What is my angle??

My mom led me in the sinner's prayer when I asked Jesus to come live inside my heart. I was nine years old at the time.

Since that night my mother has always talked with me about things of God.

As I grew from child to adolescent to teenager she used her discretion with age appropriate-ness but she has NEVER held back on the tough subjects.

As we've gotten older these conversations have only intensified.

We share such a special bond as mother and daughter. But our common passion in the Lord Jesus and how He works in our lives gives us plenty to discuss as sisters in Him.

Yesterday we got to spend a large chunk of time together. This is not common these days due to our crazy and often conflicting schedules. But~ yesterday we made it work.

Our time was sweet. She had a lot to share with me about some areas in her life where God had been recently speaking to her. One of the things she said started some wheels spinning in my own mind.

Well, let's be serious.

God used her words to speak some solid truth to me.

(I love it that I am 34 years old and I am still being trained in the way I should go....by my momma.)

Anyway, she posed a question to me that she had had to answer for herself.

"Am I only happy to serve God when He benefits me?"

Ouch!

Am I?

What is my angle with God?

Do I pray about things and for things only so I can benefit from them?

Do I pray for safety so I don't ever have to hurt?
Do I pray for provision so I don't have to worry about money and bills?
Do I pray for ease so I don't have to face conflict?
Do I pray for opportunities for myself to make my own name great?


Please don't think I am saying we can't go to God for personal reasons. Of course we can. He tells us to come to Him for everything.

My question, though, is this: Do we ever just pray for Him to work in our lives so that we receive no benefit at all?

Yea, me neither.

What if the only One who benefits from a situation in our lives is the One who gave us life?

Wouldn't that seriously be pouring out ourselves for Him?

I love it when my children love on me "just because". I can totally tell the difference when they want something.

My bible study also touched on this subject this week.

So I guess God is taking His proverbial highlighter to this area in my life.

Do we ever just go to Him and say..."It's ok with me to hurt today for Your Name's sake. I would consider it a privilege to be inconvenienced for You, God."

My prayers usually have an angle.

I want God to give me something so I don't have to experience ______________ (hardship, turmoil, anxiety, etc...)


What is your angle?

Could you just get a blessing from benefiting God alone?


Roman 6:22 "But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life."

2 Corinthians 4:15 "All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God."