Experiencing God: God Pursues and Invites Relationship

Devotional

Day 1: Toolbox Faith: Working Where the Father Works

A child’s plastic tools mirror the Father’s work. Just as Levi imitated his dad’s repairs or Melina “helped” with her plastic drill, God invites us to join His active work with humble curiosity. This isn’t about skill but presence—asking “What are You doing?” not to challenge Him, but to learn His rhythms. True discipleship begins when we trade self-made agendas for the joy of working beside Him. [47:35]

“My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.” (John 5:17, ESV)

Reflection: Where have you been gripping your own “tools” instead of watching for God’s work? What ordinary moment this week could become holy if you asked, “Father, what are You doing here?”

Day 2: GPS Recalculation: Who Set the Destination?

Life becomes exhausting when we program our own destinations and beg God to bless the detours. Jesus modeled a better way: waking daily to ask the Father for bread and direction. Like the healed man at Bethesda, we’re called to release our 38-year waiting strategies and let God reset our journey. Peace comes not in control, but in surrendered trust. [01:08:37]

“In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps.” (Proverbs 16:9, ESV)

Reflection: What “destination” have you stubbornly typed into life’s GPS? How might praying “Your kingdom come” today shift your posture from managing outcomes to receiving guidance?

Day 3: The Garden Blueprint: Designed for More Than Busyness

God’s original design wasn’t productivity metrics but walking with Him in the cool of the day. Adam’s assignment flowed from relationship, not the other way around. When work eclipses worship, we shrink into efficient machines. Yet Christ still calls us back—not to do more, but to become more: image-bearers who rule creation through intimacy, not industry. [01:02:46]

“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” (Genesis 2:15, ESV)

Reflection: Where has “busy” become your identity? What one daily practice could help you reclaim the garden rhythm of working from rest, not for rest?

Day 4: The Pro’s Swing: Unlearning Self-Taught Spirituality

A golfer’s flawed swing persists until he consults the pro. Similarly, we strain through life with self-made strategies until we let God reteach our fundamentals. Jesus didn’t rush ahead of the Father (John 5:19)—He watched, listened, then moved. Our healing begins when we stop trying to fix our swing and let the Master adjust our grip. [01:12:43]

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5, ESV)

Reflection: What “self-taught” habit in your spiritual life needs the Pro’s correction? How might sitting still in His presence today realign your next step?

Day 5: Bethesda’s Surprise: Healing Beyond Our Systems

For 38 years, the invalid waited for water to stir. Jesus ignored the superstition and healed with a command. Religious systems—even well-meaning ones—often prioritize rules over relationship. God still bypasses our “how it’s always been done” to offer direct healing. True revival begins when we trade formulaic faith for raw obedience. [01:10:10]

“Then Jesus said to him, ‘Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.’ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.” (John 5:8-9, ESV)

Reflection: What spiritual “system” have you made non-negotiable? Where might God be saying “Get up” instead of waiting for your preferred method of deliverance?

Sermon Summary

God is always at work, and experiencing Him starts when His children ask, “What are You doing, and how can I join You?” God does not exist to bless human plans after the destination has already been typed into the GPS. God calls His people to surrender the destination itself, because His purposes are bigger, safer, and more complete than anything they could carry alone.

God’s original design began with relationship. Genesis shows that humanity was made in His image to know Him, walk with Him, hear Him, love Him, and enjoy His presence. Eternal life is not merely doing things for God or knowing facts about God. Eternal life is knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ whom He sent.

God also created humanity to reflect His character on the earth. His love, holiness, justice, creativity, wisdom, goodness, and authority were meant to be seen through human lives. Sin distorted that image, but Christ restores it as people put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. Salvation therefore does not merely rescue people from something. Salvation restores them for the purpose God had in mind from the beginning.

God gave humanity dominion, not the kind that squeezes the world for profit and leaves the poorest suffering, but the kind that manages creation with His principles and with excellence. Work follows relationship; it cannot replace relationship. Worship likewise reaches far beyond singing, because work, generosity, obedience, leadership, relationships, and character can all become worship when lived for God’s glory.

God created people for community and for multiplying His goodness throughout the earth. Higher walls and smaller dining room tables reveal how far society has moved from that design. Community becomes especially necessary in hardship, because isolation makes pain heavier while godly people help one another experience God’s love.

God’s majesty is pursuing each person individually through Jesus. God takes the initiative, chooses first, loves first, speaks through Scripture, convicts through the Spirit, uses circumstances, speaks through people, and places burdens on hearts. Religion without relationship becomes routine; service without love becomes duty; obedience without love becomes legalism.

Jesus shows the way in John 5. Jesus does not run ahead of the Father, but rests in the Father’s will, listens to His voice, and joins His work. Surrender is not shame. Surrender is the place where healing comes home, where burdens are laid down, and where daily trust begins again.

