Thursday, January 27

Dig Deeper

We were blessed last evening with an intentional snow storm in Northern Virginia!  Many motorists were trapped in their cars for hours during rush hour because of the treacherous road conditions. 

I was digging out this morning and the top layer of the ten inches we received is snow.  But the deeper I shoveled I discovered a solid layer of ice.  The surface displayed something totally different from what was revealed under the layers of snow.
I believe that God is calling Christians to dig deeper this year for a new level in their relationship with Him. That doesn't come easy and it doesn't come living a life of surface Christianity. We can look the part but trials and challenges often reveal alot of fluff in our Christian walk.

"Stand at the gate of the Lord's house and there proclaim this message: " 'Hear the word of the Lord. This is what the Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Reform your ways and your actions, and I will let you live in this place." Jeremiah 7:2-3

The people followed a worship ritual but maintained a sinful life-style. It was religion without personal commitment to Christ. That appears to be happening more and more in the church today and if we are not cautious we can easily do the same. Compromise seems to be a popular "buzz" word in the Christian world. Attending church each time the doors are open, participating in communion, singing in the choir, leading a mentorship group, teaching Sunday School - all of these things are empty exercises unless we are doing them with the correct motive.

It seems that many Christians today are comfortable and stagnant in their walk with Christ. Instead of intentional digging deep in God's Word people seem satisfied remaining at the same level year after year after year in their relationship with God. How can we ever achieve God's purpose and plan for our lives when we are unwilling to sacrifice, commit and obey Him? Without intentional living we will never know what God really has for our lives.

Pressures, demands, and overwhelming expectations push in from all sides and absolutely assault our lives. Some days it seems everyone is demanding something from us. At some point we may find ourselves rushing through life, attending to the "must do" list, the urgent and what we interpret as necessary. The important is all too often forgotten. Our challenge is not the number of demands or lack of skills when it comes to prioritizing our time, but values - what is truly important to us?

Where is God on our "to do" lists? My dad had an old saying when I was a young girl. "Our actions speak much louder than our words." If I heard that come out of Dad's mouth once I heard it a thousand times.  It didn't mean much to me in those young years but it certainly resonates with me now!  If we are struggling daily to read our Bibles and spend quality time in prayer with the Lord we definitely have a priority issue. Yes, we certainly can fool many around us but can we really fool
God? 

My desire is to be the best Woman of God this year I can be. If I am going to achieve that goal my priorities on my "to do" list must be God first in all things. I  have determined to be intentional about the things of Christ in all areas of my life.  I am determined to dig deeper....... are you?

Blessings friends!

No comments:

Post a Comment

Thanks so much for visiting this site. I pray that Chocolate and Coffee will be an encouragement to you today.

Blessings and hugs!