Quiet time. Sounds so easy, right? Time set aside to be quiet and ponder. Why is it such a struggle as a believer to set aside a portion of our day to read the most important words ever written? I don't know. But it is. Especially for me. I am T-E-R-R-I-B-L-E about spending time in the Word. Perhaps that is in direct correlation with how miserable I feel as a believer. I'm always telling myself I'm such a failure as a Christian. I was reminded tonight that we are expected to be failures. We are not perfect, nor will anything we do be perfect down here. Isn't that why we have God's grace and forgiveness through Jesus? We should strive to become perfect, just as God is perfect, but we won't attain it down here. Nope.
I tend to convince myself that it's no use in trying, I'll just mess up. I'm realizing that is pretty selfish. God gave us his Son and grace so that we could keep striving to please and glorify Him.
If I just give up and stop trying, I am like the foolish man. I should strive to be the wise man. "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." (Matt 7:24) Right there. Jesus himself said it wouldn't be easy, "For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few." (Matt 7:14)
Well, even if it is hard, it is a good thing to keep striving towards what God has called us. The entire Sermon on the Mount has so many, many things that God expects of us, straight from Jesus' mouth. Of course we will fail at all of them. But Jesus didn't speak these things to discourage us. No, rather "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied."(Matt 5:6) Bingo. I can't just give up because I know I will fail. Rather, if I hunger and thirst for Christ, then I will be satisfied.
What a concept! I've been so dissatisfied with my life lately. And why? Because I've not hunger and thirsted for Him. Rather, I confuse desiring to be a "good" Christian with what is really our purpose..desiring God.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Hunger and Thirst
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2 comments:
"...Perhaps that is in direct correlation with how miserable I feel as a believer...."
Miserable? :-(
Miserable in the sense that I feel like a failure, yes. I desire to be desiring God. Yet...I've not put him as my first priority. I don't spend time in His word like I should. So, of course I'm feeling miserable.
BUT..God's mercies are new every morning!! And THAT, is wonderful news! :)
It hit me reading through the Beatitudes that I have to hunger and thirst for righteousness to be satisfied. What a novel concept!!
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