ARE YOU MISSING OUT ON GOD’S BLESSINGS?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because
anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists
and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
(Hebrews 11:6)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever thought about receiving rewards (blessings) from God?
We hear about how He blesses people, but doesn’t it just make sense
that something would be required of us to receive His blessings? We
can see in Hebrews 11:6 that ‘faith’ and ‘pleasing God’ are two things
connected to His rewards.

Faith includes ‘coming to Him’ which encompasses a desire to meet
God, a desire to know Him, and a belief in everything about Him and
what He says. When we have faith in God, it means we strive to obey
His commands; it means we want to become more like Jesus; it means
we want to serve Him in whatever way He wants.

These are all desires of those with faith, but how do we prove our faith is
sincere? According to Hebrews, our faith is proven by our efforts to please
God. What pleases Him the most? It’s doing what He tells us to do, isn’t it?
We see this confirmed in the Book of James:
    Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves.
    Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not
    do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror
    and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets
    what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law
    that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they
    have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.
    (James 1:22-25)

Of course doing what He tells us to do means giving up our
independence and becoming dependent on Him. It may sound
like we are losing something, but we are not. We are actually
trading our independence for His guidance (which is much
better than our own), and His blessings. Sounds like a great
trade, doesn’t it?

There is one more thing to consider as proof of our faith in God.
If we expect to receive His blessings, then we need to ‘earnestly
seek Him’. That is what He says in His Word (Hebrews 11:6).
If we have sincere faith in Him, then we sincerely believe what
we read in His Word.

We show that we have a desire to earnestly seek Him
whenever we faithfully and regularly worship Him.
Look at what His Word tells us in 1 Timothy:
    Although I hope to come to you soon, I am writing
    you these instructions so that, if I am delayed, you
    will know how people ought to conduct themselves
    in God’s household, which is the church of the living
    God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
    (1 Timothy 3:14-15)

Did you catch what He said about ‘God’s household’?
It is ‘the church of the living God’! Paul would not have
told believers how to conduct themselves there unless
they were expected to be in attendance.

In Hebrews, we are also told about the importance of
meeting together with other believers:
    And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward
    love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some
    are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and
    all the more as you see the Day approaching.
    (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Receiving God’s blessing requires faith in Him
and His existence, and a desire to earnestly seek Him.

ACTION:
Are you missing out on God’s blessings? Blessings include
joy, peace of mind (in the midst of problems), fellowship
with the Lord, and pleasure in serving Him. Do you have
a desire to earnestly seek Him?

Do you have a desire to obey His commands? Do you have
a desire to discover the spiritual gift He has given you, and
a burning desire to use His gift to you, to serve Him? Do you
look forward to worshipping with other believers each week?
Or, have you allowed other things to replace worshipping and
learning more about the Lord?

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, thank You for Your promise of blessings for
those who earnestly seek You. Forgive me if I have allowed other
things to prevent me from obeying Your commands to worship
with, and encourage other believers. Help me to understand the
importance of obeying all of Your commands – not just hearing
them, but obeying them. Change me by replacing my cravings to
substitute other things for worship, to a desire to earnestly seek
You. Give me a stronger desire for Your blessings over anything
else the world offers (even if they are not sinful things).”

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