Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin”— they simply are! Think of the sea, the air, the sun, the stars, and the moon— all of these simply are as well— yet what a ministry and service they render on our behalf! So often we impair God’s designed influence, which He desires to exhibit through us, because of our own conscious efforts to be consistent and useful. Jesus said there is only one way to develop and grow spiritually, and that is through focusing and concentrating on God. In essence, Jesus was saying, “Do not worry about being of use to others; simply believe on Me.” In other words, pay attention to the Source, and out of you “will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38 ). We cannot discover the source of our natural life through common sense and reasoning, and Jesus is teaching here that growth in our spiritual life comes not from focusing directly on it, but from concentrating on our Father in heaven. Our heavenly Father knows our circumstances, and if we will stay focused on Him, instead of our circumstances, we will grow spiritually— just as “the lilies of the field.”

The people who influence us the most are not those who detain us with their continual talk, but those who live their lives like the stars in the sky and “the lilies of the field”— simply and unaffectedly. Those are the lives that mold and shape us.

If you want to be of use to God, maintain the proper relationship with Jesus Christ by staying focused on Him, and He will make use of you every minute you live— yet you will be unaware, on the conscious level of your life, that you are being used of Him.

Here at CO2 we call it “being connected”. We are learnning that if we stay connected to the Spirit of God through the Spirit He gave us through our conversion, all our other spiritual needs  and physical circumstances will be addressed.     JDV/DJR

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A Journaling Entry for Today

May 18, 2010

Over and over again we seem to be learning that the underlying issue, the underlying truth for a believer to know is to be connected to God through the person of Jesus Christ via the Spirit of God that lives within us. Connection, or as some say, an intimate relationship, is where we find our direction, peace and all of the answers we crave in face of our circumstances.

And God says…”When we are connected I can direct you, I can speak to you and you hear me. You will speak to me and I hear you, and you know my will. The mountains will not seem so far, nor the storm so powerful when we are connected. Your hopes and dreams will all seem possible and your joy is full of hope. This is the Kingdom of God on earth. This is life and life more abundantly. This is where …meeting all your needs…takes place, inside this intimate relationship.”