Life in HIm

S: You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me, yet you refuse to come to me to have life. John 5:39-40

O: Jesus credits the Pharisees with being diligent students of the Word, but he says they've missed the One the Scriptures teach about—Him. They go to God's Word thinking it will give them life, but they fail to see that it teaches about Jesus—the One who can give them what they're looking for.

A: How often do I study the Scriptures with suspect motives. So I can feel good about checking off my spiritual duty. Or, so I can impress others with my biblical knowledge. God's Word frustrates those approaches, and the only time it rewards me is when I go there seeking Him. I believe the Bible is God's Word. I just don;t always treat it that way. If He's truly speaking in it, then I go there to hear Him, to hear Him speak the "words of life".

P: Dear Lord, make me hungry for you in your Word. Let me read it to learn the sound of your voice and hear your heart. Give me eyes to see and ears to hear, so that I don't miss the One who gives eternal life.

Desiiiiire!

S
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:3-4

O
These verses start with a command to trust God and do good. Right after, they offer an invitation to dwell in "the land", and embrace faithfulness. The very next sentence links my delight in the Lord with receiving my heart's desire.

A
It all begins with trusting in the Lord. Out of that trust flows any good I might do. As well as resting in God's provision ("dwelling in the land"), delighting in God, and getting my heart's desire. As for "befriending faithfulness", when I trust in God and delight in Him, I am befriended by the One who is always faithful, even when I am not.

He is my heart's desire. It's not as if I get to trade off a relationship with Jesus for something better. Like He'd make me healthy and successful if I just love Him. No. In delighting in Him, in loving Him, I already have my heart's desire. Out of that relationship grows good fruit. Sometimes, He is pleased to bless me with those things that most people would consider blessings, like ample provision and a long, healthy life. But they are always the offspring of a much greater blessing: the love of Christ, pure and simple.

P
Dear Lord, You are the beginning and the end. Please continue to soften my heart so it remains warm and receptive to You. Let me see temporary things clearly, longing for that which is eternal and blesses You.