Isaiah 55:8-9 says "My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways and my thoughts are higher than your thoughts."
This verse or some form of it has shown up several times over the course of the day. When this usually happens I tend to take notice. Sometimes I don't realize until much later how often a certain verse or thought planted itself in front of me over and over during the course of the day or week. But for some reason I was paying attention today, so the recurring theme for today was Isaiah 55:8-9.
The day began with spotting a video on Facebook that caught my eye, now normally I don't click on those videos unless it's something like my cute "niece" Hannah walking for the first time, or some other video by a close friend or family member, but something about this one just said "click me". It was a video that talked about how the world views success verses how the LORD views success. Ok so I got that message it's one I've heard over and over in the course of my life, so then I walk into Bible class this morning and the teacher begins talking about "a God first perspective". The teacher asked us if we had "a God first perspective on life" and my first thought was of course I do...then I began to reflect on the previous day, this past week and in fact what went on the night before. At first this may not sound like it relates to the world verses God views of success, but when I began to think about it, it all has to do with how I view my responsibilities in life, what are the things that matter to me, what do I spend the majority of my day doing? Am I putting God first?
Am I putting my responsibilities to God, my family, my husband, my church, my friends, my job above my personal wants and desires? And the honest answer is no. Our awesome preacher this morning was speaking to me...It's like he knew I needed this wake up call! "Responsibility is not only what you do, but it's how you feel and how you think."Was it responsible of me to stay up until 2:00 a.m. last night when I knew I had to be at the church at 7:45 and that I had to get up early enough to take the dog out? Was I being responsible in preparing my mind and heart for service and worship of my Lord? No. Am I being responsible with my time when I spend hours on Facebook rather than reading my Bible, praying, helping someone in need or even just getting up to get some exercise? Am I being responsible in taking care of myself when I order those french fries with ranch dressing instead of a healthy serving of vegetables? Am I being responsible with my time, my money, the talents God has given me or any of the other blessings He has given me? The honest answer is some days are better than others. Most days I am pretty irresponsible I'd rather sit in the air conditioning playing games on Facebook or on my iPhone than go out and walk in the 100+ heat or even on the treadmill taking up space in the living room. I'd rather read some fictional nonsense than spend time studying my Bible. Does this make me a bad Christian I don't think so, just an irresponsible one. Responsibility means many different things to different people as our preacher pointed out today. So what can I do to be more responsible and to be a better steward of all that God has given me.
I can be more responsible by:
1. Taking care of my body - by being responsible in my food choices, by going to bed and getting enough rest and by getting off the couch and exercising not only will I be healthier I will be better able to help those that God places in my path because I won't be so tired and run down and I'll probably notice more people that need help because I might actually be awake and paying attention than thinking about how tired I am.
2. Being a better manager of my time - do I really need to spend 2 hours or more a night playing on the computer? What might I get accomplished if I used that 2 hours for something else?
3. Being a better steward of the money God has placed in my care - do I really need that cute new top or that pretty skirt...I wonder what I could do with the money I'd save there?
4. Being more responsible in keeping in touch with my family and friends - what important things are happening in their lives and how can I help
I am sure there are many other things I can do to be more responsible, but I also I have to feel more responsible and think in a more responsible way. It's a lot easier to change the things I do than to change my mindset. It's an on going process and a journey I know I will be on for many years to come. One day at a time, one moment at a time, one decision at a time is what it will take.
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