Devotional Song: … GO TO THIS LINK … Please take the time to take in a YouTube video of images and lyrics from Matt Maher singing … Abide With Me … poignantly singing of how we must seek a close and abiding relationship with Christ … which He promises if seek Him diligently
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Highlight Verse[s]: Matthew 13:44 [NKJV] … 44 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and hid; and for joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. “
… The value of our place in God’s kingdom.
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Highlight Passage [context]: Matthew 13:44-46 [NKJV]… USE THIS LINK …
… Jesus’ parable about seeking to have and hold onto something of great value … such as our relationship with Christ and our place in His eternal kingdom.
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Reference Passage : … Deuteronomy 4:29 [NKJV] … 29 But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.
… God’s promise to His people that if they were willing to seek Him with ALL THEIR HEARTS, that they would find Him.
Reference Passage : … Proverbs 8:17 [NKJV] … 17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently will find me.
… God’s promise to those who love Him enough to seek Him diligently.
Reference Passage : … Matthew 7:7 [NKJV] … 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
… Jesus’ promise to those who diligently seek after an abiding relationship with Him.
Reference Passage : … John 14:21 [NKJV] … 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”
… Jesus to His Disciples as to whom truly loves Him … i.e., those who diligently obey His word.
My Devotional Journal: Today's ODB author, Julie Schwab, uses a personal story about a friend who was willing to go to great lengths, including dumpster diving (see photo) to find something valuable. The ODB author wrote: In college, I woke up one morning to find Carol, my roommate, in a panic. Her signet ring was missing. We searched everywhere. The next morning we found ourselves picking through a dumpster. I ripped open a trash bag. “You’re so dedicated to finding this!”
“I’m not losing a two-hundred-dollar ring!” she exclaimed.
Carol’s determination reminds me of the parable Jesus told about the kingdom of heaven, which “is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field” (Matthew 13:44). Certain things are worth going great lengths to find.
If you, as I have, taken in the ODB entry (above), I think the message of conviction is quite clear, isn’t it? … That we must be willing to go to whatever lengths it takes to seek and hold on to an abiding relationship with Christ.
I guess the question to all of us is … Is it worth it?! … And I would hope that my being here and journaling my seeking to follow my Lord’s way everyday by seeking Him in His word and following His way in life would speak to my desire to go deeper and deeper in seeking God’s sanctifying grace. And all I desire is what Matt Maher sings in the linked song … for my Lord to abide with me.
What about us? Are we willing to show our love for Jesus by doing what he says (see John 14:21 and also Luke 9:23 (find that one yourself!). And in doing so, our Lord’s promises is that He will abide in us. It’s certainly enough for me to do whatever it takes to seek a more abiding relationship with my Jesus.
So, you will find me back here tomorrow … even if it takes diving daily and deeply into His word … to follow My Lord by seeking His grace from His truth. And everyday, He shines His light on my path as I seek after Him [see Ps. 119:105].
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My THANKFULNESS: … Oh Lord, Jesus, once again, thank You for Your promises to be there for me when I seek You.
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My Prayer Today: Abba Father, … King Jesus, … Precious Spirit … Keep shining Your light on my path as I seek Your way from Your word. … Amen
Blogger Note: Everyday during this year, my daily devotional blogs are influenced by the reading and study of the online devotional blog entitled “Our Daily Bread,” distributed online via email by RBC Ministries. If you GO TO THIS LINK on the date of my blog, you can read/study the ODB blogs; or you can subscribe to the blog via email at that site.
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