Looking For Love In All The Wrong Places

But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
(1 Corinthians 6:17, New King James Version)

Whether we realize it or not, acknowledge it or not, or accept it or not, God designed you and I to be joined together with Him.  It is our deepest desire and the true longing of our heart.  Everything within us cries out and looks for fulfillment, for the completion which comes from His Spirit dwelling in us.

Even in the midst of an electronic, high tech world full of social networks connecting us instantly to dozens, if not hundreds or thousands of “friends”, it’s amazing to find a void inside longing to be filled.  Now before you get the wrong idea, I’m not against facebook (where I spend at least an hour a day farming and peering into the lives of others) or twitter (okay, maybe I am against twitter…I signed up and haven’t looked at it since – please don’t ask me where I’m @, I have no idea ), I’ve just found that no matter how much I’m on it, I’m never satisfied.

Give Thanks…On Purpose!

“And you shall rejoice in your feast, you and your son and your daughter, your male servant and your female servant and the Levite, the stranger and the fatherless and the widow, who are within your gates.” (Deuteronomy 16:14, New King James Version)

As a kid (yes, I was a child once…for at least a few days), Thanksgiving only served as the springboard to “the most wonderful time of the year”; a time of twinkling lights, music, decorations, and presents under the tree.  Sure, I ate the turkey, sushi, and mac potato salad at Thanksgiving (only in Hawaii!), but it only whetted my appetite for the “real” celebration at Christmas and New Years.  Even to this day, forty some odd years later, I still tend to see Thanksgiving as the demarcation line which starts the season of Christmas (I still get upset when retailers bring out the Christmas stuff and play Christmas music before Thanksgiving…before Halloween in some cases!).

God Out of the Box

“Therefore I have uttered what I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I did not know.”  (Job 42:3, NKJV)

Read Job 38-42

God will not neatly fit into a box of how we think He should operate or do things.  When David desired to build a temple for God, the Almighty told David you can’t build a house big enough to contain me.  Essentially, God told him, “I’m bigger than any box you could possibly build, either physically or in your mind.”  God’s ways are higher than our ways and his thoughts are greater than ours.  But sometimes we forget that.

Putting God in a Box

“But the Most High does not live in houses that people build with their hands. As the prophet says:  ‘Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. So do you think you can build a house for me? says the Lord. Do I need a place to rest?’”  (Acts 7:48-49, NCV)

Read Acts 7

The religious leaders had serious problems with Jesus and His followers.  They (the religious leaders) had their systems, traditions, rules, and observances pretty well down.  In their world and in their mind, everyone knew what God was like and how He wanted them to live their lives…until Jesus and His renegades entered the picture.  Once that happened, it seemed like their whole world got upset and started spinning out of control.  

Looking Ahead

“…if you can eat of them (the trees), do not cut them down to use in the siege, for the tree of the field is man’s food.”  (Deuteronomy 20:19, NKJV)

Read Deuteronomy 20:19-20

Sometimes when we’re in the midst of a trial or challenge, all we can think about is the problem staring us right in the face.  That’s the general nature of problems, they’re big, bad, and will consume all of our thought, energy, and effort if we let it (if they weren’t, they really wouldn’t be problems).  Knowing, this, and knowing the many problems and challenges His people would face when entering into the promised land, God gave specific instructions when they came against a “problem” city they could not quickly conquer.  His instruction?

Overcoming Overwhelming Obstacles

“If you should say in your heart, ‘These nations are greater than I; how can I dispossess them?’— you shall not be afraid of them, but you shall remember well what the LORD your God did to Pharaoh and to all Egypt:  (Deuteronomy 7:17-18, NKJV)

Read Deuteronomy 7:17-23

Have you ever encountered an obstacle or situation where you felt overwhelmed?  It seemed like what you faced was just too great, too intimidating for you to overcome.  Sometimes, as you evaluate the situation and look at your resources, you realize there is a huge disconnect or gap between what you have and what you need to succeed.  That is precisely what the Israelites felt when they got ready to go into the promised land God had for them. 

Opportunities

“And all the people saw him walking and praising God.”  (Acts 3:9, NKJV)

Read Acts 3:1-10

Presumably, Peter and John routinely went to the temple for the time of prayer (see Acts 2:46) and had passed this man countless times.  Yet on this particular occasion, Peter is inspired to bring healing to this man who was lame from birth.   The man wasn’t even looking to be healed, he was looking for some money.  You know the story.  The man gets healed and causes such a commotion that a large crowd gathers.  Peter gets the opportunity to preach to the crowd with many getting saved (Acts 4:4). 

Living by the Word of God

“Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”  (Matthew 4:4, NKJV, italics mine)

Ever been in a place in your life where you’re claiming the promises of God for a certain circumstance or situation in your life?  You may be believing and trusting God for a spouse, for finances, for healing, for deliverance, for children, or any number of other things.  So we find a verse in the Bible where God makes a promise with regards to whatever we’re believing for and we hang on to that promise.  We start to speak forth that promise and lo and behold, God fulfills his promise!  We experience the life more abundant that comes from living by God’s Word.  But…

Considering Others

“Now why will you discourage the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which the LORD has given them?”  (Numbers 32:7, NKJV)

After 40 years of wandering in the wilderness the people of Israel are finally getting ready to enter the promised land…again.  As Moses makes the final preparations before handing over the reigns to Joshua, three of the tribes of Israel come to Moses and make their request.  These tribes were especially good at raising livestock and had literally tons of beef walking around on hoofs in their possession.  They saw the land on the east side of the Jordan, lands they had already conquered, were perfect for livestock.  You can imagine what was going through their heads, “Whoa, why do we need to cross over the Jordan and go over to the other side.  This right here is the promised land for us.  You couldn’t ask for anything better.  Great pastureland for the cattle to graze, water, and a safe environment.  Surely, nothing could be better than this on the other side.  I know, let’s ask Moses to just give us this land here!”

The Power of Purpose

“May He grant you according to your heart’s desire, And fulfill all your purpose.”  (Psalm 20:4, NKJV)

David writes this passage in the context of a “day of trouble” (20:1).  In the midst of challenging (and even downright bad circumstances) David looks to God to fulfill all the purpose He has for David’s life.  There is power in purpose and going back to purpose during times of trouble.  When the world seems to be falling in upon you it’s easy to get caught up in the circumstances, yet David goes back to the purpose God created him for.