Thoughts....
Well Ade and Sam are off hunting for the weekend, and I am back at work and loving it. I must say that I am enjoying the quietness quite a bit. I still can't believe that I have the opportunity to do what I do - work with the people that I work with and my amazing patients... God is so good.
My readings over the last little while have been through the prophets and through Isaiah and for the first little bit I actually found it quite discouraging and repetitive. I kept drugging through it - most times half heartedly - and feeling guilty about how I didn't feel like I was getting it. I kept thinking, why does it go on and on about how God is angry with his people for not returning to him - it seems like such a cycle where God tries over and over in many different ways to woo his people back into intimacy with himself - and then it goes on and on and on....
And then the other day it became so clear to me the relevance of the old testimony message in today's world. How we live in such a fast paced hectic world and often times we blame that for not being able to develop and deepen their relationship with their creator because we are too busy. We get so distracted by the hollow fleeting things of life, our priorities are so mixed up and contrary to what scripture says they should be. How even today, as in the old testament God laments- agonizes even over his people not drawing close to him, and perusing intimacy with him on a regular basis. (I know some would be tempted to accuse me of legalism here regarding regularly spending time in devotions, and I admit that yes - God is not limited to a formula or a routine.) I do know that in order to cultivate and grow our earthly relationships (marriages, friendships, family relations) - we must invest energy and time maintaining them and working on them in order for them to grow in a healthy fashion. He longs so much for His children to draw close to him. So often we go through the routine like the pharasiees - today that may manifest itself as "church related routine or service" and yet do we really know God? Do we sit quietly in his lap and let him speak directly into our lives? Do we still ourselves for long enough to hear him whisper in our ears how much he loves and adores us? Do we fear and worry? Do we have the foundational faith that we can really do all things through Christ who strengthens us? Is he really our unshakeable peace that passes all earthly understanding? Are we honed enough to actually go through with what the indwelling spirit is actually asking us to do? Because this is Christ lived out in us, and through us. And through this intimacy - I am pretty sure the outpouring of our lives, our fruits and thoughts would be transformed into thoughts of "things above, not on earthly things" (Col 3:2).
Jeremiah 9:23-24
This is what the Lord says:
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom,
or the strong man boast of his strength,
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord..."
My prayer for each of you is that you would draw close to the one who loves you most and created you. That you would take time to be still before him, and let him speak and minister to your heart in the way that he knows you need. That you each would be renewed and refreshed, challenged, purged, purified and made more into the image of Christ. That you each wouldn't be only "circumcised in your flesh, but would be circumcised in your hearts" Jer 29:25.
Just some thoughts.....
My readings over the last little while have been through the prophets and through Isaiah and for the first little bit I actually found it quite discouraging and repetitive. I kept drugging through it - most times half heartedly - and feeling guilty about how I didn't feel like I was getting it. I kept thinking, why does it go on and on about how God is angry with his people for not returning to him - it seems like such a cycle where God tries over and over in many different ways to woo his people back into intimacy with himself - and then it goes on and on and on....
And then the other day it became so clear to me the relevance of the old testimony message in today's world. How we live in such a fast paced hectic world and often times we blame that for not being able to develop and deepen their relationship with their creator because we are too busy. We get so distracted by the hollow fleeting things of life, our priorities are so mixed up and contrary to what scripture says they should be. How even today, as in the old testament God laments- agonizes even over his people not drawing close to him, and perusing intimacy with him on a regular basis. (I know some would be tempted to accuse me of legalism here regarding regularly spending time in devotions, and I admit that yes - God is not limited to a formula or a routine.) I do know that in order to cultivate and grow our earthly relationships (marriages, friendships, family relations) - we must invest energy and time maintaining them and working on them in order for them to grow in a healthy fashion. He longs so much for His children to draw close to him. So often we go through the routine like the pharasiees - today that may manifest itself as "church related routine or service" and yet do we really know God? Do we sit quietly in his lap and let him speak directly into our lives? Do we still ourselves for long enough to hear him whisper in our ears how much he loves and adores us? Do we fear and worry? Do we have the foundational faith that we can really do all things through Christ who strengthens us? Is he really our unshakeable peace that passes all earthly understanding? Are we honed enough to actually go through with what the indwelling spirit is actually asking us to do? Because this is Christ lived out in us, and through us. And through this intimacy - I am pretty sure the outpouring of our lives, our fruits and thoughts would be transformed into thoughts of "things above, not on earthly things" (Col 3:2).
Jeremiah 9:23-24
This is what the Lord says:
"Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom,
or the strong man boast of his strength,
or the rich man boast of his riches,
but let him who boasts boast about this:
that he understands and knows me,
that I am the Lord..."
My prayer for each of you is that you would draw close to the one who loves you most and created you. That you would take time to be still before him, and let him speak and minister to your heart in the way that he knows you need. That you each would be renewed and refreshed, challenged, purged, purified and made more into the image of Christ. That you each wouldn't be only "circumcised in your flesh, but would be circumcised in your hearts" Jer 29:25.
Just some thoughts.....
posted by Rebecca at 11:39 AM
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