Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. Deut 6:4-5
Today you – and I am talking about you who are reading this message now – are foremost in God’s thoughts. Nothing is more important to God than what you are doing right now, and what you are doing every moment of your life.
What you are doing now may not be of much interest to anybody else, but it is of much interest to God. What you do thruout the day – the small tasks and the trivial activities, are not of interest or relevance to anybody but you.
But God is interested in literally everything you do thruout the day – he is watching eagerly, keeping his full attention on you every moment of the day.
Realize this, you and I are mere toddlers in God’s sight. It’s going to take a lot of growth before we can walk steadily as God wants us to walk, before we can reach the mind and maturity of Jesus Christ.
You see, when a father takes his toddler child to a park and watches him play on the rides and the slides, his eyes are ever upon his precious child. No, the father cannot go away for a few seconds, leaving the child alone. His eyes are constantly upon the child, to rush to em in case e needs any help.
And that’s how God looks upon you every moment. Every time you sit, every time you get up, his eyes are on you. Every time you speak a word, even if it is to yourself, his ears are paying attention to it.
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. Ps 139:2-4
Now, listen to this true story, because it has serious relevance to your life.
There were two women who loved Jesus dearly. One thought that Jesus would be pleased by doing as much work for him as possible, to serve him to the best of her ability and means.
This is what many servants of God are doing today, with their large ministries and global missions.
Jesus knew that Martha, the one who thought that loving Jesus meant serving him as much as she possibly could, loved him very much, and he didn’t stop her from doing her work for him.
But Martha’s sister, Mary, used that rare opportunity of Jesus being in her house to forget everything else in her life, not bothering to even serve her Lord some refreshments while he was there, and just sat at his feet to devour every word he spoke.
And Jesus was thrilled with Mary. He told her busy sister,
Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her. Lk 10:41-42
Only one thing, only one thing above everything else, the Lord needs from you. Have you chosen that one thing, or are you trying to please God by struggling to do some good works?
Are you troubled because you cannot have a successful life, or because you cannot have certain desires in your life, or because some desires have been taken away from you – either by death, or betrayal, or accident, or failure?
There is only one thing the Lord desires from you today above all things.
He wants the whole of you, your whole soul, mind, and body.
He doesn’t want your good works, not yet…oh, the good works he will desire from you later, after you have first given him the one thing he needs from you today – your whole body, mind, and soul, your whole attention on him alone.
Today can be the beginning of a new relationship between you and your God. A relationship that will keep growing in intimacy, and in joy and peace.
Then, gradually, your intimacy with God will start producing good works. Good works that come as a result of the intimacy you develop with him.
Intimacy with God will never come by doing good works. Good works are always the result of your intimacy with God.
So, precious child of God, whom Jesus loves so much that he didn’t hesitate to die a horrible death to save you so that he and you can enjoy intimacy with each other forever, so that you enjoy indescribable pleasures with him forever.
In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore. Ps 16:11
What should you do to start his intimate relationship with God?
What should you do to give God the one thing he needs from you today above everything else?
Just put away every activity, every thought, every busyness, every worry, and sit down quietly, on the floor or a couch, and relax before God.
Believe he is excited to finally get you all alone just for himself, and believe he is sitting right beside you to listen intently to you and counsel you.
Don’t ask him for anything. Just shut your eyes, and listen to him.
Think of the words you remember hearing him say in his Word, the Bible. Then speak gently with him, telling him how much you want to love him, and how thankful you are he saved you from eternal death. Share with him such intimate thoughts.
And then, as you feel your heart relaxing before him, you may want to unload some of your more urgent problems to him.
But don’t pressure him. Just tell him that these are the things that are troubling you at the moment, and that you are handing over these troubles to him so he can handle them in his own way and in his own time.
Daily sit down with him, just to enjoy him and meditate on him, and to thank him for the blessings that still remain in your life.
If you feel hesitant to sit down with God because you know there are terrible secret sins in your life, then remember that it just takes a second for God to forgive you and cleanse you.
It took only a second for the thief on the cross to be forgiven and cleansed of a lifetime of crimes and perversions.
Once you have asked God to forgive him all your sins, just trust him to do with you what he did with the thief.
The devil will put doubts in your mind. In your body, you can still feel the pull of sin, you will still have the old cravings and inclinations to sin.
But once God has forgiven you, understand that those sinful desires and cravings in you are not done by the real you, but by the ‘old nature’ that still remains in your flesh.
God does not consider your old nature as your real self. He considers only what your heart feels for him, not what your filthy flesh feels.
Paul was one of the men closest to God. For all his intimacy with God, he was severely troubled by the continual presence of sin in his flesh.
Listen to the following testimony of that man of God – these words may prove to be the most comforting and reassuring words you need in dealing with sin in your life.
I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin. Rm 7:15-25 NIV
Once your heart belongs to God, you too may sometimes cry out because of the same old sinful cravings that come up in your mind.
But never be tricked by the devil into thinking that is your real self. It is just your old sinful nature dwelling in your flesh. God is always in close intimacy with your heart and soul, the inner man, even as your flesh is bulging with sinful desires.
Jesus Christ is waiting, right now, for your intimacy. Today if you hear him calling you, don’t delay going to him and sitting with him – you and him alone – you sharing the deepest thoughts of your heart with him, and he sharing his deep secrets with you.
If you hear his voice today, don’t be stubborn like those who rebelled. Heb 3:15 CEV
The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him [The Lord confides in those who fear him NIV] Ps 25:14
Be blessed, child of God!
Joseph Cherian
Photos: 1. depositphotos.com 2. pexels-Rene Asmussen – pexels.com
Prepare The Way Of The Lord! 