Are you seeking God's presence or His presents?

You can learn a lot about what you want simply by examining what you are praying for.

King David said, One thing I ask of the Lord ... (Psalm 27:4). He had just one thing that was important to him -- just one thing! Are you begging God for many things, or are you asking Him for just that one thing: ... that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple" (Psalm 27:4)?

In that psalm, David was praying that he would dwell in God's presence and seek Him. Notice that his prayer had nothing to do with getting more worldly things from God.

So, instead of begging God to give you more worldly things, pray that you would dwell in the house of the Lord, knowing that when you seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, ... all these things will be given to you as well (Matthew 6:33).

When you seek God, He promises to take care of all the things you need! Start seeking God's presence, and He will give you His presents.

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of December 21, 2009
http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2009-12-21

Trusting God when there are no answers.

'The secret things belong to the Lord...'

Deuteronomy 29: 29 NIV

Sometimes we treat life as if it's a Maths lesson. We're faced with a problem, and if we look long enough we eventually find the solution. But life isn't all algebra and percentages. Life has a sneaky habit of raising questions we can't seem to answer: innocent children born with HIV; cancer robbing a young mum of her life; a tsunami devastating an island. Where are the answers to these sorts of questions? We try and make sense of it, we search for clues in the suffering, we blame ourselves, we blame others, and yet we're still no further down the line in understanding suffering's million dollar question, 'Why, God, why?

'The book of Job turns the spotlight on the question, 'Why?' It's about one good man's struggle against suffering. But it could just as easily be about the Holocaust, or 9/11, or you! It asks why God heals one person's illness but not another. Are we somehow to blame for our own misery? Is it right to question God? Will we ever get the answers we crave? The answers page seems to have been torn from the back of the text book. We find that suffering isn't a sum to be solved. We find that God has His ways and they're higher than ours. We're confronted with a hard truth: are we willing to trust God despite the uncertainty? The question is: are you?

Sunday, 20 December 2009
http://www.word4u2day.com.au/200912191954/Trusting-God-when-there-are-no-answers.html

A word of love can make a world of difference

God calls us to love one another, which requires living in a way that is for one another because love puts others first. Throughout the Bible, we are called to put others first and live in a way that blesses other people.

For example, God calls us to be devoted to and honor one another (Romans 12:10); to live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16); to love one another (Romans 13:8; 1 John 4:11; John 13:34-35); to accept one another (Romans 15:14); to care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25); to serve one another (Galatians 5:12); to be kind, compassionate, and forgiving to one another (Ephesians 4:32); and to bear with one another (Colossians 3:13).

Putting one another before yourself—that is, loving other people—can transform them because an act of love has the power to change lives. Just like God spoke his word of love, Jesus, into the world, transforming it, your word of love can make a world of difference in someone's life. This week, go out of your way to love one another.

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of December 14, 2009
http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2009-12-14

If you're not choosing to spend regular time with God, then you're choosing to die spiritually.

In many cultures, life is centered around food. Very few people in the western world would go for more than 10 or 12 hours without food or drink. Besides the fact that food is built into culture, doing so would make one very hungry.

Many people wouldn't dare going physically hungry; yet they starve themselves spiritually. If you ate food only once a week, you'd certainly die of starvation and malnutrition. Yet countless Christians do exactly that in their spiritual lives.

It is no wonder that Jesus called himself the bread of life (John 6:35). In order to grow spiritually, you must feed on spiritual food -- God's word.

Have the attitude found in Isaiah 26:8: Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts. Make it your desire to know God better.

When you regularly spend time with God -- praying, seeking him, and studying his word -- you will thrive spiritually. Take some advice from the psalmist: Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always (Psalm 105:4).

Make time with God a priority in your live. If you made being well fed spiritually as important as be well fed physically, your relationship with God would thrive.

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of December 7, 2009
http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2009-12-07

Nothing steals your joy like thinking, "I will enjoy my life when ..."

It's very tempting to think that happiness will come to me once I get something: "I would be happy if I just had a bigger house, another car, a better job, more money, a different wife, a nicer family, a new TV...." But such thoughts are very deceptive.

In truth, all those things we want actually make us miserable; we fight and quarrel about what we want, and then we're upset when we don't get it (see James 4:1-4). Don't get caught up in things that you want or need. Instead, you should not worry about getting what you need; rest assured your heavenly Father will take care of what you need (see Matthew 6:30-32).

It's foolish to make your enjoyment of life hinge upon anything. There will always be one more thing for you to acquire before you can "enjoy life." The more you have, the more you have to worry about, which makes life that much harder to enjoy.

Instead of expecting possessions or circumstances to give you joy, seek the only source of everlasting joy—Jesus. Jesus says he came to Earth "so that [you] may have the full measure of my joy within [you]" (John 17:13). Similarly, Jesus said, "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete" (John 15:11).

Jesus offers to make our joy complete and to give us the full measure of his joy. Since Jesus is wholly God, His joy is complete and whole joy. That Jesus offers us such joy is astonishing.

Therefore, find your joy in God for in his presence is fullness of joy (see Psalm 16:11). Don't let your joy depend on getting all the things you want because there will always be more things that you don't have, and therefore there will always be more things that will prevent you from enjoying life. Let Jesus be your joy, rather than waiting to enjoy life "when...."

Weekly Wisdoms for the week of November 30, 2009
http://www.christnotes.org/ww.php?d=2009-11-30