What’s in a Promise, part 4

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

Broken promises are a doorway that leads us to higher promises made by the Lover of our souls.

Scriptures of the Day:

2 Corinthians 1:20

“For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.”

Matthew 5:37

“Let your word be ‘Yes, yes’ or ‘No, no.’ More than this is from the evil one.”

Broken Promises

We have looked at the Source of Promises, the Purpose of Promises, and the Nature of Promises. I confess I want to get right to my last part to this series – Accessing God’s Promises (can’t wait!) – but I feel I would be remiss if I skipped over what I alluded to yesterday – Broken Promises.

I don’t really like to talk about broken promises. It hurts to contemplate both when someone betrayed our trust or when we did so, as well. I hate to see other people’s lives crushed because of one person’s decision to be unfaithful and to choose temporary pleasure instead of eternal reward. We long for the day when people’s yes is yes and there no is no. We root for people to be faithful. With man this is not possible, but with God nothing is impossible.

Christ knows our pain. He knew Judas was going to betray him, but he did not stop him from doing so. A promise He had spoken prior to this betrayal was on His mind – the redemption of our souls.

Sometimes we can sense that someone is going to break their promise with us and we try to stop them. We try to warn them of the consequences, but they still opt for the route of pain. Why?

Deceived.

The same one who deceived Judas gets into the hearts of men and women and blinds their eyes so they do not believe God’s promises. Man can tend to look at the here and now and shrink back from faith when things seem too difficult to trust in a promise that seems impossible. Seemingly yielding to what seems more pleasant, promise breakers are actually choosing a life of pain for themselves and those they have broken faith with.

The trouble with man placing his trust in our own actions is that we don’t often think it all the way through. When we do, we rationalize our way around the deception and think we will escape the principle of God at work in all of our lives – reaping what we sow. Deceived again. Notice that I say the word, “we” because apart from the grace of God, so we all are capable of being deceived and falling.

Who broke the promise? Can I trust God?

But what we might not want to readily admit is that we sometimes feel as if trust is broken between us and God when God allows pain into our lives. We stuff the thoughts down, not wanting our faith hurt. Somewhere we believed the lie that God promised us perfect lives free of discomfort. As favored children of God, we think we might have a better plan than God does for our lives.

Acknowledging our tendency to blame God for man’s sin, we still have a crisis – will God’s promises redeem the mess we are in? From the framework of the promises we make, this does not seem likely, until we examine God’s track record. Yes, friends, God’s promises are always fulfilled – but we have a role to play, too.

When we by faith take God at his word, we can still struggle with the temptation to break promises ourselves or avoid doing our part of the promises of God. Why doesn’t everyone do everything they can to gain the promises of God?

Vulnerability.

Trusting in promises is a vulnerable choice. We don’t want to feel foolish when our hopes seem to go unanswered. It might seem like a place of weakness to trust in what seems impossible, but it is, in fact, a place of strength. Our Almighty God is really the only One Who is fully trustworthy and able to make us trustworthy, too. Despite the suffering that broken promises produce, broken promises are a doorway that leads us to a higher promise made by the Lover of our souls.

Lord, heal hearts that have broken and help us to place all our trust in You, where we will never be disappointed.

 

What’s in a Promise, part 3

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

When the promises of men are broken, the promises of God are spoken from One Who already knows the beginning and the end.

Scripture of the Day:

Romans 4:21

“Fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.”

The Nature of Promises

Waiting for the decision from the Judge seemed like an eternity. Had enough evidence been seen for a righteous decision? Only time would tell. Meanwhile, I waited. And I waited. And I waited some more. Were God’s promises for me? Why was this pain allowed in and what was the purpose?

The same God Who was with me in the beginning of our sorrow was there throughout until the end of the matter. Sure, there were bumps along the road that I did not appreciate and suffering that etched character into my very soul, but in the midst I learned to trust deeply in the promises of God – and more importantly, in the One Promise Keeper and Lover of our souls.

Knowing the One Who always keeps His promises makes believing in His promises easier when life is overwhelming. Knowing the nature of His promises also helps us to be able to put our hope and faith in our God and His faithful promises.

When God makes a promise, it is divine. Promises are spoken easily in our culture with a quick excuse or rationalization to cover over our reason for not fulfilling them. When the promises of men are broken, the promises of God are spoken from One Who already knows the beginning and the end.

God’s promises are covenants – a sacred agreement between the God of this universe and His people. They are graciously made by a loving God Who is inviting the unholy into a relationship with a Holy Being. The nature of His covenant is unilateral – He needs nothing from us, He determines the covenant and the conditions which need to be met.

