Devotional and Practical Meditations on the Book of Ecclesiastes

I like this devotion especially the last paragraph because the Holy Spirit taught me to meditate. That's when I realized, only Him can "still" our soul to truly meditate on the word of God. Because the Spirit stills the soul to prepare it for mediation, it makes it easier to interact with God for hours at the time and to also be led by the Spirit because you can easily take your cues for the day through your meditation. Not only that, as you meditate, you find that you worship in His presence, you enjoy intimacy with Him, you have joy in your heart and your mind is kept renewed at all time. The biggest part of meditation is that over time, you realize what you are doing is also gazing in His eyes while you take on His imprint. Or, you are soaking in Him as He infuses you with Himself, hence you are being changed from glory to glory. 

Another reason why it is so important we learn to meditate, It truly helps us to be honest with ourselves as we examine our walk with Him, without the mask, and without excuses.

"Guard your steps when you go to the house of God." Ecclesiastes 5:1

The Preacher says, "Guard your steps!" A prophet says the same, "Keep your feet from being unshod." (Jeremiah 2:25.) The advice is good. To walk unshod is a sure way to pierce yourself with many sorrows. For slip-shod grace will never advantage you — and never less so than in going to the house of prayer. Leave not your Gospel shoes at home; nor lose them along the way. If so, you will not find them when you come to worship.

What do you think of, and speak of, along the way to the house of God? If earthly things engage the mind — the doings of the past or coming week; the dress or manners of the passers by; the news you have heard; the letters you have had — if thoughts like these are in your mind up to the very threshold of the church door — this will hinder your devotions.

God's worship must begin before you leave your home; your thoughts, your speech, your eyes — must be focused on God. Fix them on Jesus — and then you will not have them to bestow on other things. Make Christ your company along the way — and He'll accompany you in the house of God; then all its acts shall savor of His presence.

In private worship, or in social prayer, we cannot be dwelling on worldly things — and then spring at once from earth to Heaven. Oh, there is a preparation of the heart; a setting of the countenance heavenwards; a girding the loins for fellowship with God; a deep conviction of His majesty; a pausing on the threshold of His presence — that the first word of prayer may have His blessing. If you would "guard your feet" in seasons of devotion, be sure you keep them well at other times. As is your daily walk — your prayers will be. A careless walk begets a wandering mind, unfit to gather in its thoughts, and settle them in prayer. Prayer and the daily walk act, and react, on one another. He who is much in prayer will guard his feet; and he who guard his feet properly, be much in prayer.

Nothing feeds the soul like meditation — the habit of reflecting on our ways, and Scripture truths. This leads alike to holiness, and converse with the Lord. Then, child of God, at all times "guard your feet;" not only when you go to the house of prayer.

Are You Being Saved? Are You looking to God?

I know I mentioned to you on several occasions that the Bible is about “you are saved”  “you are being saved” and “you will be saved.” While there are three specific verses that refer to three tenses of Salvation from God, the whole bible when understood in the light of the Spirit, reads this way that we do not need to nit pick at those verses.

Sometimes, I do it on purpose by not giving you a verse for the simple reason, in my ministry, the people God calls me to serve, most of them do not have problem with Bible knowledge; it is not because of lack of knowing oodles of Bible verses by heart. The problem is that they do not know what they mean in a practical way. Knowing the Word of God is not the same as living the Word of God. Satan and all his demons know the Word of God, yet they are not changed by it.

The Word of God is alive because the Word of God is none other than our Redeemer Jesus-Christ who died for us. We do not get nourished by looking at food; we feed on it and let it take its course inside of us to keep us healthy and alive. Amazingly, the food once inside of us knows where to plug each nutrient because it knows which part of our body needs to be fed with it. In the same way, so it is with the Word of God.

