Lord, I Will Seek You Earnestly!

by Laurie Aker

God’s ways are not our ways; His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. Spending time immersing ourselves in His Word and meditating upon it truly transforms our hearts, our minds, and our lives. David clearly under- stood this. God affirms this in Psalm 1:1-3:  “Blessed is the man [whose] . . . delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.”  If we are to truly seek the Lord earnestly, we must be willing to make the investment. So make it your course to seek Him earnestly. Go forth by faith in God’s grace, trusting in God’s ways and not man’s, and reap a bountiful harvest! Underline the key points in the passage below regarding God’s Word and then answer the questions.

Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens. Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast. By your appointment they stand this day, for all things are your servants. If your law had not been my delight, I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have given me life. I am yours; save me, for I have sought your precepts. The wicked lie in wait to destroy me, but I consider your testimonies. I have seen a limit to all perfection, but your commandment is exceedingly broad. Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies, for it is ever with me. I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, for I keep your precepts. I hold back my feet from every evil way, in order to keep your word. I do not turn aside from your rules, for you have taught me. How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth! Through your precepts I get understanding; therefore I hate every false way. (Ps. 119:89-104)

Quietly meditate on these verses. Consider what God is saying about His Word. Where are we to find our delight? What do you delight in? Are you seeking earnestly after God to find your delight in Him?

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This blog post is an excerpt from the Thistlebend Discipleship Study Falling in Love Again with Your Lord available here.

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Proclaim the Gospel with Your Life

Thistlebend Quiet eMoment

by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 8:1-3 ESV

1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages,
proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.
And the twelve were with him,  
2 and also some women who had been healed  
of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene,  
from whom seven demons had gone out,  
3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager,
and Susanna, and many others,  
who provided for them out of their means.
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Jesus had the twelve He was discipling
and there were others who were following him also.

Who is in your life?

Who is watching you?
Friends, work associates, neighbors,
the gas station attendant, employees…
Who is affected by you?
Your spouse, children, extended family…
Who is following you?
Your children, students, friends…

Is the gospel the message of your life?
Are you proclaiming the good news?

I think we live what we truly believe.
Actions do speak louder than words.
What are your thoughts, attitudes, and actions
saying about what you believe?

TAKING GOD’S WORD TO HEART

Ask the question today, in each situation,
“Am I believing and living the gospel?”

When you forget your phone at home
and have to drive all the way back to get it.
When you sleep in past your alarm.
When your spouse snaps at you.
When you don’t know how you are going
to get everything done you need to get done today.
When you are interrupted.
When someone cuts you off.
When you need to speak the truth in love and not give in to fear.
When…

Will you live today according to your own way,
your own strength, or your own thinking,
or will you live it in the power of Christ who lives in you?
Will you allow Him to live in and through you
and not continue to put Him to death by giving into your flesh?

Confess your sin of not living the Good News!

MEDITATE or MEMORIZE

Write out the following verse from Luke 8 and recite it 3 times.
Take it with you throughout the day.

1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages,
proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.

PRAYER

Lord God, help me live in the Spirit and Truth of the gospel.

In His hands for His glory,

Laurie
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Proclaim the Gospel to Your Soul

Thistlebend Quiet eMoment

by Laurie Aker

Focus Scripture: Luke 8:1-3 ESV

1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages,
proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.
And the twelve were with him,  
2 and also some women who had been healed  
of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene,  
from whom seven demons had gone out,  
3 and Joanna, the wife of Chuza, Herod’s household manager,
and Susanna, and many others,  
who provided for them out of their means.
______________________________

Jesus came proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God to all.

He came to the brokenhearted,
to the downcast, to the demon possessed,
to those society overlooked or looked down upon.
No one was too lowly for Jesus.

Are you downcast?
Are you discouraged?
Are you depressed?

Take heart.
We have hope because of Him!
Preach and proclaim this beautiful good news to yourself.

TAKING GOD’S WORD TO HEART

Jesus has brought good news–
you no longer need to live in poverty of spirit.
Proclaim the good news to your soul!
Jesus will continue to bind up your broken heart —

He is your beloved.
When your heart is breaking,
proclaim the good news to your soul!Jesus has released you from captivity and opened the prison —
you no longer have to live bound in sin under condemnation.
When you are under the accusation of the enemy
and the criticism of the world,
proclaim the good news to your soul!
He will comfort you whenever you mourn–
He has given you “a beautiful headdress instead of ashes,
the oil of gladness instead of mourning,
the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit;
that [you] may be called [an oak] of righteousness,
the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified”
(Isaiah 61:3).

You no longer need to walk in despair or discouragement.
Proclaim the good news to your soul!

Remember that He is your salvation.

Psalm 147:3
He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds.

Luke 19:10
For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.

Matthew 11:28
Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden,  
and I will give you rest.

Confess your sin of not remembering the Good News.

MEDITATE or MEMORIZE

Write out the following verse from Luke 8 and recite it 3 times.
Take it with you throughout the day.

1 Soon afterward he went on through cities and villages,
proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God.

PRAYER

Father, I confess my sin of not remembering the Good News.
Please help me see your love for me and your great forgiveness
so that I might proclaim to all the Good News
of the kingdom of God in all that I do.

In His hands for His glory,

Laurie
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