Choosing Over Feeling

When you love someone, you want to do things that you know will please them or make them happy; it's a simple fact of life.

This random thought then morphed into me thinking about my relationship with God. (Yes, I said relationship, not "religion.") A relationship (in reference here) requires love. Husband/wife, parent/child, etc. These relationships are built on the principal of love. The root of what they are held together by is LOVE. Love is not just a feeling, but an action carried out.

Why, then, do I so frequently stray from pleasing God? Why do I make decisions knowing they will hurt Him? Well, just like a husband/wife, love and the desire to please doesn't come naturally after awhile. Sure initially it is all we think about, but after time goes by we begin to let the "feeling" run why we do things. Feelings are a very dangerous thing to give power to to lead your actions. Your heart can make poor decisions based on "feelings." This is why love needs to be an action and not just a fuzzy feeling.

I can love God with all my heart, but have no desire to please Him. Why? Because I am not CHOOSING to follow Him and His guidance.

The heart is very misleading and can get you into a lot of trouble. This is why we must allow the Holy Spirit to guide each and every step we take. The more time we spend listening for His guidance and watching for His direction the more time our minds will be on HIM. This means He is on the forefront of our mind more often. "There where your heart is, there will your treasure be also." The more time you spend on something, the more it will mean to you.

I must say, I don't spend near as much time with God as I should. I can always tell when I start slacking in my walk with Christ when I become very judgemental, have little patience or don't treat people with kindness. All of these things wouldn't be a problem if I were SEEKING to please God. It's a chain reaction situation. Follow God, you will live a life more abundantly and with so much more meaning!

This is the one thing I (as a follower of Christ) am required to do. Seek God with all my heart, mind and soul. If I do that, almost all of the other problems in my life will be resolved. I won't have a perfect life, but my attitude towards others and my outlook on life will be different. Not only will I be able to tell a difference, but everyone around me will, as well! When one spends time seeking God instead of earthly love and possessions they will find a life that is a filled with more peace and less stress.

"If you love Me, you will keep my commandments." IF we love Him.

I am dumbfounded at the fact that Christ has given me EVERYTHING I have in my possession, He gave me the life I live and the very breath I breathe....and I can be so ungrateful towards Him when I don't get one thing I want. "The heart is deceitful and wicked" My heart has one thing on it's mind: me. It wants ME to be happy, it wants ME to get what I want; but this is not a heart of God. Every day I have to ask Him to give me a heart like His so I can live that day in a way that is pleasing to HIM.

You know what will start to happen? Well, when you do something for your spouse/parent/child and they are so grateful and filled with joy, how does it make you feel? It should make you feel pretty good! Seeing someone you love so happy automatically makes you joyful! This is also what will happen when you do what is pleasing to God. You will have joy, because He is happy.

I want to be one who gets to hear "well done, my good and faithful servant" when I enter into heaven someday. I don't want to hear "depart from Me, for I never knew you." (Matthew 7:23)

It's about time I start making the choice to make my life, every aspect, in a way that is pleasing to God. "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24:15)

"I will serve Him, because I love Him, He has given life to me."