Episode #28 Too Busy? God Wants to Give You Something – Rest More Resolution

What if the greatest priority that God has for you today has nothing to do with your task list or the things that you're going to accomplish or anything productive that you are contributing to the world? But instead, what if the greatest opportunity in your day to today i s something that God wants you to receive, not something that God wants you to give?

We're going to be talking about that in today's episode and then turning that topic into a conversation with God.

And it's easy to be so busy and so productive that we overlook the opportunities to simply sit and receive what God would have to give us Now. I like to get stuff done. I like to work. You know that. You've heard that from me on this podcast multiple times already.

My days are full of things to do. It's part of how I live as a productive human, how I care for myself and my family, and how I steward what God has entrusted to me. But I have found that the things that God often wants to accomplish in my life aren't really focused on things that I need to do. Instead, he tends to want to talk with me about revelation, that he wants to give, things that I've already received, better understanding who God is, better understanding who I am, seeing him at work in the world, and receiving from him out of his generosity toward me.

God keeps talking with me about this opportunity to receive-the posture that I can take as his daughter recognizing, yes, there are things that I get to do. I'm also the daughter of my good father who loves me and wants to provide for me.

I am reminded of this passage in Second Corinthians, and I'll read from chapter nine, verse eight, and it says, "And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency, or in some translations, all contentment in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work."

Grace, which is supernatural enablement, the giving of good that we don't deserve, being supernaturally enabled by God's Spirit.

I don't usually anticipate or even ask for God to make grace abound to me in an area. There's a good work, a good effort that I'm participating in, but it's his grace that abounds to me so that I can have all sufficiency, in all things, at all times, never lacking.

I tend to think about having what I need at all times in all things, as either an impossibility-like that just can't happen, that's not realistic-or as a personal responsibility. For me to have what I need at all times as I do my work, that means that I need to be really organized or I need to put together a really cohesive plan. That if I'm prepared enough, I will have all that I need and I won't run out.

But that's not what this verse says, it says that God is able to make all grace abound to me. And so, I was talking with God about this today and I was reminded of the beatitudes.

This is Jesus' first time teaching in public ministry and he lays out circumstances in which someone is blessed. Starting in Matthew five, verse two, it says, and he (which is Jesus) opened his mouth and taught them. And then it goes into several statements that begin. Blessed are or blessed are, and I'm only going to focus on verse six today, "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."

Blessed are those who long for right relationship with God for they will have that need satisfied. Now, it doesn't say blessed are those who hunger and thirst because they will satisfy their need. It says, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for, they will find that need fulfilled by the Lord.

Usually when I think about being hungry or thirsty in an area, my mind immediately goes to, I need to meet the need. If I'm physically hungry this verse would say blessed are those who are hungry for food, and I would fill that in to say, because they can make themselves a sandwich. Go meet your need.

But if I were to read this verse in that context for what God is saying, he's saying, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for this relationship with me because I'm going to provide it for them.

Going back to 2 Corinthians, I can make all grace abound to them, and I have found that sometimes I'm too busy to receive from the Lord. That sounds ridiculous to say, but I can so easily fall into this work mode that I miss opportunities to slow down and receive.

So, we're going to slow down right here as the podcast ends, and I invite you to ask God this question, whatever you're doing right now, if you're multitasking, that's great. Just pause for a second and ask God this question:

God, I believe there's something that you want to give me to receive from you today. Not something that I need to achieve, something I can simply receive from you. What is that and will you to talk with me more about that today?

Have a good talk.

And if you've been encouraged by this content, please share it with a friend and help them grow in their conversational relationship with God too!

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