Tag Archives: God

Our Soul Longs for God

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Our Soul Longs for God

Recently I received an email from a reader questioning some strong emotions they have been experiencing even though they do not currently have an active relationship with God, nor are they involved in church or prayer. The reader expressed feeling an emotional draw and pull towards church. They communicated that they cry every time they hear a Christian or gospel song, in addition to experiencing overwhelming and even exhausting tears during the couple of times they have attended church as an adult. Their question was to ask how they could be experiencing such emotions and a draw to something with which they are not even that involved. My short answer: Our soul longs for God.

I think the REAL you, the deepest and eternal part of you—your spirit, is drawn to God, to Jesus.

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Deep down in our innermost being, our souls long for God. There are numerous scriptures in the Bible that talk about this.

Scriptures about how our souls long for God

“He has made everything beautiful and appropriate in its time. He has also planted eternity [a sense of divine purpose] in the human heart [a mysterious longing which nothing under the sun can satisfy, except God]—yet man cannot find out (comprehend, grasp) what God has done (His overall plan) from the beginning to the end.” Ecclesiastes 3:11 (AMP)

“Through the night my soul longs for you. Deep from within me my spirit reaches out to you…” Isaiah 26:9a (MSG)

“O God, you are my God, and I long for you. My whole being desires you; like a dry, worn-out, and waterless land, my soul is thirsty for you.” Psalm 63:1 (GNT)

“My soul (my life, my inner self) thirsts for God, for the living God. When will I come and see the face of God?” Psalm 42:2 (AMP)

“My soul (my life, my inner self) longs for and greatly desires the courts of the Lord;

My heart and my flesh sing for joy to the living God.” Psalm 84:2 (AMP)

“I stretch out my hands to You; My soul longs for You, as a parched land. Selah.” Psalm 143:6 (NASB)

“My soul longs for your salvation; I hope in your word.” Psalm 119:81 (ESV)

“My soul longs for the Lord more than watchmen long for the morning; more than watchmen for the morning.” Psalm 130:6 (WEB)

“For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.” Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

“Behold, the days are coming,” says the Lord God, “When I will send hunger over the land, Not hunger for bread or a thirst for water, But rather [a hunger] for hearing the words of the Lord.” Amos 8:11 (AMP)

A hunger and thirst for Jesus

Something is missing without Jesus. Deep down something inside of us feels incomplete without him. Only Jesus can complete us. We have a hunger or thirst for something inside of us, and Jesus is the only one that can satisfy that hunger/thirst. Continue reading →

Ask God About Your Gifts And Purpose

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Ask God About Your Gifts And Purpose...He is your artist and author.

Ask God About Your Gifts And Purpose

This past week we talked about how you have to look for and discover your gifts. It’s kind of like you’re a detective on a case trying to solve a mystery. One of the steps of the search process is to ask God about your gifts and purpose. After all, He’s the one who created you! If anybody would know what your gifts are and how you are supposed to use them it would be God.

I guess you could liken it to inquiring about a painting. Who would you ask if you had questions about the details of a painting? The artist, of course. What about a book that has left you with some questions? Who would you ask if you wanted to know more than what was on the surface? You would ask the author! The creators of the works have all of the knowledge and the inside scoop. They knew what they had in mind when they created their work.

God: Artist and Author

Similarly, God is your creator. God is your artist. You are His Masterpiece.

“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.” Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

God is the also the author who has already written your story. Because of that, He already knows how it ends!

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2 (KJV)  

God is both artist and author.

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Therefore, when you have questions about yourself and how you were made, Continue reading →

Feeling like you don’t fit in?

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Feeling like you don’t fit in? Somebody has already accepted you…

Feeling like you don’t fit in?  Somebody has already accepted you…

Acceptance is a big deal.  It seems like everyone I know has felt like they didn’t fit in at one point or another in their life.  It’s an awkward and uncomfortable feeling.  It can sometimes even cause some self-doubt and thoughts of “what’s wrong with me”.  At times being around certain people can even make us feel worse about ourselves.  The lack of acceptance by others is one of the common causes of insecurity.

