Daily Devotional December 12 - Engaged In The Things Of God

 "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.  God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth."  John 4:23-24

Life was never meant to be a game where we juggle our professional life, our family life, our Church life, our work life - as if they were independent of one another.  The only life that glorifies God is the integrated life.

The unbelieving world - secular humanist - agnostics - atheist and - this is a hard saying, the lukewarm Christian - All want you and I to play their game and their game is - GOD IS NOT FIRST.
There's more that the worldly purport, like this.

• The things of God are not to be integrated into your life.
• You can juggle a little church with a little world.
• A little marriage with a little womanizing.
• A little Christianity with a little Eastern philosophy.
• A little G rated TV with a little ....
• A little integrity with a few bounced checks.

Freedom and enlightenment is when we are free from the wicked influences of this world - not when we are free to indulge ourselves in them.  Take just a few moments and think the deepest thoughts of God you can muster up.  Allow yourself to be mesmerized by God.  Allow your thoughts to go deeper than before.  Talk to your inner man and listen as your highest self expresses God's perfect will in your life.  Visualize standing or sitting or bowing in God's presence, before the throne of God.  Force your mind to stop racing around and listen to God, carefully and often - without your cell phone on.
Go to God in your spirit and sense His acceptance of you.

This is cleansing and powerful.
Change your vision of God - close your eyes and see God in the inner man.
Think higher and loftier thoughts.
You can always tell when you are making headway with God.

As you get closer, God gets bigger.
As you know more, there's more still.
As you go deeper, deeper gets deeper.
As you draw closer, God pulls you even closer.

Make up your mind to put God-thinking into action. Force the things of God to the top of your thinking and push down all else. Some things need to be pushed so far down that they are pushed out altogether.  To worship God in spirit and truth will require that your mind is engaged in the things of God.

Note: If you think this is a religious thing to do, it would be mistake. Having a spiritual relationship with God can be as mutually fulfilling as a religious relationship, or even better. A religious relationship is pragmatic, a spiritual relationship is evolving, fluid and in real time. People teach religion, God imparts wisdom.