Welcome to Monday Minute With God. A place to start the week right and tools to keep you in the word all week long.
Seeking God
1 Chronicles 16:11: Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.
Have you ever lost cash? Did you just shrug your shoulders and say, “Oh, well?” Probably not. More than likely you searched for that missing money. I bet you retraced your steps, looked under furniture, lifted up papers, and dumped out your purse. That money had value, it belonged to you, and you wanted to find it.
We take time to search for the things that have value to us.
The other day I had a dollar in my pocket—just one. Throughout the day, I found myself touching my pocket to feel the crinkle of that one-dollar bill to make sure it was still there. Logically, I knew it would still be there. My pocket was deep and I knew I hadn’t pulled anything out of it. Even though I didn’t have any reason to think it was no longer there, I still periodically checked, touching my pocket to feel the dollar crinkle.
This reminds me of my relationship with God. He is always with me but I need to continually seek Him.
Why? Because the more you seek God the better you will come to know him. 1 Chronicles 16:11 says, “Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him.”
How do we seek God?
- Read the Bible. By doing this a little bit each day, you come to recognize God’s voice. “My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27). I saw a video regarding sheep and their shepherd. Three different people went and stood next to a fence where the sheep were out to pasture. They took turns calling out to the sheep to try to get the sheep to come towards them. With all three people the result was the same; the sheep completely ignored them and kept eating the grass. And yet, when the shepherd went to the fence and called out to his sheep, they ran towards the shepherd’s voice. [fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][tweetthis]We need to learn to recognize God’s voice so that we can respond when He speaks.[/tweetthis]
- “Arrow” Prayers. These are very short prayers I send to God throughout my day:
“Father God, may I complete everything today you intended me to.”
“Lord, please help me hold my tongue.”
“Wow. Thanks, God!”
Have you been wondering where that dollar-bill scenario fits in? Like I kept checking my pocket for that dollar, we should seek God throughout our day. Seeking God is the most valuable thing we can do.
There is no one like Him!
He can simply speak and things are put into motion. He is our Father in Heaven who adopted us as His children! We should be seeking Him more than we seek anything else.
Core Concept: The more you seek God the better you will come to know him.
1. What is one way you can seek God?
2. Why is seeking God important?
3. How often should you seek God?
Day 1: Seek God in His Word.
Memorize 1 Chronicles 16:11: Search for the Lord and for his strength. Seek him continually.
Day 2: The more you seek God, the better you will come to know Him.
Today, read 1 Chronicles 16:11 out loud 3 times, putting emphasis on different words each time.
Did emphasizing different words add meaning to the verse for you? If so, how?
Day 3: Be a sheep
A common worldview is that being a sheep means mindlessly following others for the sake of other people’s approval. But in John 10:27, Jesus refers to His followers as sheep and He did not say it as an insult but as a compliment. Why do you think Jesus called His followers sheep?
Day 4: Arrow Prayers
Arrow prayers are short, one sentence requests or praises to God. Pray three arrow prayers today:
one at breakfast,
one at lunch,
and one at dinner.
Day 5: Read David’s Song of Praise, 1 Chronicles 16:8-36. What insights about seeking God can you discover?
Submitted by Jenny B.[/fusion_builder_column][/fusion_builder_row][/fusion_builder_container]
