I get to want You!

Saturday, February 22, 2014 (9:11 a.m.)

Most Holy Father God,

Thank You. Thank You that I get to be here with You right now because I want to be, not because I have to be! Thank You that You created that desire. Thank You that I get to scour resources finding Your Word to back up this thought.

Deuteronomy 4:29 (Contemporary English Version), “In all your troubles, you may finally decide that you want to worship only the Lord. And if you turn back to Him and obey Him completely, He will again be Your God.”

Matthew 6:33 (New Living Translation) “Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.”

(10:10 a.m.)

Most Holy God, not only do I get to want to be here with You, I also am blessed by the various ways Your Word is translated and paraphrased. I get to read different words and phrases all telling me the same thing. You love me and You want me to love You more than anything else.

The Life Recovery Bible has many comments dealing with faith. Under RECOVERY THEMES for the book of Romans, Our Universal Need says, “All of us has sinned; we have each fallen short of God's standards... we have been addicted to ignoring God's will. We are all powerless in our sin and need God to save us.”

Further down in this same section, following The Role of Faith it mentions Romans 1:17 and the importance of trusting You. The words I underlined long ago serve as a comforting reminder. “There is no magic formula for this – it [faith] is a daily act of trust, putting our hand in the hand of the all-powerful God, who promises never to forsake us, and to always love us no matter how unlovable we are.” Oh amen. Amen, Father God!

Two translations present this verse as such, (The Voice) “You see, in the good news, God's restorative justice is revealed. And as we will see, it begins with and ends in faith. As the Scripture [Habakkuk 2:4] declares, 'By faith the just will obtain life.'”

Worldwide English, “The good news shows how God puts a person right. God puts a person right when that person believes in His Son and keeps on believing. The holy writings say, 'A person who is put right because he believes, will live for ever.'”

And then I get to read this comment about the verse from Habakkuk. “We have discovered that without God, we cannot live a healthy and meaningful life. We soon become enslaved to something... in an effort to fill the empty space that only God can fill... Notice that being righteous does not depend on our doing the right things. It has to do with trusting God. We can be righteous, no matter how terrible our past, by believing and following God's plan for us.”

Blessed Father, You allow me to struggle. To run in the opposite direction of all You have for me. And the second I decide that I want You, I get to come back. You not only allow me, You empower me. That is what I ask of You this day. Please Father, empower me to want what it is You have in store. I love You. Thank You that I get to want You! Use me well this day. Thank You. I love You. Amen. 

(575 words ~ 10:47 a.m.)