Our human nature just wants to receive the blessing of God’s promises without meeting the full obligations of His covenant with us, but God draws our hearts to want Him, instead. Our righteous, loving God sets in motion amazing promises available to all Who are willing to be accountable and accept the conditions of God’s promises.

God’s conditions are good and for our good, but our flesh resists fulfilling our end when life gets hard. We just want to get to the end and see that everything works out ok. But pressing in, trusting God and focusing on His promises rather than all that surrounds us, we pave the road to victory.

During the most painful moments of my life it was God’s promises which were a refuge for my soul. I held fast to them like they were my life – they were. I counted on them and longed for God to be my Hero – He was.

God knows we are weak. His people have a long track record of forgetfulness. Most of His interaction with man has been a perpetual cycle of placing a promise in front of His people and their response to that promise. God is faithful despite our response to His promises, but He also allows us to bear the consequences for our decisions to trust or not trust in Him.

We help determine the fulfillment of God’s promises in our lives. Will we doubt the Sovereign God of this universe and place our hope in self, or will we surrender to His will and trust His timing?

Oh God, You are my God and I praise You. Thank You for Your promises and Your faithfulness to Your people. Help us to abide in Your covenantal promises and to trust in You always.

What’s In a Promise, part 2

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

The promises of God have purposes far beyond just getting what we want.

Scripture of the Day:

2 Peter 1:4

“By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.”

The Purpose of Promises

Ever wonder why we have promises? Why do we need them? What is their purpose? Why couldn’t we just have all that we need?

When my children were little and really excited about something they could hardly wait for, they would sometimes look at me with their innocent, big eyes and ask, “promise?”. My kids knew that I would not say or promise something if I did not mean it. I wanted them to know that they could count on my being trustworthy in an uncertain world. They just wanted affirmation that it was going to happen.

Our Father is the same – only He has the means to fulfill all His promises where circumstances can throw our promises into a tailspin of delay.

The promises of man are often self-focused and materialistic in the pursuit of comfort. It is not evil to desire some comfort, but it can become a stumbling block if that is our desire above God’s purposes.

Faithfulness. God gives us His promises with a motivation much different than ours. He desires for us to be people of hope, living worthy lives yearning after His promises. When we look toward the fulfillment of His plan, we are not sitting idle, but become a faithful people. If every promise we ever had was already fulfilled, we would have nothing to look forward to and grow complacent.

Eternal Salvation. His goal is the pursuit of our souls with His promises. Drawing us near, He uses His promises for an eternal means. In trusting in His promises we do not waste time investing in temporary promises. Promises of the world are often formed in sin, but the promises of God are redeeming with purposes far beyond just getting what we want. His promises lead to the salvation of our souls.

Relationship. God wants us to trust in Him and to rely on Him, not ourselves. This is relationship. King Hezekiah demonstrates this relationship of trusting in God’s promises so well. The Bible says that there was none like him in his trust of God (2 Kings 18:5). Threatened by the king of Assyria who defeated everyone else, it would seem easy to fear and hard to trust, but Hezekiah staunchly placed his trust in God and the LORD was with Him. Even so, Hezekiah also had his moments of asking God to affirm His promises just like my children did (2 Kings 20). He was sick and going to die. Trusting God’s promise for healing was a real test in the face of such pain. So he asked for a sign. He did not ask with unbelief, but needed reassurance – God wants to give us His reassurance, too, as we wait eagerly on Him and walk in relationship with Him.

Sometimes a deep yearning of our hearts is never realized while other times promises are fulfilled that we never dreamed would happen. In both instances, we learn to trust our God is wise in all of His promises and the timing of the fulfillment of them.

It hurts while we wait and we can wonder what the purpose is of such pain. This is where faith comes in. Looking beyond the promises we hope for, we look to the One Who made them and His character –  then we understand. A God Who would leave the comforts of Heaven and choose suffering would ask us to do the same – set aside our purposes for His.

That God chose to patiently live a life on earth to achieve His purposes does not mean that God is not compassionate for our suffering and longing. He is growing our character and us into being a people after His own heart Who live worthy lives on purpose for His glory.

Lord, thank You for Your promises and for being a faithful God. Help us to be a people characterized by trust that is a witness to this world.

What’s in a Promise, part 1

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

Our great God Who did not owe us any promises, still chose to make them.

Scripture of the Day:

Psalm 89:34

“No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back one word of what I said.”

