Have you ever had the thought that if this one thing over here was fixed or better or different then everything else in your life would be fixed or better or different? It’s an ongoing adjustment for me if I’m to be perfectly honest. I’ll find that I’m in a slump and will start adjusting my thoughts. That’s all it usually takes – a perspective shift. Am I thinking glass-half-full, half-empty, or do I even acknowledge that I have a glass? I’ll get on a kick for a while to really rein in my thoughts and my whole outlook will change for the better.
When I make the adjustment from looking at my circumstances, to focusing on God, I find that feeling peaceful is actually pretty easy. Nothing about my circumstances will have changed, but everything feels… different. But what about God am I focusing on? And am I only giving Him limited access?
Decades ago, I was spending the weekend at my aunt’s house and one of my cousins and I accidentally stayed up all night long. We were talking and talking… and talking some more. It was close to 5 in the morning when we realized just how late it was (or early) and decided to stay up to watch the sun rise. I’m not a morning person, so watching the sun come up is not something I experience very often. We went out and sat in the driveway – still talking – and watched the sun come up before finally turning in. I think I slept till at least noon that day.
Neither of us noticed the lateness as the clock crept closer to midnight and then closer to sunrise. We were so caught up in our conversation that we were oblivious to the time. We seemed to talk about everything, but not a single topic could fully describe our conversation. It became a joke between us – everything, but nothing. We didn’t zero in on one topic, but there were so many topics and they all blended into one. I’ve never been able to name one of the topics that we spent any time on. But all of the topics were valuable in building the whole.
I have found that I often try to put God in a box. I try to put Him in a box or fit Him into a formula in order to get the answer I want. As humans, I think we all have those tendencies. If I fast long enough, then God will do something. If I pray a certain way, with the right words in the right order, then God will not just do something, but He’ll do what I want Him to do. But that’s all religion, not relationship. Many of you are nodding along – and you should – but let’s take it a step further.
Have you ever heard a message on tithes and offerings? Ooh, this can be a touchy subject. I’m not against giving, but most giving insinuates that I’m giving something that’s mine to give. That was a lot of givings. A percentage, like 10% (also known as a tithe), goes back to the Law that was part of the Old Covenant. If you don’t bring a tenth, then you don’t get a flood of blessings (Malachi 3:6-12). God is not after 10% of His money; He’s after 100% of your heart.
If I give because I think He’s going to respond by opening the floodgates of heaven, I’m actually giving in an effort to manipulate Him. If I do this, then God will move in the way I want. This was something the Pharisees did – they were master manipulators.
All of these religious tactics can be tracked back to an innate desire for more. We want more wisdom, more power, more success, more in our bank accounts, more horsepower, more knowledge, more experiences, more, more, more! Adam and Eve desired to be like God – they wanted more than what they thought they had. They were so blinded by their desire for more that they failed to see what they already had. They desired to be like God, but they were already created in His likeness.
What are we chasing after that He’s already provided? Are we singularly focused on the provision or the Provider? Have we become master manipulators?
As I’ve been meditating on the multiple topics (everything but nothing) in relation to God, I noticed some things about myself that bothered me. When I’m worried about finding or building a house, I immediately start working myself through the logical steps that can be a bit overwhelming. I go from fretting about a house to full-fledge anxiety over the timeframe of our business, the housing market, the cost of living, contributing financially through a separate business venture, a shelved dream or two that could make a financial impact, how all of this will affect the kiddos and family planning, and what in the world am I going to make for dinner?
It takes some time for me to get to the point of breathing right again before I come up with a strategy that will give us the desired results… as long as we do everything just right, God will open the right doors.
That is religious garbage.
God doesn’t want us to give Him money – everything belongs to Him, but it is an act of worship that changes our heart. Our fasting doesn’t do anything for God, but our fasting can give us a greater sensitivity to hearing His voice and can provide a deeper connection with Him. Can you imagine how victorious our life could be if we were sensitive to the Holy Spirit?
When I think about the different areas of my life that I want to see a change in – areas that I want to be fixed or better or different – I don’t want to start scheming how to get God to do what I want. Every area that needs to be fixed or better or different are areas that simply need Him more.
This is the time of year that many people are still going strong in their resolutions. Some are in the middle of a fast from any number of things (social media, screen time, meals, shopping, etc.). Some have implemented Bible reading plans, carved out time for prayer, resolved to read a chapter of the Bible a day, started a prayer journal or gratitude jar. All good things…
But is it religious duty or relational devotion?
I want my time with God to be like that all-nighter I had with my cousin. That can never happen through religious duty. I want to be so immersed in our time together that the last thing I notice is the time. I want to be so focused on my Provider that the provision is a side note. I want to be so focused on God that I don’t even know about the anxieties that the world thinks should plague me. I desire for God to have unlimited access to my every moment. I want the relational devotion.
God desires us more than we can ever fathom. We have the scriptures that tell us that He loved us when we were enemies, that He gave up His only Son, that He took the punishment that should have been ours, etc., etc., etc. But do we know it? Do we accept it?
What do you need fixed or better or different? Perhaps, like me, these are areas that God has had limited access to. I wonder what would happen – how things would be changed – if I decided to trust Him in those areas. What would happen for you? What do we have to lose?
Everything, but nothing.