Day 2

Until the past couple of years I don’t think I understood that being a Christian meant having a real relationship with God. I knew I was to love Him and I had my little “check list” of things I needed to do to be a “good” Christian. I had to read my Bible, pray, try not to cuss, etc. I did love Him, don’t get me wrong… I just didn’t understand HOW to give Him everything and love Him with all my heart.

It took me a while to learn that having a relationship with God works the same way as any other relationship in my life. In order to have a good relationship you must put time, energy and effort into it. John & Stasi Eldredge point out in their book “Captivating” that love and romance change our lives.

“Life changes dramatically when romance comes into our lives. Christianity changes dramatically when we discover that it, too, is a great romance.”

I’ve learned from my relationship with Caleb that love not only brings great amounts of joy, but it also takes work. If we did not talk and continue to pursue each other our relationship would not flourish. And I’ve finally learned that my relationship with God is the exact same. We (I) must pursue Him, talk with Him and read His love letter (Bible) as frequently as possible. This is why I love the verse for day 2 of our challenge.

“Blessed are they who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart.”
Psalm 119:2

The second part of this verse is what caught my attention first. We are not called to just seek Him. We are called to seek him with ALL of our heart. And if we do, we will grow closer to Him.

Another thing I have learned through my relationship with Caleb is that when you love someone, you yearn to do the things that you know will bring him or her joy. Again, I learned that my relationship with God is the exact same. Because I love God and have chosen to seek Him with all my heart, I yearn to do what brings Him joy- the things he commands of us. In this verse we learn that if we do these things (keep his statutes) we will be blessed.

I’ve learned that by seeking the Lord with all my heart and keeping his commandments (to my best ability… I’m still working on it), the Lord has filled me with a joy beyond anything I could have imagined and He has blessed me with a man who helps and encourages my walk with God.

Today I encourage you to meditate on this verse and memorize it! Is there something you are holding on to that is keeping you from seeking Him with ALL your heart? Do you want to keep his statutes?

For a constant reminder, I recommend writing down these verses (or any verses) on post-it notes and putting them somewhere you will see them frequently.