PURSUING INTIMACY WITH GOD THROUGH HIS WORDS

O God, You are my God; Early will I seek You; My soul thirsts for You; My flesh longs for You In a dry and thirsty land Where there is no water.

3 Because Your loving kindness is better than life, My lips shall praise You. 4 Thus I will bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name. 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, And my mouth shall praise You with joyful lips. 6 When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches. 7 Because You have been my help, Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice. 8 My soul follows close behind You; Your right hand upholds me.

WHY PURSUE INTIMACY WITH GOD?

Intimacy with God is the core,primary relationship from which all other relationships take their bearing.To these,intimacy with God is fundamental. -EDMUND CHAN

2 “To the angel of the church of Ephesus write, ‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: 2 “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; 3 and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. 4 Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

“We can never say we love GOD apart from our love for His words.”

JOHN 14:21 21 He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.”

JOHN 8:32 32 And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

JOSHUA 1:8 8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

6 He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. 7 And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ 8 For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men — the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.”

PSALM 119:72 72 The law of Your mouth is better to me Than thousands of coins of gold and silver.

103 How sweet are Your words to my taste, Sweeter than honey to my mouth!

Things like TV & movies,videogames,surfing the internet,novels,sports and hobbies aren`t all that bad.But if we gorge on them…if we fill our minds and our time with those kind of things…we won`t have any room left for GOD.If we fill up on worldly junk,the sweetness of GOD´S Word will be lost on us.In fact we might lose our taste for GOD altogether.

So what`s my point? The point is, we can`t develop a taste for GOD´s Word unless we read it. If you have no appetite for GOD´s Word, it`s time to take Another lesson for David.

PSALM 119: Seven times a day I praise You, Because of Your righteous judgments.

When you first get up in the morning During the mid-morning At noon, In the mid- afternoon, At Supper, Sometime during the evening, And again when you go to bed.

PSALM 1:3 3 He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper.

PSALM 119: How can a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed according to Your word. 10 With my whole heart I have sought You; Oh, let me not wander from Your commandments! 11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You.