Walking With God

(From The Christians Guide to a Godly Life, chapter titled Spiritual Priorities) By: William Pena Mark 12:29-30 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' NIV The Bible says that our love for God should consume all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, and all of our strength. Yet, what does this look like in real life? The Bible gives us a few examples: Ps 73:25-26 (Asaph) 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. NIV Ps 63:1 (David) O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water. NIV Hab 3:17-19 (Habakkuk) 17 Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, 18 yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. 19 The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights. NIV

Phil 3:8 (Paul) 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish , that I may gain ChristNIV Here we see four men, Asaph, David, Habbakuk, and the apostle Paul, all men made of flesh and blood as we are, yet they demonstrate that it is possible - and it is beautiful to be completely consumed with a relationship with God. Asaph said, There is nothing I desire on earth beside you David was so consumed with God that his soul desired God as his body desired food and water! He felt he could not live without God, and he desperately needed God as if he was in the desert with no water. Habakkuk did not care of the calamities of life surrounding him (and they were serious calamities); his joy was not in anything of this world, but solely in his God, who is beyond this world. Paul considered everything in this world as rubbish (a.k.a. garbage) compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ. Where Is Your Treasure? These men were true, positive examples of what Jesus said: Matt 6:21 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. NIV A treasure is something of great importance to us - it only makes sense that we place our hearts there. For these men, their treasure was only in God, and therefore their hearts were fiercely devoted to Him. They realized what a great treasure they truly had in God that their hearts were not only with Him but their hearts became consumed with Him. Is that how we feel? Does this describe our relationship with God? Out of all of the situations we are involved in - can we truly say that there is nothing on earth we desire more besides God himself? Can we truly say that everything is garbage compared to being in a relationship with our Lord? Or, are we consumed with our everyday situations and problems; consumed with our ambitions, such as our desire for success, riches or the comforts of life? Even relying on them for our security, satisfaction and fulfillment?

Maybe it is an earthly relationship that we desire that is consuming our hearts and minds. Or it could be that we are consumed by anger, resentment and bitterness. It could also be that we are attempting to be in control of a situation that is beyond our control and we are consumed with worry, anxiety and fret. Whatever it is, if it is not God, then we are on a path away from God - which will only end in fruitlessness, and ultimately, our spiritual death: Mark 4:18-19 18 Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; 19 but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. NIV It all begins by deciding where our treasure will be. Are we looking for our treasure in things of the earth or is it truly stowed away in heaven? What is of the greatest importance to us? Is it our families, our health, our career, our future, our comfort, our success, or our happiness? Or is it our great and loving, powerful, strong, amazing and awesome God? Out of the Overflow of the Heart... How will we know what is most important in our lives? Our actions will reveal the truth. As the Bible says: Prov 27:19 9 As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man. NIV And, Luke 6:45 For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks. NIV What do our actions reveal about us? We have already seen the lives of men who were consumed with God. Are our actions similar to their actions? If we need more examples here are a few more to stimulate our hearts: Gen 5:22-24; Heb 11:5 (Enoch) 22 And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. NIV Ex 33:9,11 (Moses) 9 As Moses went into the tent, the pillar of cloud would come down and stay at the entrance, while the LORD spoke with Moses... 11 The LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend. NIV

Ps 42:1-2 (The sons of Korah) 42:1 As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. 2 My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God? NIV James 2:23-24 (Abraham) 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. NIV Do our actions come close to the previous eight examples that we have read about? If they do not, then we have to take a serious look at where are treasures are and consequently where our hearts have been. How do we begin to grow in our spiritual lives? By putting our treasure where it belongs, with God - by loving God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength; by being passionate toward God and not sharing our passions with anyone or anything else. When God takes the center of our life, then there will be a true spiritual change in our lives. Do we really want to know the secret of how to grow our spiritual life? Make God our life, and then use everything else, our family, our career, our future, our relationships, our hobbies, and our ambitions, as opportunities for us to glorify Him...And with this, the Bible declares: 1 Cor 10:31 31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God . NIV Question for reflection: What do you think will help you to have a deep, consuming passion for God, the way the men and women of the Bible had, and which God is looking for? Decision: I will have only one all consuming love in my life, and that will be God and God alone. Scripture memory: Ps 73:25-26 25 Whom have I in heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. 26 My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever. NIV

Practice: I will devote myself today to prayer, meditating on Gods word and on His creation - so that I can fan into flame an all encompassing and passionate relationship with God.