Diving Deeper

"Faith is predicated on trust, not understanding. You will never trust or obey a God that you don't think is FOR YOU.  Not ultimately.  Why would you maintain a Christian sexual ethic if you didn't believe God was good and He was for you?  Legalism never kept anyone in anything."  ~Christine Caine (this week's podcast)

Timely and true.  I am most susceptible to compromise or seeking comfort in the wrong places when I start to doubt God's heart toward me (our spiritual enemy's continual marketing campaign).  Does God care enough to come through, or am I basically alone and grasping to build something great on my own?

When our view of God is off, our obedience won't have deep roots.  And I think my view of His goodness has been too tied to my specific life plan(s).  It's good to set big goals and pursue them, but I have to acknowledge God's sovereign authority and trust His love and wisdom.

Ugh, it feels more complicated than it should.  The verse that helps me most right now is Hebrews 11:6: "It is impossible to please God without faith.  Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him."

I cannot bank my hopes on any specific answered prayer.  And I cannot be petty and frustrated with God when life doesn't pan out according to my dreams or my timeline.  (Easier to write than live out - it's been messy lately, but I want to honor God as I move forward.)

God is real, and He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.

We don't know exactly how or when the reward is coming.  But we can trust that He sees the things no one else does, and He. values. our. faithfulness.  That's the part I need to internalize more deeply.  Heart-level repentance and pursuing integrity, purity, obedience, and a clean conscience with a desire to honor God because we love Him... that doesn't go unnoticed or undervalued, and God is not indifferent or blasé about it.  God is trustworthy, and His heart is invested in this relationship.  So it's good and right for me to put my whole heart (mind, body, soul, and strength) into it, too - He will not waste my time or energy, even if the outcome is not what I have prayed for!

Every day, in a hundred little ways, He sets before us the choice between life and death.  Will we align ourselves with Jesus (being transformed) or conform to the surrounding culture?  Will we push our own agenda or trust God's character enough to surrender to His?  Will we choose the path of life in our thoughts, words, actions, and relationships?

God is good, and He is for you.
Be still today, and know that He exists.
And He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
❤ ❤ ❤