Commandments about our own strength 9/28

Thou shall not worry; for worry is the most unproductive of all human activities.

Thou shall not be fearful; for most of the things we fear never come to pass.

Thou shall not cross bridges before you come to them; for no one yet has succeeded in accomplishing this.

Thou shall face each problem as it comes; you can only handle one at a time anyway.

Thou shall not take problems to bed with you; for they make very poor bedfellows.

Thou shall not try to relive yesterday for good or ill, it is forever gone; concentrate on what is happening in your life and be content now.

Thou shall be a good listener; for only when you listen do you hear different ideas from your own. (It's hard to learn something new when you're always talking.)

Thou shall not become "bogged down" by frustration; for 90% of it is rooted in self-pity and will only interfere with moving forward.

Thou shall count thy blessings; never overlooking the small ones, for a lot of small blessings add up to a big one.

www.mikeysFunnies.com


My Comments: These aren’t funny, but they are good reminders that we have to leave our problems in God’s hand and accept as from Him all that we are given, “No good thing will He withhold from them that walk uprightly.” Psalm 84:11b. Either it wasn’t good for us, or we weren’t walking uprightly, or both. I need to meditate on this verse continually.

Holy Club questions 9/28

Each member of John Wesley's Holy Club asked himself these twenty-two questions every day during his private devotions. Are YOU up for it??
1. Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I really am? In other words, am I a hypocrite? 
2. Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate? 
3. Do I confidently pass on to another what I was told in confidence? 
4. Can I be trusted? 
5. Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits? 
6. Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying? 
7. Did the Bible live in me today? 
8. Do I give it time to speak to me every day? 
9. Am I enjoying prayer? 
10. When did I last speak to someone else of my faith? 
11. Do I pray about the money I spend? 
12. Do I get to bed on time and get up on time? 
13. Do I disobey God in anything? 
14. Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy? 
15. Am I defeated in any part of my life? 
16. Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy, or distrustful? 
17. How do I spend my spare time? 
18. Am I proud? 
19. Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisees who despised the publican? 
20. Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold a resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I doing about it? 
21. Do I grumble or complain constantly? 
22. Is Christ real to me?
Laugh & Lift at http://www.laughandlift.com/list.html

My Comments: There isn’t much to say about this. I’m certainly not ready to answer all these correctly, but oh, how I want to be able to do just that. Lord, teach me, change me, send me the grace I need to yield to You in every area of my life.

Off Key and Out of Tune 9/25

Off Key and Out of Tune

Today I turned on my computer and began to type. I had finished about two lines before I looked at the screen and saw a confusing jumble of letters. I had unknowingly placed my hands one key to the left of proper starting position. Therefore, each word I wrote made absolutely no sense.

The same could happen if I played the piano and put my hands in the incorrect position. The mistake would be audible and detected quickly, but the short musical interlude would be miserable sounding.

The same is true of my Christian walk. I may be off the "beaten path" a little; perhaps putting self first and exemplifying other characteristics which are not Christian. I would sound and look unappealing and make no sense as a Christian, even by being one step to the right or left of where I should be.

I am thankful God wants to place me back where I need to be, in the proper position in His beautiful plan. I need to remember to "look" where I am and "listen" to how I sound. Am I glorifying God in my actions and words? This is my desire, and I am thankful God taps me lovingly on the hand when I am out of place. How about you?

…..Marion Smith (noles65@aol.com) by way of “Christian Voices” (www.ChristianVoicesWorldwide.com)


My Comments: How long have I been off key and out of tune? It seems like a couple years... I’ve tried so hard to stay on key, but on my own and in my own way, NOT GOD’s. Now I am being retuned... it’s not an enjoyable process, but the Master Tuner will get me back in His tune, if and as I yield to Him.

