When glorifying God is my greatest reason for living—my life can have meaning—even in the chaos. Living even just one day without God on the throne of my heart tends to send me into a tailspin. Without Him—the evil and problems of this fallen world are overwhelming. God knows this. He knows we need His presence. That’s why Jesus COMMANDED:
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the first and great commandment.
Matthew 22:37-38
Is your life in chaos? Do you feel unsatisfied? Are you afraid of the future?
GOD is NEVER—ANY of these things!
When God is our LORD—we aren’t any of these things either! What does it mean to make God our LORD? Well, He must be the center of our thoughts and life; our greatest hope. I often make it a habit to pray for God to help me forsake things that separate me from His presence because I want Him to give me HIS thoughts and motivations. When HE is my greatest passion for life, I assimilate HIS confidence, strength, wisdom, satisfaction, joy, love, kindness, and ALL the fruits of HIS Spirit.
When we choose God’s presence, He gives our life meaning and depth; He sorts out the chaos and gives us peace.
The reason we fall into a existence without meaning and full of chaos is because we replace God with lesser gods. Unlike modern culture, the Greeks gave their gods names. The parallels are striking. For example, when we say we’re “working for the weekend” (drinking, partying, and cutting loose), the Greeks would say Dionysus is our god. Or, if we believe we MUST have sexual pleasure (outside of God’s plan for sex); the Greeks would say Aphrodite is our god. If making money is what we love then Plutus is our god.
We do ourselves a huge favor if we are honest with ourselves about what/who we worship.
At least then we know who to blame when we are miserable. Whatever we identify as our “god” is what is tasked with giving us satisfaction. Whatever drives our desires and lights up our countenance—that is our “god.” When we subjugate our desire for God—to our physical desires—then they become our slave masters. My friend, Jesus has a plan for us to enjoy celebrations, material blessings, sexual pleasure, etc., but—they must be enjoyed HIS way and with HIM as the center. Otherwise, our desires are simply enslaving addictions.
These false gods lead us further into the chaos, dissatisfaction, and meaninglessness; BUT GOD—leads us with glorious purpose and unimaginable peace.
God not only gave us His Son, but He gave us His Word and His Spirit to teach us how to live with purpose, confidence, courage, strength, joy and His unending love. God loves you so much, and when you love Him back, He gives your life meaning in the chaos. When we are born again, our journey with God begins. His Word becomes alive to us; sustaining and guiding us. When we make God the center of our life, our life has so much more meaning and purpose that we find ourselves just trying to keep up with HIM all day!
When I meditate on verses like the following ones, I am always amazed at how He opens up my heart for the glorious plan He has for me!
I will bless the Lord who has given me counsel; my heart also instructs me in the night seasons. I have set the Lord always before me; because He is at my right hand I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope. You will show me the path of life; in Your presence is fullness of joy; at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.
Psalms 16:7-9, 11 NKJV
The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
Isaiah 58:11 NKJV
Trust in the Lord, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.
Psalms 37:3-5 NKJV
When living in God’s presence is Plan A; we don’t need Plan B.
We would love to hear your thoughts about this devotional. Did God speak to you or challenge your daily walk with him? Or is there a topic that you would like Kimberly to cover or expound on? Please share with us in the comments below.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith and the mission of Faith Strong, click HERE.
Out Now – Essential Faith, Volume II. Find it on Amazon by clicking HERE.
To learn more about Kimberly Faith’s ministry Fostering By Faith, click HERE.
