Glory Seed Devotional’s, 2017: Anticipating and Experiencing Jehovah-Jireh...
Another painful and hard learned lesson…
Shalom!
“You must be holy because I, the LORD, am holy. I have set you apart from all other people to be my very own.” (Leviticus 20:26, NLT)
Last night I read in Warren Wiersbe’s Commentary on Leviticus titled Be Holy: Becoming “Set Apart” for God that stopped me dead in my tracks wondering could he be talking about me? “Happiness, not holiness, is the chief pursuit of most people today, including many professed Christians. They want Jesus to solve their problems and carry their burdens, but they don’t want Him to control their lives and change their character.” (The BE Series Commentary, p. 15. David C. Cook. Kindle Edition)
“Happiness, not holiness, is the chief pursuit of most people today,” oh my gosh he is talking about me! Somehow, I’ve made Jesus into my personal problem solver. Somehow, becoming like Jesus has been replaced with being physically and mentally fit as a fiddle! But how did it happen? Where did I make a wrong turn? I still love Jesus! I still trust Jesus! I still follow Jesus! I still depend on Jesus!
Ah, ha! That’s it! I still depend on Jesus! But the question is, what is my main reason for depending on Him? Do I depend more on him to make me physically and mentally fit or do I depend on Him to make me spiritually fit (holy)? As I look back over my prayer life the last while I have prayed more for my physical and mental health than I have my spiritual health. Looks like I am in need to change the direction of my prayer life and get back on the right path.
However, if I change the direction of my prayer life and begin seeking holiness or spiritual health mean I should neglect my physical and mental health? I suspect there are those who would yes, your physical and mental health mean little when compared with your holiness. To which I would reply is that is the case why did Jesus go around healing people? Or why did James write, “Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” (James 5:13–15, NLT)
What the Holy Spirit was telling me through this experience my ONE PRIORITY in life is to become as Christlike as I possibly can and, “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” (Matthew 6:33, NLT)
So, for me I will change my prayer life to seeking holiness instead of happiness, and who knows maybe I’ll get both. What I can’t figure out is why some of life’s lesson are so painful and hard to learn?
“May God be merciful and bless us. May his face smile with favor on us.” **
Grace and PEACE,
Gary
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“Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189. All rights reserved.”
**Psalm 67:1, New Living Translation
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