Two themes this summer

Isaiah 64:8
Yet, O LORD, you are our Father. We are the clay, you are the potter; we are all the work of your hand.


Exodus 20: 3-6

 ³ "You shall have no other gods before me.
 ⁴ "You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁵ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ⁶but showing love to a thousand {generations} of those who love me and keep my commandments.

I did a lot of walking this summer and actually even started running again.  In early July I could only run a half a mile and just yesterday I ran 2.4.  It is the first time in probably 8 years I have ran that far.  But...it was the podcasts I listened to this summer that kept me going.  I listened to an array of pastors and nine times out of ten I would randomly select a sermon on the lists I had downloaded that had two reoccurring themes this summer...

      God is the Creator and everything else in our universe is created.

      We are created for outpouring ongoing worship for Him alone.

But do we?
    
      Worship

• To be totally devoted to           

It was totally bizarre, no matter what I listened to or where I was over the span of the three months of summer, these two themes kept popping up over and over.  God is telling me something as He continiously prunes me.

      Prune (as a verb):

• To cut off or remove dead or living parts or branches of; to improve shape or growth.
• To remove or cut out as superfluous

Superfluous

• exceeding what is sufficient or necessary
• not needed; marked by wastefulness

I have too much of just about everything-whether it is stuff, cosmetics, lotions, clothes, shoes, purses, junk food and snacks, pressures, magazines, wine glasses, worries, chores, excess weight, cards for every occassion, errands, knick knacks, candles, lists, birthday gifts...just in case, folders, jewelry I don't wear too often, etc.

I am superfluous.
It is not in congruence with God's way.
I desire less.
This will allow for reduced clutter and a gain of focus;
Thus, better use of my time.

I am grateful I am aware of this and have eyes to see what He wants me to see. It doesn't mean it will come easy unfortunately but then again I have the Holy Spirit with me to be a constant reminder.

The things listed above get in the way of my love for God.  He created us in His image to glorify Him through a life of worship.  Worship is as simple as serving and loving others.  Worship is waking up each morning and giving Him my day.  Worship is humbling myself at work.  Worship is showing a loving heart towards others.  Worship is being a mirror of Him to others.

There is that saying-where do you spend the bulk of your time?  That is what you worship.  Anything that is created (which is everything...)-our children, our families, our own body, our face and hair, our house, our possessions, the ability to teach, exercise, eat, work or serve, etc.....anything that we focus the bulk of our effort,energy and time on- day after day- other than God...is worshipping something other than Him-our King.


God has spent time with me this summer making me keenly aware of this.  I now recognize it and I have to make an effort daily to put Him first.  I have to be aware of where I spend the majority of my time and energy.

Where is He on my list?
Where is my focus during the day?
What is the first thing I think about in the morning?
How do I prioritize my time and what comes before Him?
Am I bringing Him glory and honor by my actions throughout my day or seeking to bring glory, recognition and honor to myself?

I know it is ok to enjoy all those other things and I do but I don't want them or anything to come a priority over Him.  That is not what He intends as He continously creates all of us and all things.


Heavenly Father-  I love you so much.  I am so glad I know you and that you love me Lord.  You alone are the Creator of all things.  Help me to recognize in my days when I am focused on creation/things created and not on You.  Lord remind me in the early morning to walk in the Holy Spirit and live my day to bring You alone glory and honor....not myself.  Thank you for making us in your image.  Thank you for creating us for a love relationship with You.  Lord forgive me when I don't do things that bring you honor and glory.  Thank you for revealing to me this is my single purpose in life to bring you glory by loving others whatever that may look like day by day.  I love you

A Day of Rest. Really?

Exodus 20:8-11 

 ⁸ "Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor your animals, nor the alien within your gates. ¹¹ For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

God calls us to observe the Sabbath still even today in 2010.  Do I do this today?  No.  I have really been wrestling with this lately.  I always tell God I love Him so much and yet my actions and how I spend myself and my time do not always align with my love for Him.  It is one thing to not recognize it-but when I do notice I am out of sync, that is when I must step up and make a decision.  Am I going to stop paying people to work in my yard on Sundays because it is convenient for me-since I am too busy during the week to get these things done?  Is it ok if I do it sometimes?  No not really-I need to honor God by my choices and obey His commands regardless.


Yet I like all others am not perfect and I do not obey Him always-but when I know something is being pressed on my heart, I need to do an about face and be obedient.


We can jump to Isaiah 58:13-14 and see it again with a promise.
"If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath
   and from doing as you please on my holy day,
if you call the Sabbath a delight 
   and the Lord's holy day honorable,
and if you honor it by not going your own way
   and not doing as you please or speaking idle words,
then you will find your joy in the Lord,
    and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land
    and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob."
                                                              The mouth of the Lord has spoken.


It always comes back to God's intentions as the Creator.  He intended for us to have a day of rest.   Why? Well to take the notes from my Bible...
   The day of rest should be observed and regarded not only because Sabbath-keeping is a commandment but also because it is best for us and because it honors God.  Keeping the Sabbath shows proper respect to God, Our Creator, who also rested on the seventh day.  Our day of rest refreshes us spiritually and physically-providing time when we can gather together for worship and when we can reflect on God without the stress of everyday activities.


It also unifies and sets priorities for our family.


I remember Sundays at my grandmother's house as I was growing up before we moved to Atlanta.  It was so much fun and a great tradition that I so enjoyed.  Being with my mom's extended family at my grandmother's house and all sitting down together to eat on Sunday afternoons was one of my fondest memories as a child.  I grew close to all my Aunts and Uncles and Grammy and had lots of fun with my cousins too.  My grandmother didn't have a fancy house or anything.  We would mix and match tables, pull chairs together and extend the tables from the dining room into the living room for the kids table.

The early morning...

Isaiah 50: 4

The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue,

to know the word that sustains the weary.

He wakens me morning by morning,

wakens my ear to listen like one being taught.

The early morning just has something unique about it.

The smell of the air, the dew on the ground and the things that are low to it,

the sky, the moment, everything about it. I treasure it...when I can wake up early enough to

submerse myself in it.

My brain is like a sponge in the early morning-it soaks up everything. It is so alert.

This is also my favorite time to read God's Word.

But most of all, when on rare occasion I am awakened by the Holy Spirit from my sleep,

this is when I am most delighted. It is very hard to articulate the closeness to God I experience when this occurs but it is always the same and thus why I know it is of Him. I usually hear myself praying and since I am asleep-I must be praying in the Spirit when this happens.

Thank you so much Lord for this great gift!