WORKS FOR ME IV

THE WORK OF GOD

“The work of God is that you believe in him whom He sent.”

John 6:29

A friend of mine wrote a beautiful song that comes into my head a lot during my morning Quiet Times.

“The most precious one in my life is Jesus.

The most precious one is the Spirit, who’s living in me.

Oh how I treasure our quiet times together.

You’re the most precious, most precious one in my life.”

         

Some people have commented to me that they find it hard to find time for devotions, or other spiritual disciplines that are a suggested part of the Christian Walk.  I must confess, I don’t.

These morning times are my favorite time of the day.  Undistracted and devoted times with just God and me, sitting in His Presence, listening to one another speak or simply sitting in the Silence.  It is a time of awakening for the Spirit who lives within me.  Everything seems new, fresh, and wonderful.  I somehow believe this is how all my days and nights should be; simple, sincere, and substantial.  God loves me and provides all that I need; I respond by loving Him, being thankful for all He provides, and wanting to do what pleases Him.

God is pleased when I listen to His Truth, follow Him in His Ways, and live my life as He designed it to be lived.  My fallen nature, my fleshly mind and body tend to balk at the idea of that submission and so I weary myself by being self directed and self sufficient.  I labor at constantly reinventing the wheel and making my own way through this life.  Those creations of my flesh always turn out to be fruitless and futile.  That is not how God designed life to be.

I was designed to be in a relationship with God; looking to God the Father for direction, yoked with Jesus, His Son for assistance, and indwelt by the Holy Spirit for energy and sustenance.  Then my labor will be grounded in steadfast love and will produce fruit that last forever.

God sent His Son to reconcile my fallen nature back into a relationship with God, to turn my flesh into Spirit as he turned water into wine, and to replace my self image with the image of God that I was born to reflect.

Commandments, spiritual disciplines, and devotions are not chores to be done.  Commandments reveal what pleases God; spiritual disciplines and devotions provide time to find how to incorporate those things into my life.

What pleases Him most is that I come to know His Son, believe in his name, and learn from him about the relationship God desires with me.

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30).

Works for me.