets (what causes the colors, the time of day they occur, the effect of clouds on the hues) or the person who had seen and experienced the vibrant oranges, blues, pinks and purples painted across the sky as the sun creeps below the horizon and the rays play peek-a-boo behind the scattered clouds?  I dare say the one who has experience the sunset for herself.  When we study God's Word and couple that truth with listening to His voice, we will come to know Him on a much more intimate level than a Biblical scholar who has studied the words on the page but never taken the time to converse with the Author Himself.


My prayer for today

Dear Lord, thank you that You have given me Your Word as a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I pray that as I spend time with You each day, that You will open the eyes of my heart to see You more clearly.  I pray that I will be able to hear Your still small voice in the clatter of everyday life.  I love You, Lord, and can't wait to see what You have in store for me today! In Jesus' name, Amen


Application Steps:

As you read the Bible today, ask God to show you something that you have never seen before.

As God reveals His truth to you today, write down what you've learned.

As you write down what you learned from God's Word today, also write how you are going to apply it to your life.

As you begin to apply the new truth to your life, go back to your entry from above and make note of it.


Reflection Points:

How passionate are you about hearing from God through the pages of His Word?

With that in mind, how much opportunity are you giving God to speak to you?  In other words, how much time are you spending abiding in Him?

Remember, abiding in Christ is not necessarily how many verses you read, but how in tune you are with God.


Power Verses:

"Abide in Me, and I in you.  As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me" (John 15:4 NASB).

"I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, ad I in him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing" (John 15:5 NASB).

"If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you" (John 15:7 NASB).

"If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in His love" (John 15:10 NASB).


Additional Resources:

Becoming a Woman Who Listens to God by Sharon Jaynes
http://www.gospelcom.net/p31/resources/womanlistens.html

Originally published Thursday, 16 December 2004.

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