What drives you? Ask ten different people and you could get ten different answers. Too many people today are driven by materialism, the want for more and the more money to buy it! It can become an all consuming religion to some. Pastor Curt used a great line yesterday, “Money can buy religion but not salvation!” Many people are driven by the need for approval of their parents or other people. Some have allowed a destructive event in their lives to drive them with resentment and anger. Sadly many people are driven through their lives by guilt, laid on them by others or self. So what drives you? As Christians, the answer should be apparent or as Paul wrote the Corinthians, “For the love of Christ constrains us … He died for all that those who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.” Our love, appreciation, our thankfulness for what Jesus did for each and everyone of us, should drive us through each day. We don’t need man’s approval, we have God’s! We don’t have to strive for things, we have a Heavenly mansion! We don’t have to be guilty about anything, we’ve been forgiven! For everything! If anyone should have been driven by guilt, it was Paul, but he knew the Lord forgave him, wanted to use him, and so went out and helped turn the world upside down! Let your love and appreciation for all the Lord has done for you take over your drivers seat and go show the world what He can do for them too!
Fearfully and wonderfully made … you are! You are God’s creation, He wove you in your mother’s womb! His works are marvelous, you are one of His works! He knows what you look like, He knows your talents, and He has plans for you to use them for Him. Whether you do or not is up to you but it’s never too late to put them to good use. He knows your personality and He still wants you to spend eternity with Him! The price Jesus paid for that honor was costly, yet so many refuse to acknowledge it. You were not, you are not, an accident, you were made to be His child. Don’t ever let the woes of the world or the lies and attacks of the enemy steal that from you! You were fearfully and wonderfully made and marvelous are his works!
Sometimes it’s hard to picture God with emotions. Actually, most of the time, it’s hard to picture God at all. I mean, how do you picture Someone who created such an intricate, diverse Creation? The amazing engineering of our bodies and brains, the intricate artistry of flowers, shells, animals, birds is mind boggling! When was the last time you really looked at the hand painted feathers of a mandarin duck or a kea parrot? They are stunning! Yet for all the time spent designing and creating, He still has time for you! He cares so much for you, you can make Him smile or shed a tear. Let’s work on making Him smile. Let Him know your love for Him. Remind Him, and yourself, daily. Show Him your faith by trusting in Him for all things. Read His Word, learn what He expects of you and obey Him completely. Because it is such an incredible story, Noah has a tendency to get overlooked and doesn’t get as much credit as he should. Talk about a man of God that could make Him smile! When asked to do an enormous task, one never before even heard of, he didn’t question, he obeyed. He didn’t worry about public opinion or the lack of training as a wild life wrangler, he simply trusted God and got to work. I sure he made God smile with some of his questions on animal husbandry, but I’m sure he made God smile much more by his faith and obedience. We need to be more like Noah! No, we all don’t have to build a zoo, but we all should strive daily to make God smile through our love and faith and obedience.
“From the rising of the sun, to its going down, the Lord’s name is to be praised,” wrote the Psalmist. It’s pretty easy, as the morning light moves across dew laden grasses, chasing away the shadows left over from the night, offering a brand new day, to praise and thank the Lord. As the sun slowly sinks into the horizon, turning the sky into a blaze of reds and oranges, it’s easy to be awed by His majestic beauty and humbly thank and praise Him. But what about all the time in between? When you’re stuck in traffic and late for work? When your boss tells you they have to make cut backs and you’re laid off? When the doctor delivers your test results? When a hurricane surges through your house? When another snowbird almost drives you off the road? King David’s life didn’t travel an easy path but still he wrote, “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth.” God is the God of the mountain top, He is the God of the deepest valley, in good times, in bad times, He is the same. He is there for us, He has provided His salvation for us, He will be there to comfort and help us whatever the times. How can we not seriously praise Him at any time from the depth of our hearts for all He does and has done for us? Isaiah wrote, “Inasmuch as these people draw near to Me with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me.” Does that hit DC on the head or what? He knows people’s hearts, He knows your heart! Strive, every day, all day, in all things, with a humble, thankful heart, to praise His holy name!
As we go through life we meet many people, have many acquaintances, develop several friendships, but with how many of those friends do we have a truly deep relationship? We may say we have some close friends, but be honest and admit how many of those close friends are really only surface relationships?
Most people are fortunate if they have three deep friendships. Jesus was the same way. He had numerous disciples that followed Him but He narrowed it down to 12 with whom He would spend the most time sharing and teaching. Of the 12, He chose three to get more personal with, and then down to Peter as the one He was the closest. Wise is the person who makes God his closest friend! With whom he has the deepest relationship, spends the most time, and amazingly, God will make the time for them too! We need to be in constant communication with Him. We need to be honest with Him, sharing our disappointments, sharing our joys, confessing our shortcomings, which we all have many. As in any relationship, we need to value what He values, we need to be upset with what upsets Him, and in today’s world, there is much to be upset about!
For all of King David’s many failings, God still considered him a man after His own heart. May we follow his example and say from our own hearts, “One thing I desire of the Lord, that I will seek. That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in His temple.”
Relationships don’t happen overnight. Sure, you may meet someone and instantly hit it off, but it will still take time before you have a strong, trusting relationship with them. So how do you build a strong relationship with someone? You spend time with them, you learn about them, their past and present trials and tribulations, you listen to them, you share what you have in common. It’s the same with building a relationship with the Lord. He wants you to spend time with Him. He wants you to know what He has done in the past. He wants you to listen to Him and He has made it pretty clear what He likes and doesn’t! The beauty of a relationship with the Lord is that He already knows all those things about you and He still wants to have one with you! Psalm 77 gives us three ways to help us have a strong relationship with Him. REMEMBER, all the things He has done for you and “all His wonders of old.” MEDITATE, on His Word. You can’t be close to Him if you don’t know for yourself what He has said! TALK, about what He has done for you, for others. How often do the Psalms talk about God’s miraculous hand leading the Hebrews out of Egypt? We can remember song lyrics from the ’60’s, but forget blessings bestowed on us last week! Relationships take work but there is none more important to work on than your personal one-on-one relationship with God!
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Tem
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team
By, Tim Irving – Evangelism Team