Holding Patterns 9/25

(Author Unknown, Adapted from firstIMPRESSIONS)
Many times, God will allow a painful situation or a painful circumstance in our life to "swallow us up." This season in our spiritual growth is a holding pattern. We can't move to the left or the right. All we can do is sit, like Jonah sat in the belly of that great fish, so God can have our undivided attention and speak to us.
God put Jonah in a holding pattern because He needed to speak to his heart. Jonah was all alone. There were no friends to call, no colleagues to drop by, no books to read, no food to eat, no interferences, and no interruptions. He had plenty of time to sit, think, meditate, and pray.
When we're deep down in the midst of a difficult situation, God can talk to us. When He has our undivided attention, He can show us things about ourselves that we might not otherwise have seen.
A few of God's holding patterns:
1. When you are sick in your physical body and you have prayed but you're not yet healed, you are in a holding pattern.
2. When you are having problems with your children and you have put them on the altar, but God has not delivered them yet, you are in a holding pattern.
3. When you have been praying for a loved one to return to God, and they have not come back yet, you are in a holding pattern.
4. When you are in a broken relationship and you have given it over to God, but it has not been restored yet, you are in a holding pattern.
5. When the doors slam shut before you can even knock on them, you are in a holding pattern.
When we are deep in the belly of a difficult situation, there are no interruptions. God has our undivided attention. All we can do is sit, think, meditate, and pray. Like Jonah, we cannot run from God, because there are no mountains that are high enough, valleys that are low enough, rivers that are wide enough, rooms that are dark enough, or places that are hidden from Him.
We must remember to praise Him while we're waiting, and remember three things:
1. The pattern has a purpose. 
2. The pattern has a plan. 
3. The pattern has a process.
So stop struggling and start listening, praying and trusting. He'll keep you right where you are until you can clearly hear Him say, "I love you."
The Daily Encourager (dlangerfeld@HarrisburgBaptist.org)

"Father, forgive my unbelief. I know you love me and I will come to see the benefit of everything in my life, even this holding pattern. I know the fact that all is working for my good is assured through You. You have planned nothing for me but victories and I am ready to receive them regardless of how difficult the path. Thank you and help me to keep holding on to You! Amen."
Laugh & Lift at http://www.laughandlift.com/list.html

My Comments: God has my attention like He never has before. I’m a little excited to see what He’s going to do in the next weeks and months. I don’t want to go back spiritually to where I have been lately. It is definitely time to heed the Lord in my life.

A Reminder to Be Mindful of God 9/23

A Reminder to Be Mindful of God 
(By Rev. Kerry S. Doyal, Grace Ev. Free Ch. - Kingsport, TN www.gracefreeofkingsport.org)
You never know when or where God will remind you of an important truth. A recent chance encounter at a hotel continental breakfast bar reminded me of God's passion to teach us. It reminded me of the need to be mindful of Him.
Our family was traveling back to Kingsport recently when my son and I met a kind retiree from Oklahoma. Coincidentally, she too who was on her way to Kingsport, to visit a daughter and family.
By the way, it is said that a "coincidence" is when God chooses to work anonymously. Lucky for us - yes, that was a joke- He does this often.
Having noticed that she looked Hispanic or Native American and that she had on a shirt saying "Mexico," I asked if she was Mexican or Cherokee. She was in fact first generation Mexican American, and she then relayed an interesting life development.
Our new friend told how she used to think in Spanish as well as she could in English. But, in the past few years, she has noticed that skill slipping. At a recent reception, she was able to speak to someone in Spanish. Yet, much to her chagrin, she got stuck in efforts to communicate.
Having no one to speak Spanish to on a regular basis has made it harder to think in Spanish as easily as she used to. What used to be natural to her now takes effort due to lack of practice, less use.
Hmmm... With a long drive ahead and being a person prone to parabolize, apt to allegorize, this got me to thinking about my thinking. (I will not be offended if you need to re read that sentence.) How fluent do I stay in thinking about God, His word, His truths, His will and ways?
Can I, with Willie Nelson, sing to my sweet Lord, "You were always on my mind?" Being on the road again, I could not outlaw that line of thinking.
How consistently do I meditate on Him, His word, mulling Him over? How well do I think biblically? Have my skills and habits of thinking in God's language - the Bible - stayed strong or have they slipped?
As God's people, we have a dual citizenship, know a second language - His. We are to love God with all our minds, as well as our hearts, soul and strength. A lack of use of our language of re-birth can lead to one dimensional living and thinking - a life that is too earthy (see Psalm 1).
To my new friend, I say "mucho gusto, mucho gracias mi amiga y Dios Te bendaga." "Good to meet you, thank you very much my friend and God bless you!" I hope you are duly impressed, that is half of my Spanish. And, yes, I had it double checked!
To my Lord, who has provided cleaner, clearer thoughts for us to think, I say thank you for the reminder. Feel free to keep me mindful to keep you in mind.
"If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God." Colossians 3:1-3
"Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." Philippians 4:8
"This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then you shalt have good success." Joshua 1:8

My Comments: I have been so far from being able to stay thinking about God, His Word and His will in my life. Oh how I see myself as needing God’s mercy! As a Christian for so many years, how could I get to this point of being so caught up in my own needs, desires, thoughts, and will to ignore the Lord’s leading in my life? I can see He has been calling me back to Himself for so long.

