He's got the whole world in his hands!

Take a moment to acknowledge how near God is to us. One of His names is Emmanuel, which literally means “God with us.” Whether we’re busy or not, stressed or not, hurting or not, having fun or not, He’s there. I'm preaching to the choir as I write this, fresh from the fullness of summer fun, travels, work, relationships, events, the list goes on and on. And so I'm sure it does for you too.

If you inventoried what occupied your time and mental energy, what would the results be? Are you juggling too much? What makes your plate so full?

If you find yourself feeling a distance
from God due to business, what
could come off your plate? Or maybe the question you need to ask yourself is how could the fullness of your plate drive you closer to leaning on God?

I recently heard a pastor share this
statement at a conference in regard to our relationship with Christ. He said, 'Where there is no hunger, there is death.' Lord, teach us to be hungry
for You. Above all else.

How do we remain hungry when there are so many distractions? If you take your eyes off what you are hungry for you forget your hunger/longing/desire.
But when you keep your focus on it, you want more. This applies to the things that are good for us and the things that are bad for us. What worldliness in our individual lives do we give so much attention to?

How you spend your time = what matters to you → affects your heart. Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

We cannot be intimate with God if we are not ware of Him. Look for Him. set your thoughts on Him. Talk to Him. Zoom out for a moment (or 20) every day, to take your eyes off your plate and onto Jesus. Then listen.

My favorite song summarizes this so sweetly...

“Turn Your eyes upon Jesus
Look full in His wonderful face
And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.”

Sweet, now I'm off to do the same.