A Big Challenge in a Three-letter Word

Over the past year and a half or so, I have been using a devotional supplement called "Jesus Calling" (written by Sarah Young).  You may be thinking that a year and a half is a long time to be using the same book for devotions, and normally I would agree.  But, what I have found with this particular book is it seems to be Spirit-breathed.  By that, I mean that there is something about this book that amazes me. There is seldom a day that something in the reading for that day doesn't reach out a grab me.  Whether it be a challenge, a conviction, or maybe even reinforcement of one of God's promises to me,  the words come alive and meet me where I'm at on this walk in life.  Some days I feel that this book was written just for me.

The devotionals are based on the the author's interpretation of Bible verses through her personal encounters with Jesus.  I enjoy taking the verses she references each day and exploring them for myself directly from the Bible, which then leads to deeper study of the Word as I look at the bigger picture of what transpired before and what took place after the verses.  And as I spend time reflecting His words, I'm then able to hear His voice and what He wants me to walk away with from our time together.

It was through this process that my challenge came today.  This was one of those "seldom" days that I wasn't feeling particularly moved by the writer's thoughts.  In fact, I almost didn't even open my Bible because one of the verses referenced today had been sealed in my heart from childhood memorization.  But, in search of some "meat" for the day, I opened the pages of my Bible to the familiar passage in Proverbs 3:5-6 - "Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.  Seek his will in all you do, and he will direct your paths." ( emphasis added)

All. 

That three-letter word is what I was supposed to take from today.

Had I not turned to God's word, and simply relied on the author's words as my inspiration, I would have missed it.  It's a small word, but it holds a big challenge.

The "trusting with all my heart" part of this has been an ongoing journey and is not a new challenge to me.  But, what I needed to hear today was the "seeking His will in all I do" part.

It's not that I don't seek His will in my life.  I do.  But sometimes I fail to seek His will in all that I do.  Some decisions seem easier to make than others and I fail to ask God what he thinks about it.  Most days I go through my routine without much thought about my actions or responses to situations. When I do seek Him with the bigger questions and uncertainties, am I truly seeking his will, or am I relying on the emotions of the moment to make the decisions?

I don't won't to miss all of what He has for me in this life because I'm not trusting with all my heart or seeking in all I do.  So big or small, I want to give my all to and for the One who gave his all for me.  

If you would like to learn more about the "Jesus Calling" book, here are some links to get you in the right direction:

http://www.thomasnelson.com/collections/jesuscalling
https://www.facebook.com/JesusCalling