Is Your Hut Burning? 9/22

Is Your Hut Burning?
The only survivor of a shipwreck was washed up on a small, uninhabited island. He prayed feverishly for God to rescue him, and everyday he scanned the horizon for help, but none seemed forthcoming. Exhausted, he eventually managed to build a little hut out of driftwood to protect him from the elements, and to store his few possessions. BUT then one day, after scavenging for food, he arrived home to find his little hut in flames, the smoke rolling up to the sky. The worst had happened; everything was lost. He was stunned with grief and anger. "God, how could you do this to me!" he cried.
Early the next day, however, he was awakened by the sound of a ship that was approaching the island. It had come to rescue him. "How did you know I was here?" asked the weary man of his rescuers. "We saw your smoke signal," they replied.
It is easy to get discouraged when things are going bad. But we shouldn't lose heart, because God is at work in our lives, even in the midst of pain and suffering. Remember, next time your little hut is burning to the ground-it just may be a smoke signal that summons the grace of God.
For all of the negative things we have to say to ourselves, God has a positive answer for it:
You say: "It's impossible" 
God says: All things are possible because nothing is too hard for me (Luke 18:27)
You say: "I'm too tired" 
God says: I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: "Nobody really loves me" 
God says: I love you (John 3:16 and John 13:34)
You say: "I can't go on" 
God says: My grace is sufficient (ll Corinthians 
12:9 and Psalm91:15)
You say: "I can't do it" 
God says: You can do all things through Christ (Philippians 4:13)
You say: "I can't figure things out" 
God says: I will direct your steps (Proverbs 3:5-6)
You say: "I'm not able" 
God says: I am able (ll Corinthians 9:8)
You say: "It's not worth it" 
God says: It will be worth it (Romans 8:28)
You say: "I can't forgive myself" 
God says: I FORGIVE YOU (l John 1:9 and Romans 8:1)
You say: "I can't manage" 
God says: I will supply all your needs (Philippians 4:19)
You say: "I'm afraid" 
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear (II Timothy 1:7)
You say: "I"m always worried and frustrated" 
God says: Cast all your cares on ME (l Peter 5:7)
You say: "I don't have enough faith" 
God says: I've given everyone a measure of faith (Romans 12:3)
You say: "I'm not smart enough" 
God says: I give you wisdom (l Corinthians 1:30)
You say: "I feel all alone" 
God says: I will NEVER leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5)
Laugh & Lift at http://www.laughandlift.com/list.html

My Comments: I’m finally really learning about God’s grace. I’ve never fully appropriated it before. I need it so desperately... along with His mercy for my sinful life. Thank the Lord, He is ready to receive me as I return fully to Him.

God of the Hills and God of the Valleys 9/20

God of the Hills and God of the Valleys
1 Kings 20:28
 
And there came a man of God, and spake unto the king of Israel, and said, Thus saith the LORD, Because the Syrians have said, The LORD is God of the hills, but he is not God of the valleys, therefore will I deliver all this great multitude into thine hand, and ye shall know that I am the LORD.
 