The Source of Promises

Blew the diet again this past weekend. Severely. Broke my treadmill, too, and figured that would really not help my cause. But today is a new day and the treadmill is fixed. Once again I promise that I will make consistent healthy choices. Ok, maybe not. But when I fall, I am caught by my Sovereign God Who keeps all of His promises and encourages me to rise up and try again.

Sound familiar? I am a flawed human, and while I keep important promises by the grace of God, sometimes the smaller ones are rationalized away.

I’ve been thinking a lot about promises lately, and how much God’s promises have been a constant comfort and strength in my life. So I thought I would devote this week to exploring the promises of God.

Life hurts sometimes and we search to find something to hold onto, to help us get through. But in this fallen world, promises are easily made and often not kept by man. So how can we hold onto promises from a God we cannot see? How do we access these promises? And how do we hold on when it seems that God’s promises are not kept?

Today I want to look at our Covenant Maker and Keeper. Looking at the source of the promise, we understand that we cannot compare God’s promises with man’s. While people change their mind and a faithful man cannot be found (Proverbs 20:6), the promises of God are trustworthy because . . .

The promises of God are made by a God that doesn’t change or lie. 

1 Samuel 15:29

“And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind.”

Our security cannot be satisfied in an ever-changing world, but the God Who made this world does not change His purposes or lie. That means He said it, I believe it, that settles it.

The promises of God are made by our God Who is Holy.

Isaiah 57:15

“For thus says the high and exalted One Who lives forever, whose name is Holy, “I dwell on a high and holy place, And also with the contrite and lowly of spirit In order to revive the spirit of the lowly And to revive the heart of the contrite.”

The one true living God is Holy, unable to sin, so far above us, yet He has compassion on the lowly. In His Holiness, He could not mislead His people or not keep His covenantal promises. It is not in His divine nature to do so.

The promises of God are made by a God who is in complete control.

Proverbs 19:21

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”

Jeremiah 32:27

“Behold, I am the Lord, the God of all flesh. Is anything too hard for me?”

He is in control of all things. The One Who set up the world system is fully capable of maintaining it. If He can create this world and sustain it, He can handle keeping all of his promises and our problems, too.

Our great God Who did not owe us any promises, still chose to make them. He delights to bless His children and to give them His hope, because He is good and kind.

 

The Land of Promise

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

Where we are is not as important as who and whose we are in that place.

Scripture of the Day:

Joshua 1:7-8

^{7 “}Make sure you are very strong and brave! Carefully obey all the law my servant Moses charged you to keep! Do not swerve from it to the right or to the left, so that you may be successful in all you do. ⁸ This law scroll must not leave your lips! You must memorize it day and night so you can carefully obey all that is written in it. Then you will prosper and be successful.”

I missed blogging yesterday while moving my son into his dorm. So many thoughts have flooded my mind this week, taking inventory of the foundation laid before this next chapter begins for him – and us.

Everybody likes something new, and our souls yearn for the next thing. But sometimes we are called to stay.

I wonder if this message in Joshua is not just for those going into the new land, but for those who stayed behind. The tribes of Israel who chose an inheritance east of the Jordan – wouldn’t they also need to be strong and brave? They had agreed to help the other tribes get into the promised land, but they did not want to settle there.

Fear and familiarity with what they knew likely robbed them of God’s blessing, but even in that place of choosing a lesser inheritance, they, too, would need God’s strength and to remember their God in that place.

Sometimes we are called to move and explore new adventures and sometimes we learn to be content with the same circumstances and provision. In either case, the greatest thing we need is God and His word.

Where we are is not as important as who and whose we are in that place.

My son will now need to forge ahead in his new station of life and make choices that will impact his life and future. I am truly excited for him. But we who are left “east” of his new land need to figure out life without him.

The foundation laid all these years has become stones of remembrance for us all. When the Israelites crossed the Jordan, God spoke to Joshua and told His people to place stones of remembrance in the midst of them as a reminder that God had been faithful to them.

Instead of sorrow at this crossing from childhood to adulthood, I reflect on the “stones” of remembrance that God allowed us to lay on the foundation of my children and our family. He has been faithful to my family – through raging waters and fiery storms. He has brought us into a land of promise – as we abide in Him.

Even when we are creatures of habit and don’t prefer change, God can meet us at that place and transform it from a place of sorrow into a place of worship.

 

Lord, I thank You for every stone laid in my life – the painful, the sweet, the undeserved blessings. All of it You mysteriously use for eternal means. May You be glorified in each moment, each step of our lives.

