The Pursuit Of "More"

I decided that with this post I would try something different. At the church the staff has been moving through a lot of exciting changes and by far the most impacting of these has been in the way we do our personal devotions. We use a reading list that gives us the passages to read for the day and then we use what is called a LIFE journal to write our thoughts and reflections.
Without going into a long explanation of how it works it follows the acrostic SOAP. S-is for scripture, O-for observation, A-for application, and P-for prayer. There are probably a lot of variations of this floating around, but the bottom line is it's doing a lot for my walk with God personally, in my marriage, and with our team at the church.

One thing that has become clear to me is that through interacting with The Word of God in this way I find that I'm having a much easier time hearing God's voice. I know that might sound elementary, but for a lot of people their is a great deal of confusion surrounding how to hear God's voice. The thing that connects with me is that the Bible is called The Word, so it makes a lot of sense that God would use The Word to speak clearly to our hearts, both through the revelation of what we read and through our response to it. Anyway, without going into it any further what I wanted to do was just post an entry from my journal and share it with you my friends with hopes that it might be a means of encouragement to you. So here it goes.

SCRIPTURE - Why is everyone Hungry for more?
"More, more," they say. "More, more."
I have God's more-than-enough,
More joy in one ordinary day
Than they get in all their shopping sprees.
At day's end I'm ready for sound sleep,
For you, God, have put my life back together.

Psalm 4:6-8 (The Message)

OBSERVATION - We live in a consumer society, with the mentality of getting all that we can as fast as we can. There is a vacancy in the heart of man that desires to be filled. It is this emptiness that God deeply desires to occupy. It was designed for Him and Him alone. Because of this nothing short of God's presence can ever satisfy the driving pursuit of "more". No amount of people, possessions, or pleasures will ever quench the thirst of man's soul for the living God. Jesus promises His followers life. He doesn't promise a mediocre existence, but instead a powerful abundant life that doesn't end here on this earth, but instead lasts forever.

APPLICATION - It's difficult at times to say "no" to the attractive things that this world has to offer. I can't believe that after all this time I still find myself fooled into thinking that this world has anything of lasting value for me. As I write these words I am listening to the worship song "Rescue" where the first line of the song is , "You are the source of life."

How true this statement is. Everything else is hollow and empty. You promise what is lasting and eternal while the world offers what is fading and fleeting.

"This world has nothing for me. I will follow you. This world has nothing for me."

PRAYER - Lord, I have tasted and seen. Don't allow myself to be deceived by the trappings of this world. I have drank from your "living water", I have fed from the "bread of life". As scripture says, "For you, God have put my life back together." You took my mess of a life and you put me back together, reformed and reshaped for you purpose and your plans.

Today, this day, you are the "More" I desire. More of you Lord. More of your presence and power in my life. I pray that you would help me to pursue you and you alone. Let me be a part of leading others to "living water", to the "bread of life". There are so many who are starving for you. Use me to lead them to the fulfillment that I have found in you. Let me be able to say as the sun sets this evening, "At days end I'm ready for sound sleep." I have found the "More" that I was looking for. Amen!

Thanks for letting me share these thoughts with you. I do pray that you will find encouragement as you read them and that God would bless you in amazing ways as you start this new week.