Striving

I can't sleep tonight...this seems to be the case a lot here lately. Not sure if it is from working night shift or just things on my mind but nonetheless it allows for sweet times with the Lord! So I guess I won't complain :)

Lately the Lord has been showing me that my heart has been elsewhere for quite some time and not fully devoted to Him. In showing me this, he has been teaching me the importance of pursuing Him with all that I am-even when I don't want to. Maybe some you always want to pursue God with all that you are, but not me...honestly, it can be a struggle to give God all of my heart. I'm finding, however, that it is completely worth it to give God all of my heart; he tends to handle it a whole better than I ever could.

Tonight I ended up in the book of Hosea. Hosea 6:3 says "Let us strive to know the Lord. His appearance is as sure as the dawn. He will come to us like the rain, like the spring showers that water the land." God has brought me back to the place of abundance...which is that place of knowing him. But what God is showing me is that it takes effort. I must strive to know him!

It's funny, though, Israel was not truly repentant in this verse...they did not truly strive to know the Lord. They continued their idol worship. I cannot fully know God and continue to have idols in my life. My heart must be fully His. Nothing else is worthy of my effort or my energy! Only Christ!

Webster defines "strive" as devoting serious effort or energy. Am I devoting my effort or energy to knowing Him? Ha actually here lately I have been devoting my effort and energy into work. Im picking up extra shifts to help out at the hospital and the Lord is convicting me that in order to strive to know Him I have to have energy to do that. After 36 hours on night shift and a 12 hour day shift...there is not a whole lot of energy left to know Him.

When I strive to know Him, I WILL know him because He has promised me that I will. James 4:8, "Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners, and purify your hearts, double-minded people."