Running Behind

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

Our form does not matter as much as the substance from which we are made.

Scripture of the Day:

1 Timothy 4:8

“For physical exercise has some value, but godliness is valuable in every way. It holds promise for the present life and the life to come.”

Being the new year and all, it seems “fit”ting to write some about health. So forgive me for hopping on the typical new year’s resolution binge. (There I go again with corny word plays, my apologies).

Running on the treadmill this week I could not help but notice my bee-hind was behind, if you know what I mean. Seems the winter months have already not been too kind. Ugh. And so, like a hamster, I hop on my “wheel” and try to counter the effect that gravity is having on my *ahem* lower extremities.

Fellas, my apologies for being so transparent, but we sisters have a little harder time keeping in shape, I think.

Why bother, you may ask? Physical training is of some value. What does that even mean? What is “some” value?

I am writing today’s post to spur myself on, too, for in everything I do, I want to give God my best and bring Him glory. Does He care if I am a little more fluffy?

God looks on the heart while man looks at the outward appearance. Our form does not matter as much as the substance from which we are made. What our mind reflects on, our heart desires – these matter much more than trying to have a perfect physique.

Yet the words, “some value” haunt me. Rats. God does care about the stewardship of our bodies – not the perfect size or shape – but the care of His temple.

Ironically, a lot of the reason for lack of good health is because of being too busy and “running behind” on all my to do’s. Taking care of self seems to be low on my list of priorities.

Here comes that “some value” phrase again in my brain. Commentaries render this phrase as actually meaning “of little value”, but there is still some worth in this statement.

In the end, if my heart longs for food that harms me, I have to ask myself if this honors God. Then ultimately, I need to die to self when my craving is getting in the way of being healthy.

Like the Israelites who were asked to choose between life and death – righteousness and sin, the food and exercise choices we make are essentially choosing life or death, too.

Being healthy (as much as depends upon us) matters because it means we are better able to serve God. These fleshly tents we dwell in will all fade away. The physical training we do here is temporary and serves our earthly ministry, but both physical and spiritual training yield eternal rewards. Physical ailments can also have a negative affect on our spiritual growth from discouragement.

So, the end of the matter is perhaps where we began. Physical training does matter and can impact how much we are able to serve God, but it does not matter as much as our souls being right with our living God. Physical training can also become an idol if not kept in proper perspective. More than our outer shell which ultimately will fail, is the building up of our inner Spirit which lasts forever.

Have I Been Enough?

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

The legacy we leave behind by “being” matters just as much as what we are “doing” in our daily lives.

Scripture of the Day:

Deuteronomy 6:6-7

“These words I am commanding you today must be kept in mind, and you must teach them to your children and speak of them as you sit in your house, as you walk along the road, as you lie down, and as you get up.”

Proverbs 22:6

“Train up a child in the way he should go; even when he is old he will not depart from it.”

If you read yesterday’s post about my “personal best” running in a 10k (not), then maybe today’s post will encourage you that it is not just about what we do, but who we are, consistently, that matters.

While I am fairly accident prone and full of extreme and embarrassing stories, today I am reflecting on the grace of God in the midst of such times. I mentioned yesterday that one of my sons is going away to college in a couple of days.

He has been away from home for other trips, but this time the gravity of his childhood ending is hitting me as he goes on to the next chapter of his life.

I have wondered if I disciplined and discipled him well enough, if I was intentional enough with imparting the message of the Gospel that burns in my heart. Then it hit me. My precious son has watched me through the most painful, horrific, stretching moments of my life – and he has watched me cling to God harder with each passing trial.

He watched me fight for my children when we were taken to court time and again. He wept with me when I was too sick to move from a hospital bed, but made myself get up to write a Scripture on the board to witness to the nurses around me. He held my hand when I could not afford medication for asthma due to job loss and comforted me when my heart was broken.

Yes, my son “caught” my faith by how I tenaciously lived it out in dire times solely by the grace of God, but I also learned from him while he was learning from me.

The legacy we leave behind by “being” matters just as much as what we are “doing” in our daily lives. I did a lot with my children. I chose to home educate because God placed it on my heart and I was jealous for time with them and to be the biggest influence for the LORD in their lives.

I am grateful beyond words that I made that choice to stay home with each of my precious children. From baseball games to skiing, dancing, a home educational co-op I started and directed, speech competitions, orchestra, choir, band, worship team, TeenPact, CYT, the list goes on – all those times are cherished, but it was being with them that I will treasure the most.

