Good Morning!
I have been gently coaxed into getting a blog post done so here I am. It isn't that I don't have great ideas for blogs, it is that I just haven't taken the time to do it. I get to thinking it's not that big of a deal and that nobody really reads it anyway. And then I thought, Oh my goodness, what if God thought that way about us when he inspired the writing of the Bible. Let's face it, He knew there would be many houses that doesn't even have one in it, many houses that it is sat on the coffee table to gather dust and many houses that it gets put someplace between Sundays. But He also knew there would be those that it was the first thing they laid their hands on every morning, the last thing they touched before going to sleep and the item they turned to when their world was crumbling. Ironically, my first instinct was to say, "it was for those people that He kept writing". But I believe that is a wrong assumption. I believe He really did write it for every one of us, no matter where we are in our journey.
Growing up in a Christian household, I guess there was never a time I have lived in a house without a Bible in it. I have however lived in a house where it has sat in one place for many weeks and even those times that it was only moved to take it to church. This house was not where my mom lived, lol, but where I have lived in the past as an adult. My mom has been one of those first thing in the morning, last thing before going to sleep people, I go through phases, just being honest here. Nowadays, because of the internet and modern technology, you can get your hands, or ears, on a Bible anytime you want. I most often listen to a devotional of a morning when I am on my way to the gym. I leave while everyone else is asleep, so that is my first interaction of the day. Our Daily Bread has an audible version so you can listen, hear scripture, and pray. I normally have my morning prayers after my devotional and then I am set to face the day. The days that I don't go to the gym though, sometimes I end up going the whole day without having my God time. I have realized I can tell it. Not only in the way I treat others but the way I handle my own emotions and security. I find that when I haven't started my day with God, I am much more insecure in what I am doing and what I can do.
So why do I do that to myself when I know how big of a difference it makes? I don't know. I am going to tell you, my personal opinion is you can't truly know what God is wanting you to do unless you are in His word. I have heard the Bible given as an acronym, Basic Instruction Before Leaving Earth. I whole heartedly believe that God speak to me, not JUST through the Bible, but in my thoughts. I feel I have to have the right framing in place to know that it is Him and not the devil. I compare this to a classroom, where you are given instruction by a teacher who understands the subject matter. When we open our Bibles, we are walking into the classroom, we are getting in the right mindset to really be open to what God has to say to us. I feel more secure about the thoughts that come into my head being from God when I have had my devotional, listened to scripture and prayed. Those early morning drives, I am usually about 10 miles out when I am finished with those things, those last 10 miles, I try to just Be Still and Know that He is God. I have a lot of moments of clarity during that time. I had one week that everyday during my quiet time, God convicted me of the same thing, every day. Something I had let slip into being a priority in my life that I knew shouldn't be there. I was convicted, I was sure He was the one speaking to me and I knew he was going to keep saying the same thing daily until I changed what I was doing. So I did. And I have drawn closer to Him because of it. I am just going to tell you, anytime you let something get between you and God, it is a problem, and that was what I was doing. I was putting more importance on dealing with something in my life than nurturing my relationship with Him. He kept telling me to drop it, to just let it go, and when I finally did, I felt Him wrap his arms around me and comfort me. As He knew it wouldn't be easy, but it would be right.
Psalm 119:105 Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
Psalm 46:10a Be still and know that I am God.
These are your takeaways for today. I am encouraging you to try this week to find a bit of time to open the word of God, step into the classroom before you decide you can hear what the teacher is telling you.
As I said, Our Daily Bread has a great daily, quick devotional, there are several out there, I even get an email each day with a quick devotional in it for working women. If you want to find a way to get into His word, it really is easy.
So every time I say Psalm 119:105, this Amy Grant song pops in my head.
Enjoy and have a great week, and may you grow a bit closer to Him this week. :-)
