Pearls of Great Value

It was these words: "Stop. Look at me." I wonder how often God has spoken these words to me. To you. To us. 

Those two commands, stop and look at me, are foundational. Think about it with me for a minute. Have you ever found yourself doing something that you knew deep down you shouldn't be doing? Hands up anyone? I have both hands in the air. As you were doing it, did you feel the nudge to stop? Yeah, me too. See, that's God. His whispered stop often feels like a nudge or a slight discomfort, and an I-know-i-shouldn't feeling. 

Just like a mom would reach out and stop her child from doing wrong, God reaches out to us. He doesn't forsake you the minute you step out of line. Instead, He draws closer and compels you and me to come back and do what is right and wise. 

Often, the nudge to stop isn't enough to get us to stop. This is why the second command, look at me, is important for us to get a hold of. Look at me. What does this mean? How do we look at God? 

One way is to look into and read His word. It's a surefire way to stop temptation in its tracks. Now, mind you, a disobedient child does not want to look mommy in the eyes. A child will avoid eye contact at all costs because they know if they do, mommy will see into my soul and will break my will. The same principle holds for us. Our human-minded nature does not want to be corrected or bend its will to anyone; it knows what it wants, and it wants it now. The last thing you desire to do when you're being tempted is to read the Bible. You don't want to look God in the eyes because you instinctively know He sees right through you and He will break your will. 

If there's anything I'm trying to get a good hold of and become more aware of, it is this: I become what I behold. So, for me, it's good to stop and behold the goodness of the Lord, because if I'm honest, I tend to forget. When I'm struggling in an area, I'm learning to take time to look to Jesus, or when I need advice, to stop and behold Him for He has the answer. And when I need comfort to turn to the Comforter; when I'm lonely to realize that He is as close as my next breath, and the list goes on. Stopping and putting my gaze on Him is a lifesaver. I don't fully have this down, but I want to!

Sometimes, when I get to the end of a day and I look back, I find myself thinking, "Oh, how little I looked at God today." I was busy from morning to night. Yet when I look at how often I looked at my phone, it is a witness that I had time to gaze at God. I had time to turn my mind and heart in His direction. 

Distractions. We are bombarded by things, by habits, by work, by family issues. Daily life can and will distract us from God if we let it. This is why intentionality is a good muscle to build in our lives. I want to be intentional in growing closer to God, and so I prioritize time with Him. This goes for any relationship. Its depth will equal the time we've put into it. 

Distractions. They tend to distract us from that which is ultimately good for us. Intentionality, on the other hand, usually lends its hand and helps us move in the right direction.

The truth is this. When we let other priorities take over our hearts? We will drift from Jesus. This results in feeling far from God, an emptiness in our souls, and going through the motions of life feeling tired and listless. Man, when life becomes more about checking off boxes instead of following Jesus, we're in deep trouble. May we learn the secret early in life? It's not about trying harder, but surrendering, letting go of my plans, and accepting Jesus's invitation to come and live in His kingdom. As we learn to walk in step with Jesus, we will feel our hearts soften and the peace and joy we were chasing after will be ours, not because we did more or accomplished more, but because we are resting in Jesus. Our Father doesn't expect us to have it all together, but He does expect us to come to Him, especially when we are burdened. We can find our joy, peace, strength and identity in Him alone. 

Go with God. Obedience to His voice, especially right in the thick of the battle, is hard for our flesh. Yet, we have to start building that habit! Even if I don't feel like it, I must. When my flesh is screaming the loudest, I must determine myself against its desires the most. Sometimes, I must affirm these words in my heart: I am His sheep, I hear and heed His voice. I stop and look for Him throughout my day. I let Him course correct me, and He reveals to me the way I am to go. He loves me, His face is towards me and He is always for me. 

Lord, we pray, that we not reach the end of the day without having seen You. May we take constant moments to seek Your face and align our hearts to Yours. Ignite each heart reading this, Lord, to pursue You, especially when tempted, or in a struggle, or facing tough decisions. May You be our first meeting of the day. Our first thought and our first "I-cant-wait-to-be-with-you." Teach us how to love You, Lord! This we pray in Jesus' name, Amen