      Have you ever gone into a church service and the Lord reinforces something He’s been speaking to you about in your personal time?   Not only does He reinforce it, He starts squeezing on your heart until it overflows through the portals of your soul?  Now, it’s a very rare occasion that I come out of a church service where it feels as though that sermon wasn’t for me.     However, it’s equally rare that I come out of service that God squeezes my heart so that it overflows from my eyes.   That has happened to me recently, not in just one service but in two consecutive services and a few since.
      I’d been reading about Ahab in my personal reading time.   Now, most of you know, he was one of, it not THE most, wicked kings to rule Israel.   Yet, I find a curiosity in 1 Kings 20.   There is a time that God blesses Ahab.  Now, as I study this, I realize this was not for the purpose of blessing Ahab but rather to give Ahab one more time to witness the grace and mercy of the God of Israel.   Whenever God extends His grace and mercy to us, He wants us to acknowledge that. 
      It is during this period of extended grace and mercy, that the Syrian army surrounds Samaria.     Now, the Syrian army was no small army.   In fact, the Lord tells Ahab through an unnamed prophet… “Hast thou seen all this great multitude?”  Think about that… why would the Lord point out to Ahab that he was surrounded by a HUGE army?   Wouldn’t Ahab have that figured out?   Maybe… maybe not.   If he did have it figured out, do you think he would be wondering how he was going to get out of this one?   He knew he wasn’t in God’s good graces and the gods he’d  been serving all his life weren’t really known for bailing Israel out of difficult places…. Particularly with Ahab as king.
      But God said yes, they’re there…. They’re in the surrounding hills…that’s what’s making it so difficult for you to know exactly how many there are.  God was telling Ahab, “I know there’s going to be a battle.  I know who the enemy is.   I know how great a multitude the enemy brings with them.    I have a plan to deliver Israel from them but not just for the sake of delivering them but that you and all of Israel will know that I am the Lord.”  
      Ahab questions God… How?  What’s the plan?    Long story short, God delivers them among the hills.   Whew!  That was a close one.    However, the prophet returns and says, "there's no time to relax… They’ll be back!   Get prepared!"     Sure enough, they came back… but the Syrians had surmised that the only reason Israel won the last battle was that their God was only a god of the hills.   Therefore, they planned to draw them out into the plains and valleys to fight them there.    This was a David and Goliath situation.  The Bible says that Israel looked like two small flocks of baby goats compared to the size and strength of Syria.   The Syrians surely thought they had them now.  They felt there was strength in numbers.
      God said because the Syrians thought He was a god of limitations, He would deliver them into the hand of Israel so that Ahab would know that He is the Lord.  Now, this was not just a master-type lord.  This is the Jehovah God.  The Great I AM God.  The ALL-Sufficient God. The Lord is my banner God.   The One who goes before us – God.  
      Ahab thought because they had won the battle in the hills, they could rest.   You know, isn’t that often how we feel?  We feel like when we’ve won a particularly difficult battle that we should be able to sit down and rest and take our ease?   Yet, the prophet (our Pastor, in most cases) comes along and says, no, you must strengthen yourself because the enemy will be coming back and you must be prepared.  As I read this, the song, “He’s the God of the Mountain,  He’s the God of the Valleys”, kept going through my mind.   Then I go to church on Sunday and our pastor teaches on a different subject but one sentence he said jumped out at me.  He preached from the book of Mark when the disciples were in a boat in the middle of a storm and Jesus calms the wind and the waves.   This is what Pastor said, when God brings the storms in our lives, He’s saying, “Focus on Me.”   
      That night, Pastor preached another sermon regarding king Asa; a righteous king for most of his life but one who got to the end of his life and forgot who God was.   He’d been struck with an infirmity in his feet yet refused to turn to God as his Healer.  
      When God brings storms in our lives, battles in different fields, He wants us to remember Who He is.   He wants us to remember He is the Healer.   He wants us to remember it only takes His Word to calm the storm.  He wants us to remember that He’s not only the God of the hills but He’s also God of the valleys.
      Are you struggling right now?  Do you wonder if God cares about your struggle?   Or perhaps you know He cares but you’re tired of fighting the battles and you just want to sit back and rest?  Can I be honest with you?   The battles continue as long as we remain on this earth.   There are Benhadads out there who want us to be frightened by their very size and strength.   There are successes in our lives that threaten to take our focus off God.  There are storms that threaten to overwhelm us….
      Won’t you allow God to be the Lord, your Banner in the battle?   Won’t you go to Him in your storm and allow Him to speak words of peace and calm at the waves that threaten to overwhelm you?   Won’t you allow Him to show you that He is not only God of the hills, but God of the valleys also?   He loves you and wants to walk with you or go before you as the case demands.  Won’t you let Him today?  Focus on Him... remember who God is and that Jesus Christ is God.
 
Molly Winter
Col. 1:9-10

My Comments: The Lord wants to be in control of all my life, all the time. That is so difficult for me. Often I’m just not sure I can trust Him with it all. Given that I haven’t done so well on my own, that really doesn’t make sense. I just need to yield, give it up, rest in Him.

Dancing with the Snake of Sin 9/14

Dancing with the Snake of Sin
1 Peter 1:15-16
But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;  Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
 
The other day, I was in my house when I heard our dog bark.  Now, I listened because it wasn’t his, “I’m so glad you’re here” bark.   Nor was it his, “mom, someone’s here you’d better come check it out” bark.  His bark was, “you’re in my territory and I want you out, pronto!”   So, I went to check it out.  As I came to the door, I saw him in his protective stance with a cat flanked on each side.  As I got nearer, I saw what was causing him so much fury.  At the side of our driveway, there was a bull snake.  A rather large bull snake and he was coiled to defend himself if necessary.   Though they are not poisonous, I called the dog back.    He relaxed because “mom” was present.
 
