Usually once a week I have morning coffee and a donut (which I don’t need)
with a good friend and fellow believer in Jesus. We never really plan on what
we’re going to talk about, but it usually centers on some aspect of God and the
wonderful way that God shows His love for us. A few mornings ago my friend
mentioned how it seems like some church members have talked themselves out of
being blessed by God because of negative thinking and negative talk. Simply put,
I think that a lot of people believe in God, but not everyone who believes in
God sees God clearly in his/her own heart.
My friend mentioned a verse from the Old Testament that he wanted me to
ponder on; Habakkuk chapter 2, verse 2…..
The LORD answered me: Write down this vision;
clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it. (Hab 2:2 CSB)
God had a message for His people and He wanted His prophet Habakkuk to
write it down so people could easily read it and make sense of it.
I had a Bible professor once, a long time ago, who said “The Bible wasn’t
originally written to people with a bunch of college degrees and letters behind
their names”…. His point was that we tend to over complicate the Bible. Sure
there are things in there that we don’t really understand, but remember the
Bible was written thousands of years ago to a Middle Eastern audience - these
folks had customs and sayings that we aren’t familiar with.
My point is that while you read the Bible, no matter how strange some things
may seem, one message comes clearly through…. God loves people and He wants a
relationship with all of us.
My friend invited me to close my eyes and think about nothing except God.
He did the same. Others in the donut shop may have thought we were bonkers, but
the idea was to get rid of all of the distractions around us for a few minutes
and to just see God with our hearts.
Back to the verse above; if you look up the word “vision” you’ll find that
one of the synonyms is “perception”. In order to have a positive and healthy
relationship with God we need for our perception of God to be in line with what
the Bible teaches us about Him. It’s simple - God loves us and wants a
relationship with us…. He wants to fellowship with us.
Part of one of the Apostle
Paul’s prayers says this….
I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the glorious Father, would give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him. 18 I pray
that the perception of your mind may be enlightened so you may know what is the
hope of His calling, what are the glorious riches of His inheritance among the
saints… (Eph 1:17-18 CSB)
In verse 18, instead of “perception
of your mind” the New International Version, and several other translations
use the phrase “the eyes of your heart”
In order to have
a close relationship with our Creator and Savior we need to see God for who He
is
with our hearts…. We need to truly know that God wants the best for us. Only
then can we have a positive attitude in dealing with whatever life throws at
us.
Also from Paul,
in one of his letters to the followers of Jesus in the city of Corinth…. For God who said, "Let light shine out
of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge
of God's glory in the face of Jesus Christ. (2Co 4:6 CSB)
That morning in
the donut shop when I closed my eyes and blocked out everything, except
thinking about God, I could hear myself breathe - in, out... in, out... in, out. I
heard life; I experienced the life giving presence of God. Oh, not weirdo, way
out there stuff…. Just how God gave us life, how God gives us life, and how God
will give us life forever.
Living with God
gives us good thoughts - it changes our demeanor. It seals our relationship
with Him.
The next time you
pray close your eyes for a few minutes first and just focus on a few of the
good things God has done for you.
Don’t talk
yourself out of blessings with negative words and thoughts, instead treasure
the journey of building on your relationship with God.
Paul.
Unless otherwise noted,
all Scripture quotations are taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible®,
Used by Permission HCSB ©1999,2000,2002,2003,2009 Holman Bible Publishers.
Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Holman CSB®, and HCSB® are federally
registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.
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