Forget yourself! If you truly want to live for God, you must put Him and Jesus first in your life; put God's will first above anything and everyone else. Forget about your self-centered desires, and ask the good Lord what His will is for your life. Our chief purpose is to glorify God ! This reminds me of Ecclesiastes 12:13 : ":Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man." When you have a reverent fear of God and want to do His will above all else; and when you endeavor to keep His commandments, then you are leading a life that pleases the Lord and that glorifies Him.
The commandment spoken by Jesus at Matthew 22:37-40 says, "(37) Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. (40) On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."
"God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." - 1 John 4:16
With hearts full of love for God and Jesus and also love for our neighbor, we are truly living for God.
Not to forget 1 John 4:7, which tells us , "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God."
We get to know God by much prayer and by reading and studying His Holy Word. His Word is full of His glorious attributes, and the more we read, the more we learn about Him and Jesus; which in turn teaches us to love the Lord more and more as time goes on. As we draw closer and closer to God, we begin to think of His desires more than we do of our own. Also, this love for the Lord will incline us to always be obedient to Him, which is another way to glorify Him. If you are not obedient to God, then perhaps you are not truly born again. There are many other ways that we may glorify God, but for now let us concentrate on prayer.
I would like to quote E.M. Bounds from his book on prayer: " Desire is not merely a simple wish; it is a deep seated craving; an intense longing, for attainment. In the realm of spiritual affairs, it is an important adjunct to prayer. Desire precedes prayer, accompanies it, is followed by it. Desire goes before prayer, and by it, created and intensified. Prayer is the oral expression of desire. .....If prayer is asking God for something, then prayer must be expressed. Prayer comes out into the open. Desire is silent. ......The deeper the desire, the stronger the prayer. Without desire, prayer is a meaningless mumble of words. Such perfunctory, formal praying, with no heart, no feeling, no real desire accompanying it, is to be shunned like a pestilence. Its exercise is a waste of precious time, and from it, no real blessing accrues."
Desire, as expressed by Mr. Bounds, is normal and necessary when it comes to prayer. But it is selfish desires and putting our will first that is displeasing to the Lord.
E.M. Bounds continues: "Spiritual desire, carried to a higher degree, is the evidence of the new birth. It is born in the renewed soul. 'As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.' (I Peter 2:2). The absence of this holy desire in the heart is presumptive proof, either of a decline in spiritual ecstasy, or that the new birth has never taken place. ' Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.' (Matthew 5:6). These heaven-given appetites are the proof of a renewed heart, the evidence of a stirring spiritual life. ...........This, then, is the basis of prayer which compels an answer - that strong inward desire has entered into the spiritual appetite, and clamors to be satisfied. .......... God draws mightily near to the praying soul. To see God, to know God, and to live for God - these form the objective of all true praying. Thus, praying is, after all, inspired to seek after God."
One time, a few months back, I was in deep, earnest prayer and weeping as I prayed and pleading with God. A still small voice spoke to my heart and soul, saying, "Is anything too hard for Me?" I knew it was the Lord encouraging me. Later, I looked up Scriptures on that subject and found in Genesis 18:14 "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" and Jeremiah 32:27 which says, "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for Me?" Other verses were found at Jeremiah 32:17, Matthew 19:26, and Isaiah 59:1. I know God will answer that prayer (I am still waiting) because to me it was like a promise from Him that He would. So I know that sincere, heartfelt prayer reaches the heart of God and that He does answer that type of prayer. Think about it, all of our prayers should be deep, heartfelt, and prayed with faith that He hears us and will answer us in His due time. The Lord has answered my prayers in the past and I believe He will continue to do so.
Never give up and continue to approach God with faith and hope and perseverance. Be like the widow who sought justice from an unjust judge. She continually confronted the judge until he grew weary of her pestering him, and he finally answered her petition. (Luke 18:1-8)
E.M. Bounds continues: "Spiritual desire, carried to a higher degree, is the evidence of the new birth. It is born in the renewed soul. 'As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby.' (I Peter 2:2). The absence of this holy desire in the heart is presumptive proof, either of a decline in spiritual ecstasy, or that the new birth has never taken place. ' Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.' (Matthew 5:6). These heaven-given appetites are the proof of a renewed heart, the evidence of a stirring spiritual life. ...........This, then, is the basis of prayer which compels an answer - that strong inward desire has entered into the spiritual appetite, and clamors to be satisfied. .......... God draws mightily near to the praying soul. To see God, to know God, and to live for God - these form the objective of all true praying. Thus, praying is, after all, inspired to seek after God."
One time, a few months back, I was in deep, earnest prayer and weeping as I prayed and pleading with God. A still small voice spoke to my heart and soul, saying, "Is anything too hard for Me?" I knew it was the Lord encouraging me. Later, I looked up Scriptures on that subject and found in Genesis 18:14 "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" and Jeremiah 32:27 which says, "Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh: is there any thing too hard for Me?" Other verses were found at Jeremiah 32:17, Matthew 19:26, and Isaiah 59:1. I know God will answer that prayer (I am still waiting) because to me it was like a promise from Him that He would. So I know that sincere, heartfelt prayer reaches the heart of God and that He does answer that type of prayer. Think about it, all of our prayers should be deep, heartfelt, and prayed with faith that He hears us and will answer us in His due time. The Lord has answered my prayers in the past and I believe He will continue to do so.
Never give up and continue to approach God with faith and hope and perseverance. Be like the widow who sought justice from an unjust judge. She continually confronted the judge until he grew weary of her pestering him, and he finally answered her petition. (Luke 18:1-8)
Let's enjoy a refreshing and soothing video showing scenes from Maui, Hawaii, with quiet music in the background. I have visited Maui a few times so it was a delight for me to "revisit" there by viewing this video.
It is my sincere wish that your weekend is a happy and enjoyable one, and that you remember to put Christ first in everything you do.
"Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." - Jesus at Mark 11:24
"Pray without ceasing." - I Thessalonians 5:17
"Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." - Philippians 4:6-7
