Happiness is not the aim of our lives, but being conformed to the image of Christ is.
That is what I read on another blog. 

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. (Galatians 2:20)

For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. (Romans 8:29)
 
"The aim of your life should be to have Christ living through you. It should be to be looking more and more like Christ everyday:"
 
That just really hit me right where I have been over the last year of Old Testament readings.


Do we want to really know and see God?
Job 42:5 "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, But now my eye sees You.
 
We have heard of who God is and even intellectually know who He is, but do we really see Him, do we really know Him, do have intimacy with Him?
 
Oh that we would would really not have cares for this world, and not get so hung up on this world but have hearts that just want to know and love Christ and long for intimacy with Him.

Give me nothing but Jesus. Like the song, you can have all of this world, but give me Jesus! Do we really mean that? Do we really not want the things of this world only Jesus?
 
I don’t say this to minimize real pain that people are dealing with in the physical earth, but to encourage us to seek hearts that are truly and fully in love with God.
 
I have heard this before, and have even counseled others along those same lines. But for some reason it just hit me lately in a more real, tangible way. That is where I have been at lately.
 
Technically my life is pretty good and I have a good husband, but that does not change the fact that life always includes times of sadness, and a measure of disappointment or unmet longings.

As I was meditating on these things I am writing it actually brought tears to my eyes. Not tears of sadness, but of joy in the love and intimacy and presence of God.


How Has this Reading Program Affected Me?
The Good Morning Girls read through the Bible program has really gotten me out of my regular Bible reading of mainly the New Testament epistles or the cursory reading of the Old Testament "stories."

Going back to a lot of these Old Testament books, I was not exited about rereading a lot of these Old Testament books. But I said, OK God, what do you want to show me here.

So, I thought, "well what can I learn from Genesis?"  And I realized, that by seeing how God interacts with the beginning of mankind and the forefathers of the faith, that I can learn about God's character and nature.  
 
So often, our society perverts God into either being all sweet and soft or all vindictive and vengeful.  Well, as believers, let's read the Word to find out who God is in His entirety.  Yes, he is kind and loving, and yes He will judge the guilty.  But He is so much more, let's get insight into His Holiness, mercy, grace, etc.

Then reading Leviticus I was confronted with His holiness.

Numbers showed us God's faithfulness even in the face of unfaithful people.

Reading Job I am confronted with His sovereignty and my absolute obligation to bow before His authority.

The first step in falling in love with someone is to know them deeply and intimately.  Reading the Word, including the Old Testament can give me a deeper understanding of God's attributes so I can continue this love journey with Him.


Digging Deeper
Doing one chapter allows for more in-depth study and gives me time to read, reread, and reread and reread the chapter. It lets me just sitting with it and meditating on it.
 
This has allowed me to really dig so much deeper into the person and character of God. I have been confronted with His holiness, His sovereignty and my call to submit under His complete and utter authority in my life, but while trusting in His complete love for me and His pure justice.
 
It has helped me focus on His presence in my life and His real tangible relationship with me. I just feel that I am being drawn into a sweeter closer love for Him. I feel myself truly starting to mean that I only want Jesus and sincerely want nothing more. That is becoming more and more of a reality for me.

As we deeply pursue His word we will know Him better and build a more intimate, passionate relationship with Him that can transform our hearts and lives.

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Captivated by You