Being Delightful

To know my six-year old daughter is to love her. She is such a delight to be around. She is always happy, giggly, and dances to anything that has a beat. Lately, she has been learning Bible verses to recite in her Awana club at Church. A couple of weeks ago she was able to recite seven verses to her leader for a contest they were doing. She walks around saying her verses to anyone that will listen.
As a Mom, who is committed to Christ, it does my heart good when she desires to know God through His Word. I am so proud of her. God says in His Word that we are to delight in His Word. Delight means to take pleasure in and enjoyment from. To rejoice, to love, to consider His Word a luxury, something valuable.
We should long after Him as a deer desires water. Sometimes we see serving God as a chore, but this only occurs when we have gone a few days, months, years without communicating with Him through prayer and Bible study. When a close friend asks me to do something, it is not something I have to do but something I want to do. It is a different story when someone asks me to do something who often does not even act like I exist.
I long to hear from God through His Word. The more I am seeking this the more joy I get from it. Do you desire God's Word? Do you long for Him to speak to you? Get in the Word. He delights in us when we choose to be in a relationship with Him. Just as I delight in my daughter as a Mom, God delights in us. Daughter of the the Most High God, spend some time with your Father and be delightful today.

Psalm 1:2- "But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night."
Psalm 119:24- "Thy testimonies also are my delight and my counsellors."
Psalm 37:4- "Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart."

Having it my way...

"Have it your way!" This is a great slogan for hamburgers, but not so much a motto to be adopted for a way of life. Some of us learn this concept the hard way. Ever lived with or been around someone with this slogan? It can be hard to be thankful in this situation. With three kids, my daily life is a struggle of the wills, everyone
trying to get their own way, including my own. Sometimes the unhappiness is verbal and sometimes it is displayed through actions. To have a happy, Godly home no one can truly have their own way all the time, that is why we must all seek God's direction individually. Satan has deceived our generation into becoming self-centered with materialism and greed. Even when we get our own way, it contains only temporary satisfaction. It is not long before we find something else to strive for. It reminds me of King Solomon in the book of Ecclesiastes. Solomon says he had gained every material possession available. He had houses, vineyards, trees, gardens, orchards, pools, servants, silver and gold. He says in chapter two "Whatever my eyes desired I did not keep from them, I did not withhold my heart from any pleasure." Having all this, He came to the conclusion that it was all empty. In chapter four, he is so unhappy he wishes he was dead. When you look at yourself only, you miss so much and it is never truly satisfying. We can have our own way, but only God knows how much hurt to others we leave in our wake. True joy and happiness comes from a life surrendered to Jesus. What are you striving for? Money, possessions, approval of others, having your own way, or are you aiming to have complete joy and contentment in Christ. Take it from King Solomon, selfish desires are empty and lead us no where. Focus on Christ, He is the source of joy, happiness and contentment.

Can you think of any other advertising slogans that promote a selfish way of thinking? Post them here or on Facebook at the Reflections of His Heart women's ministry group page. Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

I Samuel 12:20-21- "Then Samuel said to the people, 'Do not fear. You have done all this wickedness; yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing.'"
Ecclesiastes 2:11- "Then I looked on all the works that my hands had done and on the labor in which I had toiled, and indeed all was vanity and grasping for the wind. There was no profit under the sun."

God's Presence

My soon to be four year old son is all boy. He runs from place to place usually away from me. He runs round and round the table, the car, or anything else he can get between us. I do not desire to chase him around in circles and, believe me he gets his fair punishment when I finally catch him, but it is of great frustration to me in the moment when I can not relay the seriousness of disobedience. Usually, the easiest way for me to end this cat and mouse game is for me to simply walk away and say "Okay, I am leaving you" and start to go forward, get in the car or go in the house, leaving him behind. He immediately stops his running, looks around to see if I am serious, then runs after me saying, "No, wait Mom don't leave me." He is genuinely scared that I just may do that one day.
The first part of Exodus 33 describes this vary situation. The prior chapter ends with God sending a plague to the Israelites as punishment for the sin of making and worshipping the golden calf. God is still angry with them for their disobedience. He tells Moses I will still give them the land I have promised them but you go on without me. He feared in his righteous anger He just may consume them all together. He was saying I am tired of chasing you. You go in the way of your choice, but I am not going with you. The Israelites, faced with the knowledge of God leaving them behind immediately began to mourn and repent. Moses pleaded with God that His presence not leave them and God granted Moses' request. Is God getting tired of chasing you? Are you tired of running? He wants a personal relationship with you. One based on love. He will not force it on us. He wants willing hearts to follow Him. I pray His presence never leaves me because of my disobedience. I can't imagine my life without Him. How about you?
Exodus 33:3-4- "Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; for I will not go up in your midst, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people. And when the people heard this bad news, they mourned....."
Exodus 33:15- "Then he said to Him, "If your presence does not go with us, do not bring us up from here."

Grumbling and Complaining

A couple of years ago, my two-year old son was in the kitchen with me while I was cutting an apple into smaller pieces for him to eat. He was standing there saying, "Apple, Apple, Apple" so I finally got a piece cut and gave it to him. He replied, "Thank you" and starts eating it, but it's not long before he is begging for another piece. I proceed to cut up half of the apple into small pieces, gave it to him and set the other half aside so I can take a couple of bites of cereal for myself. My son then begins to kick his feet and throw his hands in true two-year-old fashion yelling, "Mine, Mine" as he points to the half of apple that I put to the side. I then tell him to eat the pieces he already has and assure him that when he is finished with that, I will give him more. This reminded me of a group of people in the Old Testament that could never be happy or thankful for a long period of time. I often wonder how the Israelites could doubt God when they saw so many miracles like the parting of the red sea, water from a rock, among others under Moses' hands. Then I move just a chapter or two forward and you find them grumbling and complaining all over again about God's lack of provisions. We as Christians tend to act like that with God. We beg and beg or pray and pray for something and God chooses to give us a little of His great wealth of blessings. Instead of taking what He gives, which is always sufficient for what we need, we complain because He is still holding the other half of the apple. What do you have to be thankful about? What has God given you? Enjoy today by just being thankful for the provisions He has poured out and the miracles He has already done. I am pretty sure He has another piece of apple to give you as soon as you have enjoyed the ones you already have.

Hebrews 13:5 -"Let your conversation be without covetousness and be content with such things as ye have, for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee."
Psalm 84:11 -"For the Lord God is a sun and shield, the Lord will give grace and glory, no good thing will be withhold from them that walk uprightly."
I Thessalonians 5:16-18 -"Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
See also; Philipians 2: 13-15 and 4:6.