Thankful Thursday
Ladies, I have to tell you that there has been a revolution here lately.
Not the violent, Che Guevara type of revolution, but a revolution of love. Love in my heart. Love for the Lord.
A week ago I started going through a study by Catherine Martin called 6 Secrets to a Powerful Quiet Time with the women's' ministry at our church. In that short time I have come to understand quiet times, and even my whole relationship with God, in a whole new way.
During the week, we were challenged to find a life verse and a life goal. Now, the life verse I struggled with. After all, all of Scripture is from God and beneficial for us. I'm working on it though. But what really revolutionized my thinking was the life goal.
I've always considered my life goal to be things like this: being a godly woman, being a good wife, raising godly children. All very worthy things. But this is what I learned this week: my (our!) overarching goal should be that of knowing God. Intimately, radically, amazingly knowing God. And if we do that, all the other things I mentioned? They will flow out of that.
Throughout Scripture we see example after example of people who just want to know God more - Moses, David, Zaccheus, Hosea, Paul, and more. They made getting to know God better their goal in life, more important than any other task.
For years, basically as long as I've been a Christian, I've always wanted to have a regular, meaningful devotional life. "Quiet time," as it's known to many. But my motivation was completely wrong. I thought that if I were really a "good Christian" I'd be having a regular quiet time. That is probably true, but it's just a slightly skewed perspective.
I have been so in love with the Word this week because I have come to see that I want to KNOW God. Not just check off a box in my schedule somewhere that says, "Have quiet time." No, the motivation isn't just to become a better Christian. It's to get to know Him. To fall deeply in love with God. To understand His heart. It's a call to, as Catherine Martin would put it, radical intimacy.
And so, that is what I am thankful for this week. I know that many of you just drop by on Thursdays, doing the rounds of Thankful Thursday, so you may not know that six months ago, we moved to the nation of Qatar, in the Persian Gulf. It's been a struggle, let me tell you. Leaving our church, our friends, our home and family has been heart-breaking at times. But I have thought over and over this week, "God, if you moved me here just so I could be part of this study and learn what I'm learning, it's all worth it."
I may not have explained it all very well, but the essence is that this week, I'm thankful for learning that God, more than anything, wants a real, intimate relationship with me more than anything else. And I'm even more thankful that I'm starting to want that too.
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12 comments:
What a lovely post! Thank you for sharing your thankful heart! Glad you are drawing closer to Him. God bless!
God will give you the desire of your heart, lori. simply because God Himself wants to have a deeper relationship with you. may God shower His blessings upon you and your family. ♥
I'm so happy for you and your love revolution! Keep up the good work. Blessings!
You go girl. You got it. We are to get intamite with Jesus thats is why he created us so we could get to know HIm and become his friend. If our first focus is Him he will help us be do and be all the other roles of life. I have been reading The Supernatural Way of Royatly-Discovering your rights and privileges of being a son or daugghter of God by Kris Wallotton and Bill Johnson. Its really Good! This is one of my favorite part in the book. "When God's royalty touches our lives, we discover we are designed to live in God's glory. We no longer live in the bondages of our past-performance and comparison in our daily lives, but we know our worth in simply loving Him. For out of that spings living water and revelation for those who have not found the truth in the nations of the earth!" My new life verse is Ps. 84:2 -"My heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."
-Amy
Lori,
Isn't it amazing the lengths that God will go to for us and getting alone with us! He moved us not too long ago too!
I love your thankful heart and I love that you called it a 'love revolution'....that's just precious!
Blessings to you today,Lori!
Oh i can relate that experience because i am always in the move..Meaning every winter hubby and myself and son always somewhere here in USA because he is working somewhere. Also i came from other country also just 3 years here in USA. So i can tell what you feel. You can adjust in there my friend...
sounds like a wonderful study to put on my list!
Beautifully stated! I began praying several months ago that God would create in me a hunger of His word and a heart to know him. He's been answering! Each morning I sit down with a cup of coffee and initially grab the remote to check the morning news and then I feel His tug, drop the remote and pray!
He and I are just getting started with our morning quiet time and I can't wait to see where He takes me!
God bless you!
1 1/2 years ago God moved us out of our church home of 11 years where I was the administrator and women's pastor. In one day I lost my church, job, ministry and friends. I sure understand what you may have been going through. I haven't really settled in my spirit yet. It's hard. But this Thankful Thursday is a real blessing to me.
Thank you.
Cindy
Great post. This is one thing I really need to work on, too.
Sometimes He leads us into the desert so we will yearn the oasis of His presence. Once we find that oasis,that tropical paradise, we never want to leave those springs of living water. We desire to lay there and bask in it's refreshment.
I'm so thankful for your post, because you have discovered THE one thing that He desires the most from us - a relationship. That continual, all day awareness of His presence. The art of practicing His presence.
It's been a joy to pray for you this past week. I will continue.
Have a blessed weekend.
That's awesome that you've found that intimacy, even if it meant moving half way around the world (though I'm sure God has more for you and your family while you're there). I'll have to get the book--thanks for the recommendation.