Tilling my Mind

Reading Titus 2 today, I am reminded of the following...

God wants me to be of sound mind, controlled and alert. Tilling my mind should be like tilling the soil in the garden. Remove any weeds that have taken root. Don't let it go even for a while because it easily gets out of control. Be diligent, steadfast and prompt. Don’t just break off the top of the weeds but dig deeply and remove them by their roots. Sow the seeds of truth, righteousness and faith in straight rows. Fertilize them with daily time with God and His word.

God Ways are SO Much Better

I am reminded tonight of just how much God's ways are better than our ways. We think we have it all together and our lives are in control. Yet, how much control do we really have on our lives.

Lately, I just have not been consistently focusing on God. I go through the motions and I roll through the day. The sun sets... the sun rises and I do it all over again. My prayers have been only so-so and my Bible study has been more routine than really seeking and searching for God's direction.

It has been many, MANY months since I've posted here and it took a person that read one of my older posts to bring me back to reality, back to the drifting that I was doing. It is AMAZING that God loves me so much that he used a man in another part of the country to bring me back to my senses.

Thank you to this person for jolting me back to what is really reality (a life walking hand in hand with God) and what isn't (the day-to-day of this world).

My life is but a weaving between my God and me...

God's Judgement on Jerusalem

I have been reading the book of Joshua in the Bible the last several days. What an incredible job that God gave Joshua to do. Jerusalem's impending doom and destruction was at hand. God basically told Joshua to phophecy to the people about the upcoming destruction. Yet, God also tells Joshua 'oh and by the way... they won't listen'. Wow, how is that for an encouraging word.

The bottom-line though is that Joshua is FAITHFUL to what God called him to do.

God judges the people of Jerusalem and they end up in captivity for 70 years after a 2 1/2 year siege on the city. Why? Because they have forsaken their first love. They have turned to idols for worship. The priests of the day told the church goers only what they wanted to hear. They included 'idol' worship even in the services. The people longed for debauchery, lust, greed and the like.

How might that compare to America today? What are we wanting to hear in a church service instead of the voice of God? Good music... the hymn played correctly? Words from the pulpit that underscore what we are doing and give credence to it? Or do we want to hear the WHOLE truth from the Word of God... the Bible?

What are we saying to others... are our ears itching to hear tidbits of tantalizing information about celebrities and friends, or do we want to hear God Himself?

What are our eyes longing for... more and more violence that we see on TV and in the movies? More and more bed-hopping and lust that is so common today? Or do we want to see Jesus face-to-face?

It is time to wake up and smell the coffee, folks. I envision that America is not long for this world in the path that we are presently on. We look A LOT like the citizens of Jerusalem in the days of Joshua. Will we as a nation wake up and REPENT (i.e. turn around)? Or will we continue down this path to destruction?

The day is near...

Am I Listening?

I have read all of one sentence in Matthew this morning and I am aware of God saying... "Are you listening to what I'm saying"? Jesus is talking to His disciples saying "As you know, the Passover is two days away - and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified." (Matthew 26:1)

Here is Jesus speaking to His disciples and it could not be any more clear... at least to us. You see we know what happens. How often is God speaking to us just as clearly and yet we hear only what we want to hear. This is quite convicting to me this morning.