As I prayed this morning, Holy Spirit gave me this question for us to ponder. God is asking you this morning, “Why are you putting me off? Why are you keeping me on the outskirts of your life? I long to be with you, to talk with you, to walk with you, to show you marvelous things! Why do you push me to the side? Why do you acknowledge me one day of the seven I created (if at all)? Why do you allow the voice of people to drown out my voice? How can I bless you when your head, your heart and your hands are closed to my words, my ways and my instruction?”
Yes indeed, we ARE a stiff-necked people. Many people want to put God in a box and frown down upon people who make Him front and center. Think about it this way – If you were in a relationship with someone you loved and they kept you on the sidelines of their lives, how would you feel?
Here is something that you may not have considered before – GOD HAS FEELINGS. Why does that come as a surprise? Are we not created in our Father’s image? GOD FEELS. His emotions are unchanging, they are steady and reliable. Our emotions are imperfect reflections of God’s perfect emotions. His emotions aren’t changed because of us, ours are changed because of his affections towards us. There are examples of this throughout the Word of God. Here are just a few to turn your attention to the fact that God is not some “pie in the sky” kind of God. He is REAL and He feels.
God Laughs – “The wicked plots against the righteous and gnashes at him with his teeth. The Lord laughs at him, for He sees his day is coming.” (Psalm 37:12-13)
God weeps – “Jesus wept.” (John 11:35)
God Hates – “There are six things which the Lord hates, yes seven which are an abomination to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that run rapidly to evil, a false witness that utters lies, and one who spreads strife among brothers.” (Proverbs 6:16-19)
God loves – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)
God Rejoices – “The glory of the Lord shall endure forever; the Lord shall rejoice in His works.” (Psalm 104:31)
God grieves – “And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him to His heart.” (Genesis 6:6)
These are just a few scriptures that attest to the fact that God feels. If we profess to be in a relationship with God (having made Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior) than we need to take into consideration, that our God has feelings. When you love someone, you care about how they feel and you act accordingly. How are you showing God you love Him? The best way to do this – is to make Him the very center of your life. The Bible says in Galatians 2:20:
“I have been crucified in Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives by faith in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.”
The amazing thing that ol’ slewfoot doesn’t want us to know, is that when you make God front and center of your life, He pours out His love on you. There is NOTHING greater than walking in the personal knowledge that God loves you! It envelopes you throughout ALL you are and ALL you do! It fills you with the MOST incredible joy! It’s like a secret shared between you and God. God loves you and you love God! The more you come to know Him through the reading of His Word and through meeting Him in prayer, the more you become reassured that God loves you! HE LOVES YOU. YOU are His beloved! And even more so than when you are in an “earthly” relationship with someone you love, you can’t stop “gushing” about Him. Jesus told the Pharisees in Luke 19:40 with regards to His disciples (and in fact everyone who professes to love God):
“I tell you,” He answered, “If they remained silent the very rocks would cry out.”
Far be it from any of us who love God to allow a rock to cry out louder than us!!!! May it NOT be so! When you fall head over heels in love with God, you simply CANNOT be quiet about it. You begin to understand why in 2 Samuel 6:14 it says:
“And David danced before the Lord with all his might…”
And you understand why it says in Jeremiah 20:9:
“And if I say, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name, then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary of enduring and holding it in; I cannot contain it any longer.”
THIS is the kind of love God wants us to experience with Him on the very most personal of levels. THIS is the God who loves us and He wants us to share a love with Him that is passionate, that is consuming that is ever present, that over takes us that fills us with the MOST incredible of joy and peace that passes ALL human understanding.
There is NO way you can put God in the corner of your life if you love Him. There is NO way you can just commit one day of the week to spending time with Him. There is NO way you can be quiet about Him. There is NO way you cannot be concerned about His feelings. To love God is to make Him the VERY center of who He created you to be – because THAT is why we were originally created! To worship Him! To be in a relationship with Him! To LOVE Him! And to let Him love us.
I pray you experience the love that God originally created you to experience. I pray that in this life (and in the eternal life to come) that you become SO concerned about God’s feelings that you experience on THIS side ALL that God meant you to experience. There is NO greater joy than loving and being loved by God, knowing that no matter what you go through in this life, the God who loves you is with you. And the ONLY thing He asks of us, is to love Him back. Won’t you pray with me?
“Father God, I thank You that I am fearfully and wonderfully made in Your image! I thank You that you desire me to be in a close relationship with You, please forgive me for not considering the very true fact that YOU have feelings. Please forgive me for the times that I have put You to the sidelines of this life You have given me. Please forgive me for the times when I have neglected to put You first in my life. Thank You for Your mercies, which are new every day! Thank You for Your forgiveness of my sins! Thank You for loving me and for Your wonderful grace in my life. Father, I care about Your feelings, if there is anything in me that is displeasing to You, I pray You help me to change it. I want a close relationship with You so if there is anything that is keeping me from ALL You want us to experience together, I pray You remove it. Help me be more concerned with what YOU want and less concern about what others want, or how they view me with my relationship to You. I pray that You help me to draw nearer to You, give me eyes to see, ears to hear and a heart to understand ALL that would enable us to experience a closer relationship. I don’t want rocks to cry out louder than I! I love You Lord, help me to love You more. I know You see my heart, please bless me and help my life to show my love for You. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen”
Close your eyes for a moment and picture a God who is very concerned about our feelings, not your “pie in the sky” God but a God who is extremely personal and knows our thoughts before we even think them (see Psalm 139 ). We don’t have to hide ANYTHING from Him. We can be transparent and we can be real, I believe this is one way we can have a deeper, closer relationship with Him. No pretenses are needed. You have a God who “knows your thoughts before you even think them!” Knows your weaknesses and your strengths and loves you regardless! So WHY try and hide anything from Him? HE SEES YOU. The Bible says in James 4:8:
“Drawer nearer to God and He will draw nearer to you.”
Believe this. Trust this. Have faith in Him and watch and see the beautiful explosion of the BEST kind of love and relationship you can possibly have – the One who made YOU to have a very close, divine relationship with Him. The One who LOVES you and has called YOU by name. (See Isaiah 43:1) You belong to Him and honestly, it is the MOST amazing love you will EVER experience with the ONLY God there is – and HE DOES FEEL. Praise His Holy Name! \0/ \0/ \0/
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