However, as I watched in fascination, I saw a killdeer that was looking on.    At first, he was a good, safe distance away.   Then as the snake decided it was safe for him to cross our driveway, the bird came closer.   As the snake slithered its way across the driveway, the tiny bird followed him.  As the snake’s head slithered away from him, the bird would draw nearer.  When the snake’s head slithered toward him, he moved back.  I watched thinking any minute that bird was going to be snake bait.  They did this little dance all the way across the driveway (away from the house I might add J) until the snake found refuge in some taller grass and eventually, the bird, decided this was not for him.
    
As I thought on this, I thought it was such a good illustration of how we, as Christians, often dance with sin.  At first, we stand off a good way and congratulate ourselves we’re staying away from even the “appearance of sin”.  Then something catches our attention and we draw closer to that sin… to watch what it will do.  It slithers across our way, and when we think it’s not looking, we get a little closer but all of sudden it turns toward us and we jump back.   It mesmerizes us.
 
Sometimes, I think as Christians, we try to get as close as we can to sin without being caught in its death trap.   We think if we flirt with an idea or an action against which God has clearly warned us that we still can “get away with it”.  Paul tells us in Romans that the “wages of sin is death”.    God has called us to be holy.  What does it mean to be holy?
 
According to Zodhiates Complete Word Study Dictionary, New Testament, “its fundamental idea is separation, consecration, devotion to the service of Deity, sharing in God’s purity and  abstaining from earth’s defilement….It also carries with it the meaning of pure, clean, ceremonially or morally clean, including the idea of deserved respect, reverence. … it means to set apart from a common to a sacred use. 
 
When we come to faith in Jesus Christ and ask Him to wash us in His blood, He desires that we not stop there.   Peter tells us in the verse I’ve quoted that He desires us to be holy ..in all manner of conversation.  That word ‘conversation’ does not mean only verbal communication.   It is every thing that makes up the way we live our lives.    Paul tells Titus that the aged women “ be in behaviour as becometh holiness”.  This would indicate that everything we do or say should be as one who has been set apart for sacred service to God.   When God saves us from a life of sin, that’s exactly what God wants us to do but He leaves that choice up to us… it’s called our free will.    I will go even further and say it’s not just our action and words but our thoughts and attitudes also.

Most of us are aware of the “big – in your face, God” sins.  However, as women, our sins are not always so easily recognizable.   For instance, our attitude.   Sometimes we allow our attitude to become unholy before God.   It is a selfish, self-centered attitude that demands we get our way.   What about honesty?   Oh, I am sure none of us would like to be caught in telling a lie, but do we live our lives as a lie?   Are we who we say we are?   Are we who we want others to see us?    Do we put up a wall between ourselves and other people for fear if they get to close to who we really are, they’ll not accept us?  What about anger?   Now, anger is not always sin, however, if we do not deal with anger, it can give way to bitterness.   What about the “little” sin of gossip?   Oh, you say, I never say anything that isn’t true!  Really?   Do you go to prayer meeting and ask prayer for someone hoping you’ll appear spiritual but in reality you’re just passing out gossip in a “safe” mode?   You might be saying something true about someone else but you’ve just lied about yourself.
 
How do we “be holy as God is holy?”    God not only called us from a life of sin but He called us to be holy.   We must remember that we “… are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.  (1 Corinthians 6:20).  If we remember that we were bought at great sacrifice to God and remember the great love He has to us, we will actively work at being holy.   Being holy is not “just” complying with a list of “do’s and don’ts”.  It is an attitude of reverence that starts in the heart.  It is a yearning to be close to the One who bought us.  When we walk close to Him and are in close communication with Him, then holiness becomes an outward manifestation of that walk.  It is also a safeguard against “dancing with the snake” of sin.  As we walk in holiness… as we desire to be “holy as our God is holy”, we will choose not to try to get as close to sin without being caught in its mouth of death.  I had a woman tell me one time that God wouldn't want her to be unhappy, so she was divorcing her husband.   May I tell you this?   God is not as interested in your happiness as He is in your holiness.
 
Being holy starts with the desire to walk more closely with our God.  It starts by being in His Word and desiring Him to teach us more about Himself… His character.  As we learn more about His character, we will start seeing the awfulness of sin.   As we choose to seek to be holy as He is holy, true happiness will follow.
 
