20 DAYS IN 2 HOURS CHALLENGE: “BLESSINGS” (Day-6)

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?

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 His Son, 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 do you think pleases Him the most?
It’s doing what He tells us to do, right?
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 blessings,
(along His guidance, which is much better than our own).
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 our faith in Him is sincere,
then we sincerely believe what we read in His Word.

We show that we have a desire to earnestly seek Him
whenever we faithfully attend His house of worship.
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 in church if they were not expected to be there.

We are also told about
meeting together with other believers in Hebrews:
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 blessings requires faith in Him
and a desire to earnestly seek Him.

ACTION:
Are you missing out on God’s blessings?
The kind of blessings which include joy,
peace of mind (in the midst of problems),
fellowship with the Lord, and pleasure in serving Him.

Do you earnestly seek Him?
Do you have a desire to obey His commands?
Do you look forward to
going to His house of worship every week?
Have you allowed other things
to take the place of meeting with His family?

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 meet with others in Your
house, to worship You. 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, with a desire to earnestly seek You. Give me
a stronger desire for Your blessings over anything
else the world offers (even if it is not a sinful thing).”

20 Day Challenge – Day 1:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/07/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-1/

20 Day Challenge – Day 2:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/08/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-2/

20 Day Challenge – Day 3:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/09/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-3/

20 Day Challenge – Day 4:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/10/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-4/

20 Day Challenge – Day 5:
https://utvolwoody.wordpress.com/2021/06/11/20-days-in-2-hours-challenge-blessings-day-5/