God wants you and me to be happy and blessed, but He wants us to grow in intimacy with Him, more.
Some of us are praying a lot for gifts we can get from Him, the Giver, but not seeking the Giver, who is the greatest gift of all.
Like they say, do not seek the presents, but seek the Presence.
Sometimes, the desire for a material reward, a relationship, a career upgrade, a baby, a marriage, a move or a financial miracle may supersede the desire for time and intimacy with JESUS. An ‘idol’ is anything that takes your focus and attention away from God, anything more important than your relationship with Him. It’s not just objects, but also things like careers, relationships, possessions, or even busy lifestyles that can steal your time and energy, hindering your spiritual growth. And even when you pray, you pray for more of these which can actually move you further from GOD! Stop and check.
That thing that you are praying for the most – will it bring you closer to JESUS?
When you worship, don’t do it focusing on the reward. Our biggest reward is Christ. Moreover, prayer may not always result in material gifts; often the reward is spiritual, especially if you are a persistent seeker.
God deserves first place in our lives and we must actively deal with anything that pushes Him out of that position.
Work on building your intimacy with Jesus – in such a way that you know how to appreciate the gifts from God, thank HIM for those, steward those gifts and worship the blesser more for them.
In a world of chaos where you can be led by anyone or anything, chose to blindly be led by the Holy Spirit. No greater reward than HIM.
#JesusIsMyReward #GodlyGifts