So, how about you?  Have you been “dancing with the snake” of sin?   Have you been trying to “get away” with doing certain things, thinking certain things, saying certain things?    We cannot do the things this world does, thinks or says if we desire to be holy.   God calls us to “…come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,”   When we choose to touch the unclean thing, we’re not choosing to be holy.  James warns us, “whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.”.  God wants us to choose be holy.  He wants us to choose to be His friend, not His enemy.  What do you choose?
 
Molly Winter
Col. 1:9-10

My Comments: How hard to yield it all to the Lord... and what about those sins in my life? How selfish and self-centered I have been in my life. Honesty? There’s another weakness for me, along with self-pity, immaturity, pride, rebellion. I need to deal with these sins and look to the Lord to remove them and repair my life.

Straight for that Voice 9/10

Thought for Today
"Abandonment of self-centeredness is the triumph of trusting Christ in our lives." - Brennan Manning
Straight For That Voice 
(By Ron Hutchcraft) 
(John 8:28-29)
I was speaking at a church in the new area where our ministry has moved, and in the process, I was introducing some of our staff and our family. I started with my wife - after all, none of the children would have been possible without her. And then I was starting to introduce our daughter and son-in-law and our family treasure, 18-month old grandson Jordan. I saw them standing at the back of the church. Now, while I was talking about them, I suddenly noticed a little head bobbing along past the tops of the pews, and I thought I recognized those curls.
It quickly became apparent to me - and then to everyone in the church - that little Jordan was on his way to where his grandfather was. Oh, that big choir up in front...they didn't phase him. All those big people in the pews...they didn't phase him. His father's pursuit didn't phase him. He marched up that aisle like a man on a mission . . . climbed laboriously up the three steps to the platform . . . and he walked right up to the pulpit. I picked him up, whispered that I love him, and he was satisfied. Then - and only then - was he willing to go with his Daddy back to where they were. Later my daughter said, "Dad, from the time he heard your voice, there was no stopping him. Getting to that voice was all that mattered!"
Now, there were lots of people in that sanctuary right then - but only one as far as Jordan was concerned. He heard my voice - and he was totally focused on being where I was. That's how I want to be with the Lord I say I'm following. It's how He wants all of us to be.
Jesus models this magnificent obsession in our word for today from the Word of God in John 8:28-29. He says, "...I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught Me . . . He that sent Me is with Me . . . for I do always those things that please Him." See, there was just one voice that mattered to Jesus, one person's approval - His Father's. There was never a decision about "which voice should I listen to? Who should I make happy?" The only question was - "What's my Father saying? What does my Father want?" That settled it.
The Apostle Paul was a man who went straight for one voice - and He showed us the way to simplify and clarify thousands of daily choices we make. In Galatians 1:10, Paul says, "For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men?" Paul's saying, "There's a lot of people in this room - but only one Voice I care about." Listen to his bottom line: "for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ." He knew it was a choice - please Jesus or please people. It still is a choice.
I saw in my grandson that morning in church a determination to respond to one voice and only one. He walked by all kinds of people . . . he walked toward things that otherwise would have probably intimidated him - because he wanted to be wherever that Voice was. That is a beautiful picture of what it means to belong to Jesus Christ . . . to really be a follower of Jesus. All that matters to you is what He's saying . . . where He's going . . . what will make Him happy. Once you know that, you know what to do, and you know where to go.
Has someone else's voice become more important to you than your Savior's voice? Has someone else's approval crowded out His? Has the crowd distracted you or kept you from being where His Voice is? Remember what your Shepherd said: "My sheep hear My voice . . . and they follow Me" (John 10:27).
Sound like the type of relationship you've been looking for? Find out more about how this relationship with God can be Yours for Life! If you're not sure you belong to Jesus Christ, and you'd like to make sure, check out YOURS FOR LIFE at: http://www.hutchcraft.com/yours/
[Copyright © Ron Hutchcraft Ministries, Inc. Permission to reproduce this material is automatically granted on the condition it will be used for non-commercial purposes, will not be sold, and will be distributed for the sole purpose of expanding the Gospel.]

My Comments: So often we do seek the approval of others instead of seeking Him. I have been so distracted from God’s voice for so long; it is becoming quite obvious that I must change. The problem is knowing that I can’t change and must yield my life to the Lord and allow Him to change me.