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Key Takeaways

1. God’s plans are not human projects. God is not an assistant brought in when a self-directed journey becomes difficult. His invitation begins with the far deeper question of what He is already doing. Surrender starts when His people allow Him to set the destination, the timing, and the purpose. [50:47]
2. Relationship comes before responsibility. God created humanity first to know Him, then to reflect Him, and then to represent Him in the world. Work carries real kingdom purpose, but work becomes destructive when it replaces first love. Relationship with God gives identity and direction to every responsibility. [56:17]
3. God restores His original design. Sin has distorted the image of God in humanity, but it has not erased God’s intention. Christ restores people to righteousness and holiness so that His character can again be seen on the earth. Salvation is not earned by good works, but it creates people for the good works God prepared. [61:16]
4. Love keeps obedience from becoming legalism. Obedience without love turns cold, service without love turns into duty, and religion without relationship turns into routine. God’s jealousy is not possessiveness but the intense love of a Father who wants first place in His children’s lives. Love is the centre from which faithful obedience flows. [65:47]
5. Jesus waits for the Father’s work. Jesus models a life that does not strive ahead or demand that God follow a personal agenda. Daily bread teaches daily dependence, not a demand to have every turn figured out beforehand. Trust grows as God’s people keep handing Him their plans, fears, timing, and future.

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Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[47:04] - Experiencing God as Father
[48:43] - What Are You Doing, God?
[50:47] - Joining God’s Plans
[51:08] - God Is Always at Work
[52:48] - Created for Relationship
[53:58] - Reflecting God’s Image
[55:01] - Dominion, Work, and Worship
[57:44] - Enjoying God and Community
[60:36] - Created for Good Works
[63:07] - God Is Pursuing You
[65:25] - Love, Not Routine
[67:09] - Surrender Changes Everything
[68:37] - Who Sets the GPS Destination?
[71:01] - Jesus Joins the Father’s Work
[73:32] - Lay Down What God Carries

Bible Study Guide

Bible Reading

John 5:19
“So Jesus said to them, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.’” [01:11:01]

Genesis 1:26-28
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.’ So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” [00:52:48]

John 17:3
“And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” [00:53:22]

Ephesians 2:10
“For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” [01:01:16]

Observation questions

According to Genesis 1:26-28, what words describe both humanity’s identity and humanity’s responsibility in God’s creation?
What examples of God’s character were identified as qualities humanity was created to reflect in the world? [00:54:19]
In John 17:3, how does Jesus describe eternal life, and what does He place at the centre of it?
In Ephesians 2:10, what comes first: being created in Christ Jesus or doing good works? What does the verse say God has already done concerning those works? [01:01:29]

Interpretation questions

If Jesus only does what He sees the Father doing, what does this show about the way He understands His mission and His relationship with the Father? [01:11:06]
Genesis says people bear God’s image and are given dominion. What might godly dominion look like in a world where greed and profit can harm vulnerable people? [00:55:52]
John 17:3 says eternal life is knowing God and Jesus Christ. How does this challenge the idea that Christianity is mainly about religious activity, good behaviour, or church attendance? [01:04:16]
Ephesians 2:10 says believers are saved for good works prepared by God. How does this truth protect a person from both trying to earn salvation and living without purpose? [01:01:29]

Application questions

Where might you be asking God to bless a destination you have already chosen rather than asking, “God, what are You doing, and how can I join You?” What would it look like to place that destination back in His hands? [50:47]
Is there an area of your life—such as work, family, finances, health, or the future—where you have been carrying a burden God is asking you to surrender? What would daily trust in that area look like this week? [01:09:23]
Relationship with God comes before responsibility for God. What practices help you know, listen to, and enjoy God rather than merely staying busy doing things for Him? [56:17]
God created His people to reflect His love, holiness, justice, wisdom, goodness, and creativity. Which part of God’s character most needs to become more visible in your home, workplace, or relationships right now? [00:54:19]
Work, generosity, relationships, leadership, obedience, and character can all become worship when lived for God’s glory. Which ordinary part of your week could you intentionally offer to God as worship? [57:15]
Isolation often makes hardship heavier, while godly community helps people experience God’s love. When you are under pressure, do you tend to withdraw or let trusted believers walk with you? What is one honest step you could take toward community? [59:46]

Sermon Clips

37s

#PartnerWithGod

“And Nehemiah had to discover, what are you doing, God, in Jerusalem, and why have you put this burden on my heart? So that's the starting point with experiencing God. So perhaps the question for us today is not simply, God bless what I'm doing. Perhaps it is, God, what are you doing, and how can I join you? Because there is a profound difference between asking God to become involved in our plans and becoming involved in his plans, and that is where experiencing god actually starts.”

42s

#TrustAndSurrender

“That was the fundamental mistake with the prodigal sons. Both of them, they spent time with the father, but both of them never found his heart. Both of them never trusted him. And if you're gonna trust God and let God put that destination into your GPS, It has to be because you are you are spending time with him day by day by day. So, church, this is our reality check today. Do not leave here carrying what God is asking you to lay down. Leave here surrendered, healed, and ready to follow him even before you know the next step.”

56s

#LetGodGuide

“And, you know, last week, Lindau reminded us that when the GPS sometimes you you put in a destination on the GPS, and then it goes recalculating, recalculating, and then we don't listen to that thing and we get ourselves hopelessly lost. Today, we're taking a step deeper. I'm asking the question, who put in the destination on your GPS? Who typed in where you're going? You see, if you put in the destination, then it's about your journey, and you are in control, and it's about where you are going. And then, of course, you help God. God helps you. You you get lost and you ask God to help. But if God puts in the destination like he did with Jesus in John chapter five, then it's all about him and his purpose.”

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