Friday, May 08, 2009

How Do You Seek God?

One of the truly odd things about human selfishness is that the more we are blessed, the more we expect to be blessed. If you read much of my stuff, or listened to me very much, you know how vitally important I believe thankfulness is to our spiritual growth. It's essential - preeminent - nothing happens spiritually without it. Conversely, everything begins to happen when we choose to be thankful. We connect with God because we recognize what He has done for us, and our relationship with Him deepens because we are communicating with Him. That's called FAITH! He's real to us, close to us, and involved with us! His Holy Spirit develops it's fruit in our lives (Gal.5), and His graces become life-style qualities that increase daily (2 Peter 1). This is just part of the chain reaction that begins with deciding to be thankful. Thus, thankfulness is the secret to seeking! Thankfulness is what changes seeking from theological theory into honest relationship building!
So what happens when we allow God's blessings to go unnoticed, unappreciated, and un-praised? What happens when we see ourselves as just living "charmed lives" and succeeding because of our raw talent and looks and superior intellect? At the very least we go from feeling grateful to feeling entitled, from being humble to being egotistical, and from cheerful giving to self-centered keeping! At the worst, we become shortsighted, forgetful, and sell out eternity for the gains of this world. We stop seeking God - the One who blessed us in the first place.
That makes the words of the Spirit even scarier - "Let him who thinks he stands, take heed lest he fall."
Choose to be thankful and see what God has been waiting to do!

2 comments:

Deborah said...

You need to do a daily devotional on your blog...in addition to posts about basement updates, church activities, and grandkids visits!

Anonymous said...

Mike again your wiring is so full of the Spirit. I had your diagram out while I listened to you your sermon tonight. Though I have never been to your church or even St Louis I can feel the Spirit in your words and hear it in your voice. The diagram download on your web site was a nice touch. I have emailed several friends.

Thank you
David