Words to Live By

But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. James 1:25 (NASB) Incline your ear and hear the words of the wise, and apply your mind to my knowledge; for it will be pleasant if you keep them within you, that they may be ready on your lips. So that your trust may be in the LORD, I have taught you today, even you. Have I not written to you excellent things of counsels and knowledge, to make you know the certainty of the words of truth that you may correctly answer him who sent you? Prov 22:17-21 (NASB) I know I have been inconsistent on here, but there has been a reason for it - although I'm only just now really articulating it. You see, I was falling into a bit of a bad habit. Instead of really studying and interacting with the Lord on these verses, when a verse stood out to me I began plotting in my mind how that would write up on the blog! It wasn't a daily battle, but it was more frequent than I cared to admit. It's not about writing on here. It's about conforming this selfish, hardened life of mine into something that looks more and more like Christ. So, I've been trying to refocus. Trying to just have my time with Him without a thought of the blog, and then go back through my notes to see if anything jumps out to post on here. And believe it or not, this all goes with the passages for today. The precious, amazing, incredible, personal Word of God is not just for me to spout to satisfy my love for writing. It is for me to read, learn, memorize, apply, carry with me, and live by. I must, without excuse, stay in the Word of God. It must be a part of me. It must be what I continually lean on and rely on. If I don't live what I write in my journal and type into these blog posts, then the words in the Bible are just words rather than being the living, breathing Word of God in me. I have so much growing left to do. The only way I can do it is to stay firmly in the Word, not just reading and learning, but applying and doing!

For His Glory

For the sake of Your name, O LORD, revive me. In Your righteousness bring my soul out of trouble. Psalms 143:11 (NASB) What is my focus when I go to the Lord with my troubles? Why is it that I want Him to bring me out of those troubles? Is it for His name's sake and the furtherance of His kingdom, or is it for my own comfort? I say very often that it is because I want to give Him the glory, but that's not always the truth. Today I believe it is the truth as I sit here in almost tearful praise over the thunderstorms that are sweeping through our area - and are supposed to continue all day. The Lord has taken what was supposed to be an unbearably hot day and cooled it off. And imagine the "coincidence" - our air conditioning went out yesterday. I am so excited about the idea of sharing the story of His faithfulness and goodness! But, I think one thing that is striking me right now is that I cannot say that the attitude that I've had yesterday and today is my consistent attitude in times of trouble. I want it to be. And that's the commitment I want to make - to desire to see His hand move in my troubles not for my own comfort (although I know that will come), but for His glory.

Parched Land

I stretch out my hands to You; my soul longs for You, as a parched land. Psalms 143:6 (NASB) I've seen a parched land. I've lived in a parched land. Growing up in a desert, I know what the ground looks like at the end of a long dry season that started a month earlier than it should have and has stretched two months longer than normal. Having spent a significant amount of time in regions of Arkansas and Mississippi that rely heavily on farming, I've seen times of drought when the crops and soil are so thirsty that no amount of irrigation can make up for the lack of pure, thirst-quenching rain. Those are mental images of true longing - true thirst. Do I truly thirst for God that way? Do I live like nothing matters beyond communion with Him? When life crowds in, do I long for problems to be solved, or do I long to be closer to my God and Savior? I know the answer to those questions - I do not long for Him that way. But, that's where I desire to be. Today as life's complications stare me in the face, my desire is to long so greatly for my Savior that I see those complications as simply as way to draw me closer to Him. Lord, Your presence is all I need. Teach me to truly desire You!