Thoughts from The Bible

Thoughts from the Bible

Tuesday, 07 June 2022 13:10

Renewing my passion for God
“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?” (Ps. 42:1-2, NKJV).
Have you ever been thirsty? I mean parched with thirst, the kind of thirst that demands immediate relief? When was the last time you were “thirsty” for God; when being close to Him, meeting with Him, listening to His Word was an immediate demand? It is possible to forget what we have right before us; take for granted that God is always there, always cares; and act as though we have no need for Him. Just like a marriage or any other relationship can grow stale, even so our love and thirst for God can grow dull over time.

There are some things we can do to enhance a closer walk with God. For example, we can START PAYING ATTENTION TO GOD. It is amazing how we often ignore God until we need Him. Our passion and feelings die as we remove ourselves from God. I don’t think we intend to get away from God; we simply drift unconsciously. It often takes desperate circumstances to lead us back to Him. Abraham Lincoln is reported to have said: “I have been driven many times to my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.”

WE DRAW CLOSE TO GOD BY MAKING HIM A PRIORITY IN OUR LIVES EVERYDAY. This we can do through: Bible study: 1 Pet. 2:1; Prayer: 1 Thess. 5:17; Private Devotions: (James 5:13). Good relationships need to be worked at every day. They are made, they don’t just happen; thus, we need to make God a priority in our lives daily!

We’re drawn closer to God when we pause to COUNT OUR BLESSINGS. We mustn’t lose sight of the blessings of the past. For instance, it can be much too easy to lose touch with the significance that God saved me from my sins, and delivered me from the domain of darkness into the kingdom of His beloved Son. It is easy to take our focus off the cross, and the pain He suffered for us there. It’s easy to forget the answered prayers, the Scriptures of hope and comfort, and the strength God has given us through the years. I also need to count the blessings of my present (Phil. 4:8). When we concentrate on the negative, we lose sight of God. When we concentrate on the positive, we grow more thankful for God daily.

The energy I give to distractions takes away from my closeness to God. It’s hard to be a good spouse in a marriage if you allow everything else to rob your time from the marriage. It is hard to be a good parent if the children are low in our priorities. It’s difficult to be a good Christian if God is preempted by our whims and desires. Remember the lesson of Luke 8:14. The seed that fell among thorns stands for those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches and pleasures, and they do not mature. Is there anything in your life that keeps you from being with God? Is there anything in your life that robs your energy and time, so that you are so overly tired you don’t have time for Him? God loves you and wants to give you an abundant life (John 10:10). Don’t allow your passion for Him to drain, or you will miss the joy He wants you to know.

The author can be reached for comments at 256-574-2489.

-Terry Broome