God energizes us

The more we see God as the source of life, love, and all things the more our focus on and attraction to Him grows. This in turn energizes us to pursue Him - our Creator - more instead of the ¹blessing of creation all around us. Our focus shifts away from the temporary to the eternal, infinite, and permanent.

When we see Him as the all-wise, glorious, and loving Creator that He is, following His directions - i.e. advancing His Kingdom through the faithful pursuit of His ²commandments - no longer is a chore but a delight. 

Why? Because we understand that faithful pursuit of God - who is ³life - is the primary means of drawing us closer to Him and experiencing life as we were meant. In, by, and through Him is everything necessary to live the life He's designed us for and calls us to. 

Our design also indicates our purpose and "calling" from God i.e. what we were created to for... why we exist.

At first, obeying and pursuing God feels more like death, not a means to life. That is because it requires us to die to our dependence on the temporary things that only give short-term life - temporary satisfaction - in the moment, instead of eternal joy and delight in the Source of life, love, and all things.  

In reality, obedience actually wakes us up more to see why following God is necessary to experience true life in Him, who alone is lasting, never-ending - eternal - life.

This doesn't mean we don't need those created things we pursue but simply that they are temporary and exist only because He made them and grants us access to them to show us His loving generosity so we might advance His glory and kingdom of love by loving others well. This also is where we find greatest joy. 

Created things are given by God and best enjoyed when we fully understand they come to us as a gift, not as something we deserve, can or must earn, that are "rightfully" ours (when we think we've ³earned them) to use as we see fit - instead of as God directs. 

The reality is they are given to us so that we might receive with gratitude as gifts from His to show us His love for us and in turn are to be freely shared with others on Christ's behalf as His ambassadors and point them to Him who alone is life. 

If we pursue God and He prospers us circumstantially - with improved finances, relationships, health etc - it is the result of our desire and pursuit to advance His honor and kingdom of love, instead of our agenda.

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Footnotes:

¹We still enjoy creation but not as something we idolize or worship but as something that conveys His love for us more fully.

²And what commandments does He call us to?

“Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 22:36-40

³What exactly is life? To find the answer we must look to God himself and what defines His life i.e. what does life consist of for Him? For more on this click here.