Hungering for God

I have discovered that doing mindless work doesn't have to be boring. So how do you spice up the job of cleaning bathrooms? Well, you really don't have to think much about that job, so you can let your mind drift in other directions. My mind was drifting in all kinds of rabbit trails today. It all started with remembering a message I heard once about hungering for God. It made such an impression on me that I even remembered when it had been preached. I searched through my journals for that particular day and found it. January 3, 1999. Pastor challenged us to fast one day a week - to lay aside one of God's gifts (food) to feast on God alone. Some things I wrote down:
1. Fasting is a voluntary trial.
2. The greatest obstacle to knowing God is His gifts.
3. We should not be preoccupied with God's gifts, but focus on the Giver.

Before that Sunday, Pastor had me order about 100 of A.W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God, that he then made available to everyone on Sunday. I picked up a copy and started reading. What a great thought-provoking book! It is chock full of deep spiritual truths and applications for our walk with God. Chapter 2 is especially challenging, The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing. We tend to enthrone God's gifts and dethrone the Giver. God always intended that He Himself would be the greatest source of our pleasure. The gifts that God has given can be the source of the ruin of our souls. Tozer says: "There can be no doubt that this possessive clinging to things is one of the most harmful habits in the life. Because it is so natural, it is rarely recognized for the evil that it is. But its outworkings are tragic."

I guess I have to ask myself: Do I love God for Who He is or for what He does for me? In a way, it's both because everything I have is from Him. But what if everything is taken away, including my first born child that I was so eager to have? Is God still good? Is He still rich in love? Is He still my All in All? Is He more than enough? It's a great mystery to me how we can go through difficult and dark circumstances but experience the wonderful peace and joy of the Lord. How is that possible? Because He is a great God - He is good - all the time! And He is with us as we go through our valley of the shadow of death. There is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still.

So circumstances shouldn't matter if my joy is in the Lord. He is constant and His gifts are constant. He is the source of my joy, not my circumstances or His gifts.

And that is when God is most glorified in us - when we are most satisfied in Him!

It was another beautiful autumn day. The maples in our side yard are beginning to turn red. Every year I notice that they turn one branch at a time. Isn't it interesting how it looks like the tree is reaching it's arms toward heaven. That reminds me of the verse that says the trees of the field clap their hands.

"The whole earth is full of His glory!"

Andy had a load of lumber delivered today in preparation for framing up the front porch. He has scheduled a crew to come in next week to help him with the framing.

For dinner tonight I made a salmon quiche. Mmmm-mmmm!