Yearning For The Right Stuff!

Meditation Moments by Clara Crawford-Milton

clara@reverencehim.com

Yearning For The Right Stuff!

Have you ever waited anxiously for something that you didn’t have in front of you, but without a doubt you knew it was coming? Maybe it was graduation day from high school, or college. You were waiting to see what it felt like to get that diploma or degree in your hand. Then for someone else it could have been that wedding day. All you could think of was the day you would walk down that isle. If you were like me, you couldn’t wait to be baptized. You see back then you had to go on the mourner’s bench. If you missed revival you had to wait another year or catch it at another church. Well you know me, I missed it! Thank God for deliverance in the church! At the time my parents didn’t go, they sent us and it was not every Sunday. Thank God for easy access. Amen! All we have to do is acknowledge, believe and confess. Ok, let me move on.

I am reminded that we can’t stay where we once was. We have to move from suffering to glory! Jesus didn’t die on the cross for us to remain in a suffering state. He died that we might be free. He paid the price of redemption with His life. Even though we suffer, our suffering is nothing compared to the glory that shall be revealed in us. When we look back after we receive our reward, the suffering will look like nothing. That is just like a race car driver. When he races, there are a lot of things that must be done and things s/he must endure before the race. There is a preparation stage. But when they win the race all the suffering and preparation becomes of value to them. They know had they not prepared, had they not suffered and possibly denied themselves of some things, they may not have won the race.

We are in a spiritual race that operates with the same standards. Sometimes we have to give up some time, some resources, some friends, some kin folks and some separation in order to win this race. We have to be persecuted; we have disliked in order to be liked. Did you hear me, I said disliked in order to be liked. We have been hated in order to be loved. Sounds ironic don’t it? Remember, we are in the world, but not of the world. Do you know we don’t need the world, but the world needs us!! Let me make myself plain here. Had it not been for the true in heart, the true Believers, the good stewards, the wrath of God would have destroyed the world.

God reins it in until both creation and all the creatures are ready and can be released at the same moment into the glorious times ahead. Meanwhile, the joyful anticipation deepens. All around us we observe a pregnant creation. The difficult times of pain throughout the world are simply birth pangs. But it's not only around us; it's within us. The Spirit of God is arousing us within. We're also feeling the birth pangs, Romans 8:21-22. The creation of God will be delivered from corruption and bondage. He is going to take us to a glorious living among the children of God! God creation is bursting at the seams for His glorious return. If you don’t believe me just take a look around you. The need for His return is all around us. I purposely don’t listen to the news every day. I know that can be good and bad. But I choose not to because the report that I want to believe is His report. I can’t afford to let the world system regulate my thinking. Any time you spend more time on the news than you do the Word of God you are in need of a spiritual check. I know that works for me and not for everyone. But I refuse to rush home to see who got arrested, who got shot, all the celebrity gossip etc. I choose to rely on the Good News. I need something that can permeate in my soul and help me to be a better person today than I was yesterday! I need some news that will remind me that the wages of sin is death and the gift of God is eternal life. That is what I need to mediate on every day. I need to be reminded that I am my brother’s keeper. You see if I see him hungry, he doesn’t have to ask me; I need to respond because the God in me compels me to do so. I need to take my tithes and offerings into the storehouse so there will be room and my Father’s business can be conducted properly. You do know that if you take care of His business, you business is sealed. Amen!

God’s creation is yearning for His return. Everybody is yearning for something. That leads me to ask, “What are you yearning for today?” Are you yearning for the things of God or the things of this world? Believe it or not everyone yearns for something. Are you yearning for social status or materialistic things? All of it has its place. But none of it should be before God. He has to be first and far most in your life. He will not settle for second place, so we can forget third place. Why would we even consider Him not being first? I believe that sometimes we become so consumed with the things of this world that we forget or subtly miss the warning that He is becoming less and less significant in our lives. I come to warn you, be very careful what you yearn for. Make Him Lord over your life. Yearn for the right stuff. Make Him your passion. Keep Reverencing Him!