March 28, 2024

Fully Dependent on God

SeekingHimLogoWe have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 6—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’  Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 5:3

In the same sense that we can be rich in many areas—money, family, friends, love, etc.—we can also be poor in other areas of our life aside from finances.  I think for people who strive for excellence, the terms poor and weak are not words we take lightly or accept willingly.  When in reality they are not as negative as we think. When we are poor in spirit we are fully dependent on God.  Now this doesn’t mean that we need to be at the lowest place in our life or depressed or unhappy but it does mean that we acknowledge that without God we have nothing.

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you,
for My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities,
that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9

When we say we’re weak, it doesn’t mean that we can’t handle where our lives may be or that we can’t deal with what we currently have on our plate.  What it does mean is that we are able to acknowledge that without God…we have no strength; because He is our strength, and in our weakness and dependence on Him…His strength prevails.

How wonderful is it to know and accept that we can be weak?  That we can be poor and still be covered by His love?  That we can be these things and be carried by our Heavenly Father?  That we don’t have to worry about our own strength and love carrying us through life because His strength and His love are far more than we need.

Let’s Pray:  Dear Heavenly Father, please help us to accept our weakness, our poor spirits, because when we accept these, Lord, we embrace Your Strength instead of trying to grow our own.  And when we accept Your rich love, instead of our own, we will experience a freedom like no other.  Thank You Lord for Your loving strength.  In Jesus’ name, amen.

Be Like Children

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 6—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’  Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 5:3

My daughter is full of spirit.  Nattie is a pistol.  She chases after lights during cosmic bowling.  She jumps on the trampoline.  She jabbers at 90 miles a minute.  I can understand her almost 80% of the time.  She runs around the house like she is running a race.  Plus, she has a temper to match.  Needless to say, at the age of three, my Nattie Grace is a very spirited child.  But, like all children, she still needs me, and she knows how to get my attention.  She grabs my hand and pulls me to where she wants me, or she tells me to stop what I am doing because she wants something.

Yet, remembering that she is only three, I also know that she is poor in spirit because she does not have the ability to understand who Jesus Christ is.  As children of God, we should be like our own children—looking to God like children do their parents.

“Allow the children to come to me,” Jesus said.
“Don’t forbid them, because the Kingdom of Heaven
belongs to people like these children.”
Matthew 19:14

As the children of God, we should also act like children looking for the love and protection of their heavenly Father.  We should humble ourselves before the Lord and seek Him as a child does their parents.  We are instructed to act as children seeking their father.  This is because that is what we were created to do.  We were created to be the children of God and to continually seek His Presence.

If we become like children and constantly seek God, we will be rewarded as the children of God.  We will live in the Kingdom of Heaven with God for eternity.  We must humble ourselves and tear ourselves from earthly desires.  As the children of God, we should constantly be seeking Him, His riches, and His glory.

* ~ ♥ ~ ✞ ~ ♥~ *

Dear Heavenly Father:  As we enter the season of Easter, please help us remember that Jesus died for us so we could be like children and constantly seek You.  Thank You for the sacrifice.  It is with this sacrifice that we can live with hope to see You.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Poor In Spirit

SeekingHimLogo

We have now entered the season of Lent.  For many Christians, Lent is taken as a time of preparation for the celebration of Easter where God miraculously redeemed mankind by resurrecting His Son from the dead. It is also a time to consider what Jesus said and did; and how we should be living in light of His Words.  ✞ ♥

During this season, here on the Seeking Him devotional blog, we have chosen to focus our devotionals on Jesus’ instructions and admonition communicated in Matthew chapter 6—the Beatitudes.  Jesus said, “Blessed are…” and He went on to give instruction as to how to be “blessed.”  To be ‘blessed’ is to ‘be happy, or to be envied.’  Truly for the Christian, we ARE blessed—oh, how very blessed we are!  Those who observe our lives should clearly be able to tell that we ARE blessed—and that we KNOW it! ✞ ♥

Please consider Jesus’ instructions along with us.  We pray that our words will encourage you and spur you on to be prepare your hearts for the joyous celebration of His Resurrection!  ✞ ♥

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.
Matthew 5:3

Jesus was teaching the lost on the side of a hill.  As He was speaking all kinds of people surrounded Him—rich, poor, healthy, sick, loved, hated.  His teaching was for all who would seek Him and His Father.

In researching and thinking about what “poor in spirit” is, I came acoss a study which stated,

“Being ‘poor in Spirit’ is to have a humble and broken/contrite heart
that constantly seeks help and forgiveness
from God for their very existence.”
(Biblesco: Free Inductive Bible Study Lessons)

From the beginning of time, God has wanted a unique relationship with His people. When the people of Israel kept refusing to follow God’s leading, He would bring punishments upon them.  Sometimes these were very painful and then He would show mercy.  The people would repent and turn back to Him for a period of time but would fall back into the old familiar patterns of behavior.

Then God decided it was right for His Son Jesus to come and live among us for a period of time.  The life Jesus lived among us was fantastic.  He obeyed His earthly parents, His Heavenly Father, and learned at the feet of His local teachers.  When it was time for Jesus to begin His ministry, He sought to give it to the Jewish people.  The Pharisees and Saducees had hardened hearts and rejected God’s truth, but Jesus did not stop sharing.  They were more about revenge and keeping rules than in showing grace and mercy toward others.  These people had long since forgotten what it was like to have a ‘humble, contrite heart’.

* ~ ♥ ~ ✞ ~ ♥~ *

As we prepare our hearts for the Easter season let us try to remember the sacrifice He made for us.  Let us remember to be humble and obedient to God’s word and leading of the Holy Spirit.  He will honor us when we honor Him and His Son.