What are you looking for?

A very serious thought came across my mind the other day. I meant to post it then, but I didn’t get around to it. I have been thinking about dedication to God. I am talking about very sincere, all the time, lay down your life, dedication. The pastor asked last Sunday, “Who wants to go to Heaven today?” I was the only one who raised my hand. He then said he wanted to go, but he wanted to enjoy life a little longer. Hmmmm. “life” here is nothing I would chose over LIFE with my father. Not one of us is 100% dedicated to the Lord. We may strive to be, but we are all selfish, at times, in our ways. Think about the long nights you’ve spent in prayer, waiting for God to move the way you WANT him to, and when you don’t get your way, you think that God doesn’t love you like he should, or promised (selfish). Trust me, I know what it is to pray every night for the same thing, begging, wishing, hurting for what you want, but in the end, what you want does not matter. So, God wants to take me home? YES LORD! If it is my time, I am ready, because if he is taking me home, he is pleased with me.

We spend far too many days trying to be seen, or recognized for the “good” we do. But is it really good, if we are doing it for others to see? What about when you are in the back of the sanctuary, and you help the little old lady out of her seat as everyone has their head bowed? Only God saw you then. Is that good enough? What about the homeless man that DOES NOT need your money, but a meal, and you bought it for him, but no one else was around to see it. Is that good enough for you? When you feel uneasy about something, and you feel that maybe you are doing the wrong thing, you hide that, so why is it so important for you to go tell everyone about the blessing that God used you to give to someone else?

PLEASE, understand that if you are in church, jumping, shouting, praising, praying, and doing all of this just because everyone is looking at you, you are not 100% dedicated to God. You are dedicated to yourself. You are dedicated to pleasing this world, and you will reap every benefit that this world has to offer you. However, if you lay yourself down in the midst of the day, because God said, “I want to talk to you for a minute.” Or, if you are asking God every day, "What are we doing today Lord?" Then you may just be on the right path. Then you may reap all of the benefits of knowing the Father. You are never going to see the answers to your questions, or reap the benefits of having a close relationship with God if you don’t get the fact that there is nothing in this world that will EVER satisfy that void in you that yearns to bond with our Father. You, in all honesty, should be content with sleeping on the floor with JUST ENOUGH food to eat, water to drink, and clothes to wear, as long as the Lord is with you. Don’t focus on the latter things in life, for if you seek him in everything you do, all of the other things that you do not need (but may desire) shall be given unto you. God Bless You.

~ Shawndelle~