<![CDATA[<body leftmargin="0" topmargin="0" marginwidth="0" marginheight="0">
<font face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><strong>Devotional for Thursday, February 08, 2007
</strong>
<p><strong>Text:</strong> Psalms 27:13</p>
<p><em>“I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.”</em></p>
<p>When I first read this scripture and the Lord revealed the truth that he had
for me in it, I was shocked at how my thinking was so different than what God’s
desire for my life is. Like many Christians I thought that the eternal aspect
of our Christianity, the ability to see God, to see justice, to see true goodness
was reserved for after we die and go to heaven. Like many believers I thought
that as long as we are on this earth, we are doomed (even as believers) to
a second rate existence full of missed marks and defeated living. I thought
that all the promises in the bible were reserved for the fullness that comes
when we meet God face to face. I never thought I could see His goodness in
the land of the living. <br>
I think many believers live believing this lie. They are saved in the sense
that they have asked Jesus to come live in their hearts but they are not truly
saved from the defeated, idolatrous life that the world has to offer. The most
common problem in the church today is this: Instead of forsaking the world
totally and selling out for Jesus, most believers try to live a life that is
a hybrid of Christian living and worldly living. Ironically this leads to an
even more unfulfilled life then just being an unbeliever, someone who does
not know Jesus, who is dead in their sins, lives their life by the dictates
of their flesh. They find temporary fulfillment in those shallow pursuits and
don’t often consider much else to life. Since they are spiritually dead
they don’t miss the greater things that God has to offer yet. Each of
them, of course, has a deep down sense of emptiness that sadly most of them
will never connect with their need for Jesus which leads them to ultimately
rejecting the gospel message and dying in their sins.<br>
But what about us who have experienced the spiritual awaking that comes from
having the Holy Spirit move in and take up house? Do we see the goodness of
the Lord in the land of the living? Most of us sadly don’t. The reason
is because of this “hybrid” Christian living. It is never what
God intended for us. We read all the parts of the bible that talk about blessings
and prosperity and gloss over the parts of the bible that talk about suffering
and trials and then come to one of a few conclusions:</p>
<p>1. We don’t see the fulfillment of God’s promises and believe
the bible is false.<br>
2. We don’t see the fulfillment of those promises and draw the conclusion
that it isn’t until we are in heaven that they will be fulfilled thus
justifying our defeated life and not pursuing further victory.<br>
3. We, by our own strength, pursue and “acquire” what we think
is the fulfillment of those promises and then say it was God who did it and
feel some sense of justification for how we are living because after all we
are seeing the promises fulfilled in our own lives (but not really).</p>
<p>The simple truth is this: We can see the goodness of the Lord in the land
of the living. But only when we surrender our lives totally to Him, pursue
Him above all other things, forsake all the worldly benefits to find fullness,
fulfillment in Him alone. I think David was able to speak this with ‘confidence’ because
of a simple reality that David states back in verse 4. “One thing I ask
of the Lord and this is what I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life…” David’s focus was on God first.
Even being a king and having all the responsibilities and duties of a king
he put one thing above all others, Seeking God. As I myself seek to pursue
God above all other things I find firstly that it isn’t all that easy.
The world offers so much distraction that is tailor made to keep you from seeking
God first. I quote Paul the apostle who said “Not that I have already
attained all this or have already been made perfect…but one thing I do…” I
am pursuing a greater understanding of this reality and maybe someday I will
get it. But I truly am confident of this: We can see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living, but only when we are pursuing Him with all of our
hearts. I think we can begin to see that goodness even today if we realign
our focus right now. </p>
<p><strong>How to pray this scripture:</strong></p>
<p>“Father, in the name of Jesus I ask you that you would open my eyes
to see your goodness. I know that your word is true and I desire the confidence
that David had in you. Give me a heart that is confident in you. Give me
a heart that seeks after you and your goodness only. By the power of your Holy
Spirit and by your grace I will seek you first and open my eyes to see your
goodness each and every day</p>
<p><strong>Additional scriptures:</strong></p>
<p>II Chronicles 6:41<br>
Psalms 27:4<br>
Psalms 31:19<br>
Psalms 63:3<br>
Psalms 69:16<br>
Lamentations 3:25<br>
Nahum 1:7<br>
Romans 1:20</p>
</font>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
</body>]]>