Where we have shortcomings, God makes up the difference – and all along the way our children see us looking to our Father, too.

Lord, thank You for the privilege of raising sons and daughters for Your glory. May they walk in the Spirit and not aft the flesh and may every seed of faith planted blossom into beautiful lasting fruit in their lives.

 

Have I Done Enough?

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

It’s not how you start the race that matters, but how you finish.

Scripture of the Day:

1 Corinthians 9:24

²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. ²⁷ No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

Leaning over and stretching, I looked at the entrance to the race with a side glance, as if to hide the fact that I was examining it. Had my training been enough? What about those days when I opted to eat chocolate instead of training on the treadmill? (There’s that chocolate appearing in the blog again).

“You can do this”, I told myself. Ugh, but I really didn’t want to. I started to contemplate why I signed up for this race in the first place, and so began the battle of the mind as we all took our mark.

In preparation for the race, earlier that morning my dear hubby thought it would be kind to make me a three egg omelet and grits with a banana. * Gulp. * One egg is usually my limit, but I thought I needed energy for the race, so I obliged and stuffed my face. It’s all about the carbs, right? Later he asked if there was any breakfast left. *Oops.* No wonder it was a three egg omelet – we were supposed to split it.

As we drove to the race, my tummy and I were not feeling in the running mood, if you know what I mean. Now back to that starting line. “Pace yourself”, I coached myself. “Don’t worry about everybody passing you when you are slower than everyone else around you”. Self-talk was starting to get me pumped up. I had enough fuel to get through this race, just needed the right attitude.

The blaring sound alerted us, hearts pumping, that it was our turn for our feet to slave away at the pavement. “Why, oh why am I doing this AGAIN?” Focusing on my first benchmark, I squinted between drops of sweat and thought I was probably already to a half mile. Suddenly, I really felt like I was going to hurl. Desperate for a quick exit, the 30,000 people surrounding me made it seem impossible to find a place to puke.

Note to self: “Don’t ever eat a 3-egg omelet with grits and a banana before a race again”. “I can’t do this”, I started to fill my mind with a doubtful mantra. Just then, my husband tapped me on the back. He was following me still, urging me on. Seeing my misery, he encouraged me to keep going.

Pressing on in my misery and panic, I furtively looked for places to hurl, but found none. At each mile marker my husband somehow appeared, dancing and rooting me on. He had not even trained for this race, and he was whooping me?! I started to wonder if he had a sinister plan with the 3-egg omelet he had prepared that morning just for me.

By the grace of God, I finished, but it wasn’t pretty. My husband sprinted the entire race ahead of me to encourage me, but I was feeling mighty inferior.

I learned a lot that day about perseverance, and yes, I ran that race again, but I avoided some of the mistakes I made before.

The lessons learned in a race impact all areas of life. The tasks God calls us to – will we work at them and complete them, or give up part way through? Will we prepare and be in the Word to enable us to do the work of God, or just randomly serve?

This question asked at the beginning of today’s post echoes in the corners of my mind. Have I Done Enough?

As a parent – have I done enough? As I prepare to send another child to study on campus instead of at home, I wonder, have I done enough? Will he be able to stand against temptation and run his own race?

As a child of God, have I done enough? Has my heart burned with the passion of sharing God’s love with the world? Or have I focused on being comfortable in this temporary world?

We are all in a race, but often get caught up in life’s hectic distractions and forget what matters most. That glorious finish line will be worth it. Our burdens and the difficulty of the race pale in light of what God has in store for those who run this race all for His glory.

Like the race I ran that was full of challenges, life is rife with hardship, temptations, and battles, but there are encouragements along the way provided by God to spur us on.

It is not those necessarily those who start well who win the race, but those who are consistent and finish it well. Stay focused and stay faithful. It will be worth it in the end.

Lord, thank You for your grace to run the race of this life. Give us Your perspective and help us to not lose heart. Be glorified as we run for You.

I’ll Have A Double Portion

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

There is a quest for “more” that God approves of – especially when it is spent on others for His glory.

Scripture of the Day:

2 Kings 2:9

“When they had crossed over, Elijah said to Elisha, ‘What can I do for you, before I am taken away from you?’ Elisha answered, ‘May I receive a double portion of the prophetic spirit that energizes you.'”

When I was twelve, a quarter was very important. It was the difference between doing laundry or not. For my mom and I, every penny counted during that time. I confess I felt remorse and guilt at spending two quarters on a video game at a Pic Quik store across the street that made my mom cry.