It’s not a new issue either.  Timothy in the bible apparently didn’t feel accepted or didn’t feel like he fit in because he was young.  Paul had to explain to Timothy not to let his young age (or people who didn’t respect him because he was so young) get in the way of his ministry.

“Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.” 1 Timothy 4:12 (NLT)  

I heard a song on the radio the other day when I was riding with Eric.  It was actually a pretty catchy song, but listening to the lyrics made me a bit sad.  The song was “Cool Kids” by Echosmith.  Part of the lyrics say, “I wish that I could be like the cool kids ‘cause all the cool kids, they seem to fit in.  I wish that I could be like the cool kids, like the cool kids.”  I hear pain in this song.  I hear the hurt of not feeling the acceptance of others and not being able to fit in.  I hear a message that most people could relate to at some point in their life, myself included (“cool kids” might not even be kids).  Continue reading →

You Are a Masterpiece

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You Are a Masterpiece! Are you insulting your creator?

You Are a Masterpiece!  Are you insulting your creator?

When we think of some of the most valuable items in the world today, priceless art often comes to mind.  I’m always amazed at what people are willing to pay for masterpieces sold via Christie’s, Sotheby’s, and private sales.  I was reading an article that the Huffington Post did in December of this past year about the most expensive art of 2013 (“18 Unbelievably Expensive Artworks That Sold For Millions This Year”), and I learned that over $1 BILLION was dropped on just 18 works of art!  It’s unsettling what some are willing to fork out for what they deem a “masterpiece”.

Well, you already know you are valuable because last week we talked about realizing your value and your worth, but did you know YOU are a masterpiece?  You are the handiwork of God. 

Did you know YOU are a masterpiece? You are the handiwork of God, the artist of all artists.

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You are His masterpiece.  I think of God as the artist of all artists. 🙂 I mean really, any other artist is just creating art of God’s art.  Continue reading →

What Does Your Price Tag Say? A Message on Self Worth...

What Does Your Price Tag Say?

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What Does Your Price Tag Say?  A message on Self Worth…

The value of something is based on what someone is willing to pay for it or exchange for it.  Eric and I occasionally like to watch Pawn Stars and Storage Wars.  We also love to go to auctions together to find “treasures”.  We’ve learned a lot about valuation processes.  We often find it amusing on Storage Wars when the cast are making their appraisals of the contents of their storage lockers that they just purchased.

Every so often someone (usually Darrell) will inflate the worth of an item or two, and we say, “It’s not worth that!  There’s NO WAY anyone is going to pay that price for that!”  We also find it entertaining when someone walks into the pawn shop on Pawn Stars asking for some super crazy amount for something that they are trying to sell.  Their asking price is obviously declined.  Then they’ll often say, “Well, online this is selling for x-amount”, and Rick usually replies, “That’s what people are paying or that’s the price they are asking for it?  There’s a difference.”

The point he’s trying to make is that it doesn’t really matter what the list price is or what the label says.  If people aren’t willing to pay the price stated on the label, then it is probably not a correct valuation.

The same is true for us.

Our value or worth is Continue reading →

Success Lessons Learned from a Stubborn Puppy

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Success Lessons Learned from a Stubborn Puppy

Success Lessons Learned from a Stubborn Puppy

This past week I’ve been puppy-sitting for my sister while her family is on vacation.  Her little dog is such a cutie, but boy, is she an ornery little sucker!  She’s extremely curious and a bit defiant.  I found that often when I tried to warn her about “impending danger” she just completely ignored me and lunged right into it anyway!  So needless to say, I was constantly bailing her out of messes…such as getting stuck in a tomato cage in my garden after being warned not to enter it, getting a bee sting on her mouth after she decided to chase after a bee and eat it (again after being warned not too), and getting several good “scoldings” from Cinders, my dog, when she would nip at Cinders’ ears (just to name a few of her predicaments).

I decided that we must seem a lot like that puppy to God.  Continue reading →