Show me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior, and my hope is in you all day long.
Psalm 25:4-5
I read my Bible every day. I see it as a necessity. Just like eating and drinking. I need to read God's word. Over time it can feel like a chore. I don't like admitting this but sometimes I get little flickers of feeling tired of reading the Bible.
As of late, my joy has increased with diving into God's word. There is a fresh hunger and wide eyed wonder about scripture I have not felt in a while. I'm getting a faint feeling of familiarity that I've written a post like this before. Oh well. At the beginning of this year God showed me a new way to reading His word. I used to read it a chapter at a time then write down what stood out to me and how I can apply what I read to my life. Now God showed me to read just a few verses at a time and stop when I feel I need to steep in what I read. It can be 5 verses to 20 before I stop and meditate on what I read. Reading the Bible like that has been so refreshing!
No matter your season in life. I won't list them. Literally you know where you are. If you feel like your joy in reading God's word has lost it's luster don't worry. Ask God to give you a joy for His word again. You see, it's not you that has to muster up the desire. God told us that we will become weary. Even young men get exhausted(Isaiah 40:30)! Remember, God is a joyful giver. Especially when it comes to a true desire for His word and Him.
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Hey Everybody! Long time no see.
I have not thought about writing in this blog for a bit. With the holidays, work and everything in between, I just didn't feel like writing anything.
God has been changing my heart. I've been stepping back from Facebook and stopped stating my opinions on social media. God just really convicted me with the reality of having that entitlement of "I have something to say and it's really important that everyone listen." Ugh. I didn't think I'd ever get that.
Now about food sacrificed to idols: We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs us, but love builds up. The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. But the man who loves God is known by God.
1 Corinthians 8:1-3
Knowledge puffs us. Hmm. That makes me think of a puff pastry. It looks good and sturdy, but once you cut into it, it crumbles all over the place. Love builds up. It's interesting that it doesn't say it's strong or sturdy. Why build? That means it's a continual process. Love can get stronger.
When I learn something new I, at times, feel like an expert. Then my pride is popped and deflated when an actual expert on the subject comes along. No wonder God doesn't like pride; it's so full of...hot air. Think about it. With knowledge you can say all these smart and witty things and make people in awe and wonder of what you know. The downfall is, you can't get close to some scholars. If their heart is full of pride they can't be honest and down-to-earth because their smart reputation has to be upheld. They can't be raw and vulnerable.
Here's the thing about love. Honestly I'm getting sick of the word itself. This whole love movement reminds me a lot of the hippie love. That shallow love is mushy and soft. Once you betray it, it will become a rabid wolf. That which boasted of tolerance instantly tears your throat out and leaves you to bleed out alone and bewildered. God's love is a completely different story. It's firm, strong and stable. His love is patient, kind, bears up under anything, always hopes and never fails (1 Corinthians 13:4-8). Those are some parts of God's love.
Now the part about those who love God are known by God. What is that about? Doesn't God know us already? If you read Romans 8:29, and 1 John 3:2, John 3:16 and Matthew 7:21-23 you will see that we love Jesus when we turn from our sin and surrender to Him as Lord and Savior. I'm not a Bible scholar but it seems that God knows us as a father knows his child. Sure you can know your neighbor's kids pretty good, but when it comes to your own child: you know them.
Ultimately, God knows all. We don't know much. To love God and to be known by Him (for your soul to be saved) is the most important thing in the world. Everything else fades away.
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