DON’T SETTLE FOR LESS

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  (Ephesians 1:3)

What are you settling for in your life? What are you willing to compromise for comfort? For happiness? For prestige or wealth?

It’s far too easy to settle for less. Less than the fullness of God’s blessing. Less than God’s purpose for your life. And soon what matters to others seems more important than what matters to God.

Surfing the Internet becomes more important than reading your Bible. Going to the gym seems more important than early-morning prayer. A good tee-time is suddenly the priority over worship time.

Jesus opened His heart to His Father and prayed, “And now, Father, glorify Me in Your presence with the glory I had with You before the world began” (John 15:5). Jesus was asking His Father to give Him more! More glory! More blessing!

Don’t settle for less than everything your Heavenly Father wants to give you.

– Adapted from “Fixing My Eyes on Jesus” by Anne Graham Lotz

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WE MATTER TO GOD

Jesus said God is like a shepherd who leaves ninety-nine sheep inside the fence to hunt frantically for one stray; like a father who can't stop thinking about his rebellious ingrate of a son though he has another who is respectful and obedient; like a rich host who opens the doors of the banquet hall to a menagerie of bag-ladies and bums.  God loves people not as a race or species, but rather just as you and I love them; one at a time.  We matter to God.  In a rare moment when he pulled back the curtain between seen and unseen worlds, Jesus said that angels rejoice when a single sinner repents.  A solitary act on this speck of a planet reverberates throughout the cosmos. 

-- Philip Yancey in “The Bible Jesus Read” 

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A HEART-CONNECTION WITH GOD

"Be still, and know that I am God.”  (Psalm 46:10a)

God will give us a fresh vision of Himself each day if we take time to be with Him, if we will approach Him with a quiet and expectant heart…

True life change is the result of extended periods spent sitting at our Lord’s feet, listening to His words, and seeking His face. “Look to the Lord and His strength; seek His face always,” Israel’s poet said (Psalm 105:4). We cannot convince ourselves of His presence; we cannot make our hearts believe and make our eyes see. He must make His reinforcing presence real. “If you seek Him, He will be found by you” (1 Chronicles 28:9).

Something very significant happens through these established times of worship: we begin to gain a heart-connection with God. We come to love what He loves. We come to hate what He hates. We come to think what He thinks. We come to see what He sees. We begin to concern ourselves with His concerns.

-- David Roper in “A Beacon in the Darkness”


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