I love when the Lord shares in my devotionals things that we are working on or things that are being taught elswhere in the lives of my family. The other day I shared we do Bible and journaling . We also do devotions and prayer time as a whole family every nite. I had an outstanding devotion and I shared it last nite for our devotion... but I did it differently than just reading it. We try to be creative in our approach to this time.
It was from Psalm 63, O God, You are my God ; early will I seek You ; my soul thirsts for You ; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water.
The writer shared how amazed he was that we can launch probes into deep space. He commented what a waste it would be if on the way to Mars the probe got caught in the gravitational pull of a lesser, insignificant object. He cautioned for us to beware... this could be happening in our lives too. Meaning that when Jesus called us to follow Him just like He did his disciples we are to passionately pursue Him. Followers of Christ have been launched into a trajectory that is defined by drawing closer and closer to Him. But in this process , we are often distracted and we succumb to the gravitational pull of lesser, alluring things. When that happens we cease our pursuit of Him and go into orbit around stuff that in the end is empty and unstatisfying. David pursued God, knowing that He alone could satisfy his inner longings because His lovingkindness is better than life itself. The joy of God's presence comsumed every moment when David wrote," When I remember You on my bed, I meditate on You in the night watches".. David understood that true joy and purpose come not in admiring God from a safe distance, but from chasing hard after Him.
My favorite was this : The closer you walk with God, the less room for anything to come between.
To illustrate this with the kids last nite... I had Jacob stand up behind Joseph ( who was holding a Bible). Then Caleb walked between... I would ask Jacob to step closer, closer and then he was hugging Joseph so tight that Caleb could not even squeeze his hand between them....We encouraged all of us to see the Lord more passionately and to "walk" more closely. How do we walk our walk daily ? We read our Bible, pray and journal and spend time with those the Lord brings to our home or around us when we are out and about ... It has been an amazing journey to watch just how and what the Lord is doing thru our family. Our mission fields will all be different but our walks should be similiar in proximity to our Lord... We need to be so "tight" with Him that we recognize His aroma and His spirit in our lives. So that when we are tempted we do not succumb to the temptation because our Lord is as close to us as Joseph and Jacob were last nite in our devotion time... or we are so close and "know" His desires that we passionately pursue them instead of getting hung up on things of this world or our own selfish desires....
How close are you walking with the Lord today? I know I can get even closer in my own walk.
There is a great devotional out there that focuses on Psalm 63 and the other themes of Sometimes by Step by Rich Mullins. I can't remember where exactly I found it, but it was online, free and we had a great lesson from it.
ReplyDeleteThanks Hevel... I love anything by Rich Mullins including his music.
ReplyDeleteHave you ever had the chance to meet him in person and listen to him not only sing, but share?
ReplyDeleteHe was such a wonderful man.
No, I never got a chance to. I am sure it was a special time...just from some of the lyrics of his songs. He was a special and gifted person.
ReplyDeleteI am James McDermott. My wife Cindy and I have been blessed by God with 13 children. We also homeschool and above all, we are Christians. We recently started a website called Christian family meeting place (www.christianfamilymeetingplace.com). Many who hold our views are isolated and are looking for online fellowship, personal fellowship, churches, and even spouses. I am inviting you to register. It is free. If you're not interested, that is perfectly fine. May God bless you in all you do for Him. - In the Vine, Jim for Cindy and the rest
ReplyDeleteP.S. We also publish SALT Magazine. If you would like to check us out go to www.saltmagazine.com