Jesus wants a dynamic relationship with you! He saved you for this very purpose. Are you seeking Him like He seeks you?

4 A sluggard’s [lazy person’s] appetite [craving] is never filled, but the desires of the diligent [in their relationship with Christ] are fully satisfied.

If I said that those who avoid having a dynamic relationship with the Lord are lazy, would you agree? It takes a certain amount of arrogance to simply decide NOT to do something that we know is right and that we know we should do. In this case, it makes me wonder if the Spirit is actually present in that person’s life at all! Listen to Psalm 16:11 and what God has in mind for us:

¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand. 

When we plant the garden of fellowship with the Spirit, the first fruit grown are love, joy, and peace. These three well up inside us like water in a fountain and spread to all around us. They make up the sweet fragrance of Christ (see 2 Cor. 2:15). Don’t you want to know His love? Don’t you want to feel His joy? Don’t you want to experience His peace? I know I do!

Look at what happens to a person who ignores the Lord’s pleas to get together with Him:

³⁰ I went past the field of a sluggard [one who ignores the LORD],
    past the vineyard of someone who has no sense;
³¹ thorns had come up everywhere [instead of fruit, there are thorns],
    the ground was covered with weeds [his life is a shambles],
    and the stone wall was in ruins [he is unprotected from the evil one].
³² I applied my heart to what I observed
    and learned a lesson from what I saw:
³³ A little sleep, a little slumber,
    a little folding of the hands to rest—
³⁴ and poverty [spiritual emptiness] will come on you like a thief
    and scarcity like an armed man [even what he has will be taken away-see Matthew 25:29].

Being filled with His Spirit is simple. All we have to do is intentionally stay in His presence, by His side and in His arms. Think of yourself as a little lamb and He is the Good Shepherd. When we get rambunctious or afraid, He picks us up and loves on us. He doesn’t even scold us. Instead, He speaks softly to us kind words and gentle words.

If you don’t know where to start, then start with Psalm 16. You will read phrases like, “You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing,” and, “LORD, you alone are my portion and my cup; you make my lot [life] secure,” and, “I keep my eyes always on the LORD. With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.” And then, the best verse: ¹¹ You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand. 

We have to like our sin pretty much to disregard such an invitation. I pray you will turn away from sin and turn to a better option: The option of receiving and enjoying the benefits of eternal life RIGHT NOW in a dynamic relationship with Jesus.

Abba, I pray that those who know You as Savior will come to know You as the Good Shepherd, for that is what You are! Thank You that You do not hold my sin against me–in fact, You don’t even see me as a sinner anymore. You see me as Your little brother, whom You love very much. As I draw close to You, draw me even closer! Amen. [see James 4:8a]