The gym can be a very interesting place. Many different people with many different personalities gather to attempt to get into some sort of shape. For the most part people keep to themselves and go about their business. But things get much more interesting when God points out someone who needs His love right then and there.
Do you think I speak often or seldom? I have not left you to figure things out on your own. I am the living word and I speak constantly. Are you listening? You may have a question on your mind and desire an answer, but the way I am speaking may not address your current concern. Let me set the tone and direction of our conversation. I know what you need to hear right now. Trust me to understand and care for your concerns and address them at an appropriate time.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness. The church is full of satisfied believers who are content with what they have, but the hungry desire more. The satisfied will not make the effort to go where there is food, but the hungry vote with their feet to go where nourishment is available. The satisfied are fussy eaters, willing to receive instruction only from those with the most prestigious credentials. The hungry don’t care about your credentials. If you know something they want to know, they will hound you for the information. They don’t care about their own reputation or that of others. They humble themselves to seek and they are blessed for they have my promise that they will be filled.
Have you heard of the economic one percent? These are the wealthiest one percent of people. Do you realize that there is also a spiritual one percent? Some people will be diligent to seek me and grow in faith more than others. A political movement grew up in resentment against the economic one percent, claiming the wealthy had more than they deserved. The spiritual one percent are not in the headlines, but it is fair to ask what their duty is to the 99 percent. Is most of your ministry toward your spiritual peers? There are plenty of lost people in need of me and immature believers in need of discipleship who would benefit from what you already know.
Do you value instruction and knowledge? These used to be hard to obtain and required a diligent search. Now you have search engines that put a vast amount of information at your fingertips immediately. If the problems you face were due to a lack of information then they should be solved, but have they gone away? This may cause you to ponder the true nature of the problem. I promised that knowledge would increase but the end of the age still approaches. You are in need of truth and you will find that in me rather than in a search engine, as I said, I am the way the truth and the life.
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My word asks who can tame the tongue. It is called an unruly evil because of the damage it can do. Yet it is also capable of great blessing. The Bible passage points out the inconsistency of the same mouth speaking blessing and cursing. You hear curses often enough. Is it possible to curse by withholding the words of life? There are sins of omission as well as commission. An animal that is tame will serve rather than attacking. A tongue that is surrendered to my will and purposes will not keep silent when the opportunity arises to speak the words of life. Realize the power of the words you speak and employ them only for blessings.
You are familiar with prayers of petition. You have my promise that I hear your prayers and grant your requests. Yet you also know the importance of praying according to my will. Are you certain that the things you ask for in your petitions are my will for you? You can know, but it requires a different type of prayer. This may be called a prayer of inquiry. If you ask of me I am eager to reveal my will to you. If a prayer of petition is confident then a prayer of inquiry should be humble and selfless, seeking to find my will rather than validate your own. Both can be equally fervent, but a prayer of inquiry has more power to conform you to my image and likeness. Then you can make your petitions with bold assurance.
While reviewing the journal entries of a fellow believer, the following resulted from
meditating upon his dialogue with God:
We are body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23) . So many scriptural, spiritual, truths apply to our spirit.
When we are born again, it is our spirit that goes into a state of perfection. All the
fullness of God and His promises and His power are placed within us at that time.
Where the problems come in is that which resides in the spirit has to go through our soul,
Do you think of my Great Commission only as the presentation of the gospel message to every creature? Remember that it includes making disciples of all men. Do you think this is best accomplished by a systematic course of study, much like elementary school? Consider the most spiritual people you know. How did they get to be that way? The conventional academic approach is beneficial for some subjects, but a true spiritual life is only possible through a direct encounter with me. Do you think this goal is inconsistent with a systematic approach? It is not, but you should keep your true goal in mind as the friend of the Bridegroom as you conduct instruction in righteousness.
