Orient to God

The heart that orients toward God will be filled by God. Orienting to God is not about putting on spiritual appearances and activity, it is about the focus of the heart.

What does the Bible say about orienting to God -

1. Delight in the Lord - Psalms 37:4
2. Man after God's Heart - Psalm 119v33-40
3. Run Unhindered - Hebrews 12:1-4
4. Eyes are key - Luke 11:34-36

Delight in the Lord

Psalms 37:4

Take delight in the LORD, and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Questions for reflection or discussion

1. What happens to those who choose to delight in the Lord?
2. What does your disposable time and finances tell you about your delights?
3. How would you choose to delight in the Lord?

Thoughts to consider

I can choose to delight in something by becoming focused on it when I have the freedom to choose. When I have free time, what is it that I will go to? That is my delight.

Man after God's heart

Psalms 119:33-40

Teach me your decrees, O LORD; I will keep them to the end. Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. Make me walk along the path of your commands, for that is where my happiness is found. Give me an eagerness for your laws
rather than a love for money! Turn my eyes from worthless things, and give me life through your word. Reassure me of your promise, made to those who fear you. Help me abandon my shameful ways; for your regulations are good. I long to obey your commandments! Renew my life with your goodness.

Questions for reflection or discussion

1. What can we pray for in order to give God permission to work on our hearts?
2. What are the key areas of living that effect a person’s heart?

Thoughts to consider

When the Lord himself is the one I desire, then I will make choices that will reflect that. When people say, “I had no choice”, their choice just identified what was important to them.

Run Unhindered

Hebrews 12:1-4

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God’s throne. Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won’t become weary and give up. After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin.

Questions for reflection or discussion

1. What contributes to success in the race God has for you?
2. What are the weights and sins that can trip people up?
3. What does it mean practically to keep your eyes on Jesus?

Thoughts to consider

The Lord Jesus determines the race. It is him we fix our eyes on and run. Each of us has their own race to run. It is no good being drawn into another person’s race if that is not the one the Lord has for you.

Eyes are key

Luke 11:34-36

“Your eye is like a lamp that provides light for your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is filled with light. But when it is unhealthy, your body is filled with darkness. Make sure that the light you think you have is not actually darkness. If you are filled with light, with no dark corners, then your whole life will be radiant, as though a floodlight were filling you with light.”

Questions for reflection or discussion

1. How would you identify healthy or unhealthy eyes?
2. Why would what we choose to look at effect our being?
3. How can you make it easier to choose to look at what is light?

Thoughts to consider

When I choose to gaze on the Lord and his loving kindness, I become like him. For the more I look at something, the more engrossed I become with it. Eventually, that is what will dominant my life. Tragically if I give my attention to what is not God, that is what will become dominant.

Overview question for reflection or discussion

1. How do you choose to orient your life to God?
2. What choices are you taking to effect your orientation?

Thoughts to consider

We live in a world of choices. Few choices are intrinsically good or bad. However, many will affect our hearts. Orienting towards God comes through setting our priorities about what life is about and allowing those priorities to filter through to our day to day choices.

Photo Credit

Photo by Valentin Antonucci on Unsplash