In those lean times, we learned to economize and be grateful for what we had. My mom met someone special and one of his favorite things to do was to go out to eat, and one of my favorites was when he said, “Let’s go to Baskin Robbins”. This was amazing to me.

A visit to an expensive ice cream place (sorry to bust on Baskin Robbins), was amazing to me. When it came my turn to order, it all looked so good. I just could not decide, so I asked for a double scoop. Hmmm . . . the good ol’ days when I could get a double scoop. Not so much now, my metabolism has caught up with me.

Wait a minute . . . I interrupt myself to say that there might be a connection between yesterday’s blog and today’s, both having food as a source of delight – hmmm – could I be dieting again? But I digress . . .

Being greedy or gluttonous in the area of food might add to the Gluteus Maximus if you know what I mean. But there is a quest for more that God approves – especially when it is spent on others for His glory.

Elisha desperately did not want his mentor – his brother and discipler – Elijah to leave. Who would? When asked what Elijah could do for him, Elisha asked for a double portion of the prophetic spirit that energized Elijah.

Elisha was not asking for His glory, power or fame. He wanted the relationship with God that Elijah had. He knew He would need God’s grace to continue in the work God gave him to do. With all that Elijah did, who could fathom what a double portion would be? And what prompted such a desire?

In Old Testament times, the firstborn son was the inheritor of the “double portion”. Elijah was like a father to Elisha and Elisha wanted the spiritual inheritance from his father. What a great request – smart – kind of like Solomon asking for wisdom instead of riches.

Elisha saw His need of God to accomplish the ministry before Him, and he spent that double portion lavishly on God and His people, not for himself. Though there was this incident with mocking youngsters who kind of got mauled by a bear for calling him, “baldie” . . . so Elisha wasn’t perfect . . . but He hungered after God.

We aren’t so perfect, either. All the more reason to ask God to grant us a double portion spiritually that we might have energy, strength, wisdom and grace to serve God and His people with all our heart, mind, body and soul.

Oh God, may You grant a double portion to those who read this blog post today and to me, as well. Enable us to impart faithfully what You have given. Each talent, every gift You have so generously given – poured out and spent all for You.

The Pursuit of Pleasure

Inspirational Thought of the Day:

Pleasure’s benefits are brief and never as sweet as the lasting pleasure seeking God brings.

Scripture of the Day:

Psalm 1:1-2

“How blessed is the one who does not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand in the pathway with sinners, or sit in the assembly of scoffers! Instead he finds pleasure in obeying the Lord’s commands; he meditates on his commands day and night.”

Mmmm. The silky smooth milk chocolate glides through my mouth as I bask in the enjoyment of all its flavor. Unless, of course, it is cheap, generic chocolate, wrapped prettily but lacking in substance.

Ah, yes, I am a connoisseur of all things chocolate. Ok. * Sigh *  I am a recovering chocoholic.

But what drove me to this fascination with chocolate? The taste buds that God gave me, and the pursuit of the pleasure I feel when indulging in the sweet bliss of all things chocolate. This pleasure, however, is somewhat fleeting, as the scale reminds me the next day of the cost of that pleasure.

So why did God create tastes buds in the first place? Maybe if we did not have them, we would not delight in food. It seems the senses, in general, can get us into trouble.

Funny things is, God wants us to delight – He wants us to enjoy and experience – even pursue pleasure. The object of our delight often falls so very far of what He has for us, though. Everything around us was not meant to satisfy our deepest need, only our Creator could do that.

We hunger for this satisfaction of the soul and try to fulfill it with the outward senses, but when the temporary fix wears off, we are left wondering why it did not last and what will please us next. Like the Israelites, we hunger for the wrong thing and sometimes blame God when we don’t get what we want.

Then there’s this battle with gratitude. God gives us just what we need and blesses us so abundantly, but we tend to not know our limits. We like His blessing so much we want more and more and sometimes are not content with His provision and can complain when it is removed, as if we deserved it.

I am preaching to the choir here, people. Me, too. I confess that chocolate and I are close – perhaps a little too close, sometimes. But when I realize how I have allowed the creation to become my delight rather than the Creator, it brings me to a place of humble worship.

He alone is my soul’s delight. I have an inner thrill when I consider His incredible care and sovereignty. Wow. Instead of finding delight in things, we can ask God to help us delight in obeying Him and meditating on His Word. It is in this pursuit that we find lasting pleasure that the world can never take away.

Lord, You are our treasure, the delight of our souls. May we never search for satisfaction for our souls from an unspiritual world, but only find our complete joy in God.