Proverbs 2:1-8

Proverbs 2:1-8 
English Standard Version (ESV)

  There's a strong temptation to turn Christianity into an equation.  If we do X, and contribute Y, and spend time with Z, then God will love and give us what we need.  Equations are simpler, and they're straightforward.  The problem is that the Bible doesn't work in equations. 
  The Bible has Moses, who kills a man, runs away, and then God finds him in a field with some sheep before sending him back to lead the people out of slavery.  The Bible gives us David, who is a man after God's own heart, yet he commits adultery and has a man killed.  The Bible tells us about Peter, who spends years in the direct presence of Jesus and yet denies knowing the man when a girl asks him about it.
  The Bible is messy and complicated, like the real world.  Just because we pray for someone we love to be healed, this doesn't mean it happens.  Just because we tithe, that doesn't mean we'll receive material blessings.  Just because we read the Bible for 10 minutes every day, that doesn't automatically mean God will give us what we think we want.
  But the Bible does promise us that if we open ourselves up to be led by the Holy Spirit and allow our lives to be molded as God sees fit, we'll discover unbounded grace and limitless freedom in Christ.  We'll discover that our true worth is defined in Christ and that we are challenged to love and serve one another without limits.  We'll find ourselves intellectually challenged every day, and relationships will be seen as opportunities to grow in the knowledge of how God is at work in the world.  Our lives are transformed when we seek God above all else, because we discover ourselves welcomed into the halls of eternity where the King will give anything just to be with you.