I've been reflecting this week on some of the lessons I've learned in close to twenty years of ministry. And out of those reflections have emerged some very general principles that seem to rise to the top of our experience of being church and seeking God.
There's not one of us that doesn't want to be blessed by God and experience favor in our families, work, and relationships. If you're like me, you've spent some amount of time wanting God to "fix it" for you - to undo all the unpleasant consequences of decisions I've made in these areas of my life. We're taught that God moves miraculously and supernaturally, and so it's very natural for us to look for that movement in our own lives.
It's occurred to me though that God does nothing in our life without our agreement. It's not until we say "yes" that God's "YES" becomes something that we can actually see and touch and feel. Our "yes" is more than what we learned in Evangelism 101 as "intellectual assent." In truth, our "yes" resembles a passionate trust in God's purposes and promises over our lives. We literally begin acting out and acting upon what we have come to know to be true about the character and presence and mission of God. We come into agreement with who God is and what God is up to. And we do this completely trusting in the faithfulness of God for whatever outcome He has for us - trust that God desires GOOD things for His children.
In brass tacks, it looks a little like this as we seek God's blessing on our lives...
If you want to receive a blessing, give a blessing.
If you want to hear a blessing, speak a blessing.
If you want to walk in blessing, then lay down the path through which others are blessed.
That may sound like a simple little instruction. Almost too basic for experienced Spirit-seekers as ourselves! But what would your walk with God look like if this guided your walk today? Just today. Would it get a little deeper? And then tomorrow. A little deeper? And then the next day... a little deeper?
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