1 Chronicles 29:10-13 AMP
[10] Therefore David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly and said, “Blessed (praised, adored, and thanked) are You, O LORD God of Israel (Jacob) our father, forever and ever. [11] Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, indeed everything that is in the heavens and on the earth; Yours is the dominion and kingdom, O LORD, and You exalt Yourself as head over all. [12] Both riches and honor come from You, and You rule over all. In Your hand is power and might; and it is in Your hands to make great and to give strength to everyone. [13] Now therefore, our God, we thank You, and praise Your glorious name.
Good Morning:
When I think of simple adoration, I look at the examples around me. The easiest one is how my dog, Penny, looks at me. She loves me unconditionally. She relies on me to feed her daily and doesn’t worry about where her next meal is coming from. She “asks” of me through a series of howling and stomping her paws to walk her twice per day. And at the end of every day, as I sit on the couch and have my “veg out” time watching TV, she is always right next to me, just wanting a belly rub.
We can take lessons from our pets of simple adoration of our hearts toward God. God just wants us to simply rely on Him. Just as we love our pets and provide for them the things they need to stay alive, God is sooooo much greater and will provide for us the things we need to stay alive. He just wants our simple adoration and devoted heart toward him. He tells us not to worry about tomorrow but to just give thanks for what we have today and let tomorrow worry about itself.
Unlike dogs, we tend to think and dwell on our future. Dogs are just in the here and now and don’t worry about where their next meal is coming from as they know that we, as good pet parents, will have it for them just in time. God wants us to be more about the right here and right now, dwelling on Him minute by minute, hour by hour, and not dwelling on what could be tomorrow. It is so easy to get caught up in worrying about all the “stuff” of this world, but remember that we are just pilgrims on this planet, and this is not our destination. This life is just a shadow of what is to come in eternity, and we need to put our focus there.
Colossians 2:17 NLT
[17] For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality.
We can get ourselves in such a frenzy about building wealth, building careers, building businesses, creating our own empires, all the while stepping and stomping on the things that really matter to God — loving Him first and secondly those around us with the love of Christ in an attitude of servanthood. If mankind could just get those two simple things right, we wouldn’t have so many problems. But unfortunately, most of the world is not in alignment with God’s word.
Walking as a friend of God is living in simple adoration of Him. With a heart set on God first, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. We don’t need to “howl and stomp our feet” to get God’s attention. We have His attention all the time. He watches over us continuously and cares for us deeply. He knows our inward hearts and created us just to have a relationship with Him. He is a jealous God and does not want us to put idols before Him. Those idols can be anything we put first in our lives — money, job, career, stuff, family, etc. God tells us that if we serve Him first, all of those other things will be provided for us. So we don’t need to dwell and worry and put things of this world before Him. Just have simple adoration of Him and let God be Lord over all of our lives!
Matthew 6:33-34 NKJV
[33] But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. [34] Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for my eternal hope in you and I know that this world is not my eternal destination. Thank you for helping me to keep focused on you first and foremost with simple adoration daily. Thank you for forgiving me for those times when I get caught up in the world’s systems and helping me come back to the place of a heart entirely devoted to you and living as you guide me by your word. I pray that your word will be a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path day-by-day as I walk through this life, depending solely on you. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.
I love you and am praying for you today!
Dad