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| Photo from Intuitively Yours |
God IS blessing me, but I'm so busy focusing on what is hard, wrong, or not exactly as I want it, that I miss seeing the blessings right in front of me.
This is a life theme for me.
I've all too often put my focus in the wrong direction.
Logically, this makes sense. There are so many Scriptures that tell me that we've already received numerous blessings from God. Here's just a few of these verses:
Ephesians 1:1-14 talks at length about all that is ALREADY mine as God's follower. It can't get any more clear then the way the KJV puts the 3rd verse:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ
1 Corinthians 1:4-9 makes it clear that we ALREADY are blessed. This thought is especially clear in Peterson's paraphrasing of the 5th through 8th verses in the MSG:
there’s no end to what has happened in you—it’s beyond speech, beyond knowledge. The evidence of Christ has been clearly verified in your lives.
7-9 Just think—you don’t need a thing, you’ve got it all! All God’s gifts are right in front of you as you wait expectantly for our Master Jesus to arrive on the scene for the Finale.
2 Peter 1:3-11 tells me that God has ALREADY given me everything I need. Verse 3 out of ASV is poinant:
seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue
I'm convinced that the reason I don't experience all these blessings every day is because of my brain. Specifically, how and where I'm allowing my mind to focus. I'm reminded of these passages from Scripture:
Isaiah 26:1-10 ; I'm especially drawn to the way the 3rd verse reads in the NIV:
You will keep in perfect peace
those whose minds are steadfast,
because they trust in you.
Romans 12:1-6; the way Peterson paraphrases my old favorites of the second half of the 1st verse through the 2nd verse, brings this old favorite to a new light:
Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.
Philemon 1:4-7; that 6th verse in the NIV really underscores the truth of what makes the difference:
I pray that your partnership with us in the faith may be effective in deepening your understanding of every good thing we share for the sake of Christ.
My understanding of the blessings He has already given me deepens as I chose to:
* Spend time in His presence
* Read aloud His Word
* Ponder on His Truth
* Chose to set my mind on Him, His Word, and His Truth and not get distracted
As my understanding deepens, and my focus is on God and His blessings, I experience those blessings. I don't want to sound like one of those "word faith-ers" and talk about activating my faith, but there is truth in that line of thinking.
Oh Heavenly Father, thank You that You put up with me. I'm so sorry for my selfishness, laziness, lack of discipline and discontent. Oh Father, only You can change me. Thank You for not giving up on me. Please work in my heart and mind, draw me more into Your presence, help me remember to read Your word aloud, ponder Your Truth and set my mind on You. You are so great and wonderful and worthy. I can never thank You enough.
1 comment:
Oh you don't know how badly I needed to read this! This is so right! I focus on my wants and desires, I forget to look to God and what he wants for me. And allow Him to bless me. Thank you!
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