I found in my Christian walk with God, those three little words “Look unto me” are of the utmost importance in my walk with Him. While at first, we will find those three little words demand such great discipline to learn to practice His presence and look to Him all day long and every day. But, once we make the effort, we find that the Holy Spirit is right there empowering us to live this life. Not only that, He does so much work inside of us,  for us and in us that we learn to become this person. Not mechanically though. 

Today’s devotional from Oswald Chambers, is one where we have to learn to settle it at once inside of us and make our first mandate, the first act of worship, first hunger, first love and first commitment to “look to Him” – It is the same as seeking first the Kingdom of God and all will be added onto you. This awesome Christian walk we have in Him, the service we do as an extension of who we have become in Him, this life of beholding Him, being transformed by Him, supernatural ministry etc., all of it, He adds it into our lives and He is glorified through us when we get our priority straight.

How do I know that I know what I am talking about? Well, I used to be so busy in the Church that I was running like a chicken with its head cut off. When God told me that it was time to go with Him, He told me it was time that I looked onto Him, He took my hands like a child and I still remember the regrets, and pain in my heart because I knew I needed to leave it all behind. I still remember how my heart mourned. But, it was needed so that I could get my priority straight. It was needed so that I could stop doing Christianity and become a Christian instead.

There is one thing the Holy Spirit taught me which was weird at the time, He said to me, to stop wanting anything from Him, not even His gifts. So, my prayer time became about His glory and praises. As I am writing this morning, I have to confess that I could not help sobbing. My sobbing turned into wailing, because I still remember when I learned to incorporate this practice in my life, I was living a life that seemed to be out of this world, as if heaven opened up. He withheld nothing from me. This morning I was wailing because I realized how much I need to incorporate this kind of worship back into my life. I was also convicted by the Spirit. My wailing also came from the fact that I felt as if I put God in the same position the Israelites put Him where He had to recall our love (Him and I). It felt like I hurt my daddy in such a big way. And I felt like a hypocrite. I have been busy with making sure I follow, making sure I remain plugged into Him, I obey etc. 

It is rather strange to see that, in focusing on being right with Him to make this life about Him, when He shows you how you miss out on such dedicated times of praises to Him, this life of being right with Him, pale in comparison.  My heart understands the lesson He is teaching me this morning. Here it is: while I focus on being right with Him, it is really about me, it is what He is doing for me. But when I spend hours glorifying and praising Him through songs and intentionally sitting still at His feet while wanting nothing for me, I make it about Him. I remember I used to wake up at 4:30 Am, just so that I can make the time to sit at His feet before I go to work at 9: Am. I realize I miss Him in this way.  

Anyway, before I got lost in my own thoughts, I started this post because of Oswald Chambers’s devotion today. So, I will leave you with him!

May the ascended Christ bless you!

Am I Looking To God?

01

22

2013

Look to Me, and be saved . . . —Isaiah 45:22

Do we expect God to come to us with His blessings and save us? He says, “Look to Me, and be saved . . . .” The greatest difficulty spiritually is to concentrate on God, and His blessings are what make it so difficult. Troubles almost always make us look to God, but His blessings tend to divert our attention elsewhere. The basic lesson of the Sermon on the Mount is to narrow all your interests until your mind, heart, and body are focused on Jesus Christ. “Look to Me . . . .”

Many of us have a mental picture of what a Christian should be, and looking at this image in other Christians’ lives becomes a hindrance to our focusing on God. This is not salvation— it is not simple enough. He says, in effect, “Look to Me and you are saved,” not “You will be saved someday.” We will find what we are looking for if we will concentrate on Him. We get distracted from God and irritable with Him while He continues to say to us, “Look to Me, and be saved . . . .” Our difficulties, our trials, and our worries about tomorrow all vanish when we look to God.

Wake yourself up and look to God. Build your hope on Him. No matter how many things seem to be pressing in on you, be determined to push them aside and look to Him. “Look to Me . . . .” Salvation isyours the moment you look.

courtesy of: http://utmost.org/