Return to me
Objective
Seek God. Prioritize our spiritual and daily life. Coming back to God.
Scripture(s):
Deuteronomy 4:29-31, Jeremiah 24:4-7 {Scripture from New King James Study Bible}
In all that we do and all that we face, we must always seek God and listen for his voice. There is nothing too big for the God we serve. Seek is an action word and an action that we are responsible for regardless of our circumstances. Deuteronomy 4:29-31 states 29) But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all you soul. 30) When you are in distress, and all these things come upon you in the latter days, when you turn to the Lord your God and obey his voice. 31) (for the Lord your God is a merciful God), he will not forsake you nor destroy you, nor forget the covenant of your Fathers which he swore them (NKJV). This Scripture not only tells us twice to seek God, but it also states to seek him with your whole heart and soul.
Whether you are married or in a relationship with the love of your life or even sought out and obtained something that you were passionate about, we can agree that it was something that you felt strongly about, pursued, and received. We also understand that it didn’t come without hard work and sacrifice. So, what would it take to apply this same hard work and sacrifice to seek out the very same God who we tell people we love and follow with all of our heart and soul? If we are honest with ourselves, do we really put the same amount of passion into seeking God that we do with everything else. Without even realizing it, we end up sacrificing critical time with the Father and dispersing it amongst everything else in our lives.
Didn’t you once have a zeal for his word that was unmatched while spending time in prayer as if on a phone call getting the latest gossip on someone? Now that life has happened, you don’t talk to God like you used to. It’s like screening phone calls, you say man I am busy, I will get back to him later. The problem is that later you end up occupying your time with other things.
Now you are leading such a busy life that you may not even realize that your relationship with the Father has now fallen behind everything else. In all honesty, it has even taken a backseat to the unimportant things. Do you notice signs of your spirit being drained? Do you now feel as though you and the Father are somewhat separated? Do your situations make you feel as though you are in spiritual and emotional captivity or exile?
Jeremiah 24:4-7 states 4) Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying 5) Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. 6) For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up, 7) Then I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart (NKJV).
One definition of exile explains it as one who lives in exile, whether forced or voluntary. When you take the time to do a thorough self-examination of your busy and highly stressful life, how much of what you are faced with is forced versus voluntary? We acknowledge that we need to work in order to provide for our families and take care of basic needs. We should also acknowledge that spending money just because there was a little left over this month doesn’t help you get out of a financial bind. Think of it this way, when we face unfortunate circumstance, even when doing those things which are necessary, do we go to the Father? Even when we face consequences purely from bad decisions, do we go to the Father? How do we approach both of these situations? Do we ask God for guidance, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to help us manage or even prevent these situations? Again, this is where a time of fasting and prayer comes in and allows us to seek God in all his infinite wisdom.
The stress in life that we face on our jobs, at home, in ministry, can make you feel as though you are being held captive. Even if you remembered to say a 3 second prayer on the run, there may be no sign of relief in sight which can feel as though the Heavenly Father has left you in exile. Take hold to this Scripture today. God said that he will set his eyes on them for good. He said that he will build them up and not pull them down. He will plant them and not pluck them up. In other words, he will strengthen and establish us. He said he will give us a heart to know him. Finally, we are to return to him with our whole heart. When we have a fresh new relationship with a special friend, a seasoned relationship with our spouse, a career built on hard work, and so on, we give those things our whole heart and we give ourselves to them each day. We have allowed the busyness of our lives to lead us into captivity and even leave us exiled. It has affected our relationships as well as our mental, physical, and spiritual health. All the while, God the Father is saying come back to me! Draw near to me and I will draw near to you! Take this time today to fast and pray over your mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Whether you are married or in a relationship with the love of your life or even sought out and obtained something that you were passionate about, we can agree that it was something that you felt strongly about, pursued, and received. We also understand that it didn’t come without hard work and sacrifice. So, what would it take to apply this same hard work and sacrifice to seek out the very same God who we tell people we love and follow with all of our heart and soul? If we are honest with ourselves, do we really put the same amount of passion into seeking God that we do with everything else. Without even realizing it, we end up sacrificing critical time with the Father and dispersing it amongst everything else in our lives.
Didn’t you once have a zeal for his word that was unmatched while spending time in prayer as if on a phone call getting the latest gossip on someone? Now that life has happened, you don’t talk to God like you used to. It’s like screening phone calls, you say man I am busy, I will get back to him later. The problem is that later you end up occupying your time with other things.
Now you are leading such a busy life that you may not even realize that your relationship with the Father has now fallen behind everything else. In all honesty, it has even taken a backseat to the unimportant things. Do you notice signs of your spirit being drained? Do you now feel as though you and the Father are somewhat separated? Do your situations make you feel as though you are in spiritual and emotional captivity or exile?
Jeremiah 24:4-7 states 4) Again the word of the Lord came to me, saying 5) Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: Like these good figs, so will I acknowledge those who are carried away captive from Judah, whom I have sent out of this place for their own good, into the land of the Chaldeans. 6) For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up, 7) Then I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to me with their whole heart (NKJV).
One definition of exile explains it as one who lives in exile, whether forced or voluntary. When you take the time to do a thorough self-examination of your busy and highly stressful life, how much of what you are faced with is forced versus voluntary? We acknowledge that we need to work in order to provide for our families and take care of basic needs. We should also acknowledge that spending money just because there was a little left over this month doesn’t help you get out of a financial bind. Think of it this way, when we face unfortunate circumstance, even when doing those things which are necessary, do we go to the Father? Even when we face consequences purely from bad decisions, do we go to the Father? How do we approach both of these situations? Do we ask God for guidance, knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to help us manage or even prevent these situations? Again, this is where a time of fasting and prayer comes in and allows us to seek God in all his infinite wisdom.
The stress in life that we face on our jobs, at home, in ministry, can make you feel as though you are being held captive. Even if you remembered to say a 3 second prayer on the run, there may be no sign of relief in sight which can feel as though the Heavenly Father has left you in exile. Take hold to this Scripture today. God said that he will set his eyes on them for good. He said that he will build them up and not pull them down. He will plant them and not pluck them up. In other words, he will strengthen and establish us. He said he will give us a heart to know him. Finally, we are to return to him with our whole heart. When we have a fresh new relationship with a special friend, a seasoned relationship with our spouse, a career built on hard work, and so on, we give those things our whole heart and we give ourselves to them each day. We have allowed the busyness of our lives to lead us into captivity and even leave us exiled. It has affected our relationships as well as our mental, physical, and spiritual health. All the while, God the Father is saying come back to me! Draw near to me and I will draw near to you! Take this time today to fast and pray over your mental, physical, and spiritual health.
Prayer
Dear Gracious and Heavenly Father. Thank you for loving us. Thank you for setting your eyes on us as we have fallen into a state of captivity and exile brought on by the busyness in our lives. Lord, we have not managed this busyness as well as we should have. Lord we are grateful that your word says you will build us up and not pull us down. Plant us and not pluck us up. We thank you Father that you have given us a heart to know you. Therefore, we will seek you in all our circumstances good and bad. Give us the knowledge, wisdom, and understanding to discern when we have put the priority on a relationship with you behind everything else. Let us acknowledge that it is time to reprioritize. Now, Father, today we return to you with whole hearts acknowledging that you are God. Even God of our forefathers. We thank you! We love you! We pray and ask all things in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. AMEN!
written by: John C. Jones III
Posted in Too Busy Being Busy