Part 3 One Woman's Pursuit of the Perfect Climate

Good morning!  Here we are 3 days in a row.  I hope you are enjoying this time as much as I am.  I wish we could be face to face over a cup of coffee discussing all these good things of God, but this is good too.

Parts 1 and 2 are further down on the blog.  Please feel free to review.  Today we wrap up.

3.  “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.”

When I read this, the first thing that comes to mind is the opposite of filled. Empty.  I have felt empty too many times and it's not pretty.  It gets worse when I try to fill the empty space with lesser things.  Less than God.

  
We fall into this trap when we fail to hunger and thirst for righteousness above all else.  We have to realize that these are verbs - action words.  There are so many things we can hunger and thirst for that are truly lesser things and ultimately  not worth it.  Things like man's approval, career success, pleasures of this world, perfection, and many more...you fill in the blanks.

The question becomes, "What do I want most - what I'm in hot pursuit of?"  As I look back over my life since giving it to Jesus, I see that at times I have chased more after the stuff of this world and what I thought it would give me instead of a pure pursuit of God.  I liked God a lot and wanted Him a part of my life, but it wasn't what I would call an obsession.  That's a fun word.  I am obsessed with lots of things: my children's laughter, my husband's love, spending time with good friends and family, Christmas, snow, etc.  But when it comes right down to it, am I obsessed with God?

As we launch into February, I'm well into the first books of the Old Testament and there is a common theme - God wants us to consider Him first, obey His commands, be obssessed with everything about Him.  And when we are....we are blessed. His plan has always been to set apart a people to call His own.  I love being in that category.  He deserves my first allegiance.

Psalm 42:2, Psalm 63:1 and Psalm 143:6 share this theme: “My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.  When can I go and meet with God?” and “O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.”   

Does this describe your heart’s deepest longing?  Or have you fallen for the counterfeits that our enemy has placed before us?  Like me, have you gone through stages where you don't even think about God throughout your day?  Maybe you give Him a few minutes in the morning for prayer and Bible reading and quick mealtime prayers, but go to bed wondering if you missed His presence all day?  It doesn't have to be this way.

Indicator on my internal thermometer:  As I go through my day, what reminds me of His presence?  Do I detect when He’s put someone or something in my path simply to delight me?  Can I see it in nature, the weather, someone’s face or remarks, a provision I wasn’t expecting, a favorite song on the radio,etc.?  What am I in pursuit of?  What do I want more than anything else?  Am I preoccupied with thoughs of Him?

 Pray that God will make you aware.  Pray that God will give you the “want to”.  First recognize then reject anything that comes in the way of this intimacy you should be feeling toward your Savior.  Time with Him really should be our favorite time of day, not to mention a non-negotiable because as we mature in our faith we recognize we can do nothing without the indwelling and power of the Holy Spirit.  You only get this when you spend sufficient time with Him getting to know Him through His Word.   

Also through spending lengths of time talking life through with Him – and taking the disciplined time to wait to hear Him. There is no other way to mature spiritually. THAT is hungering and thirsting for righteousness.  And true satisfaction comes from doing it wholeheartedly, devotedly, enthusiastically from the inside out. 

In conclusion, our verses in Matthew tell us how to live a blessed life.  REPEAT AFTER ME… (blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for His righteousness).

Girlfriends, isn’t that what we want? The blessed life. Being filled with all the good stuff of God.  When we are we become contagious!  Any outsider looking into our lives will be able to see that what we have is something they want.  God!  

Ok, let’s check our temperature.  We use the analogy to keep temp, but then we have to make a decision about it.  How intimate are you with Jesus today?

Are you COLD?  Is there a little chill?

-          Do you allow sin and sinful tendencies to reside in your heart, brushing them off as “little sins”, being justified by comparing yourself to someone who is much worse in your eyes or are you “not that bad”?

-          Are you preoccupied with self?  Do you seek personal comfort and happiness in every waking moment, not considering others until after your needs are met?  

-          Have you allowed counterfeit gods to take residence in your life and heart?  Would you rather spend time with friends/family, go shopping, eat indulgently or something else instead of pursuing God’s righteousness through a strong devotional life? 

OR are you HOT?    

-           You are in tune to your sin tendencies.   You mourn over and quickly confess to and repent over every offense God brings to your attention because you are genuinely broken.

-          You intentionally put others before yourself.  You are teachable and humble in the way you respond to difficult people/situations not having to have your own way.

-          You passionately pursue your personal time with God.  You want Him more than you want someone or something else.  Meeting with Him is not occasional - you can't live without it!

Let’s not be like the frog in the pot of water, not noticing changes around us until we are boiled to death by our enemy.  Let’s have an acute sense of the intimacy level in our relationship w/Jesus at all times.  

 I pray for you and for me that we will have HOT, passionate hearts for God.  That we will live blessed lives in God’s economy being aware of the temperature changes of our hearts – and dealing with them immediately!   
We will be comforted (have peace), we will inherit all that matters (a purpose filled life serving others) and we will be filled with a God-filled life.  That is the perfect climate!  Be blessed.