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Seeking the Lord for the new year is always so hopeful...and always seemingly the same thing...
build your life around your values, starve out distractions etc...
and we come back to it again and again...
this year prov 3 put it into language for me - building on this idea of seeking first the Kingdom (matthew 6) where I want the greatest priority in my mind and my heart to be the Kingdom on the daily. It's been asking me the question this last month how am I building habits and patterns of behavior that help me live where the Kingdom drives all my motivations.
this morning hanging in proverbs 3 the language was helpful. verse 1 "My son, do not forget my teaching, but keep my commands in your heart. "
the idea of keeping the commands of the Lord on my heart, allowing them to be a source of life, delight, motivation is easy on the grand scale of years. But challenging to describe His commands today. Not just doing His commands, but allowing my heart to delight in them. Rarely, has the Lord been like "Do this today." Its much more dialogue when I slow down and am present with the Lord. Which makes the ideas of commands hard to comprehend. Then we got a the normal stressors of life...
this week it's been losing power on a circuit in my house, my pool has a leak somewhere, we are currently a one car family, we are launching a school in a week and half...nbd yea?
All fine for what they are...so what are the commands in those?
I think its everything He's been saying...He delights in directing me, He is faithful, fully aware, and perfect in His leadership, we can trust Him...I'm finding the commands of the Lord are to be yielded to Him as Lord, but more as perfect leader. It's forcing me to let go of all my internal drive to do stuff, slow down again and be aware of Him. I want my internal drive to simply be connected to Him...
Pretty sure He is going to lead me...
Two days ago, I was stessin about the car sitch...tryna find some deals...my wife and I took a moment to pray, felt like the Lord said be Still.
So I did...and 6 hrs later someone not connected to the ins and outs of our lives dropped 6k on us...still don't have a vehicle...but theres a difference between the commands of the Lord being on my heart, and my need to be a responsible adult "doing" the needs of my life...
And even in that, the satisfaction I feel, was not from money, but rather from the reality that I am connected to God and its delightful.
2023 is gonna be poppin - Im thankful for breath today, and excited to let my drive, my motivation be living connected to Jesus and His commands...
#readurbible
peace out
I’ll drop some pics of the house later
Be vigorous and aware of your connection to heaven
#readirbible
Mark 4 on tap for my soul
Reading proverbs 17.3 this morning. My hearts motives will get put out before the Lord to be judged...someday? Sure sure we will all stand before a judgement seat - in the meantime we exist in the today.
Just how much do we really want our motives to be seen and known? To a degree, we can add some churchy language to situations in our lives and make everything seem dandy - try and manage or control the externals around us so that people around us have the idea that we have great lives. And we will all see just how long we can hold that up...
But really whats the driver in your soul. And how will that end? Is it monies? health? reputation? Trying to work out the grind of life so that I feel secure, satisfying my internal need for whatever the thing is.
A free heart has no need for external validation, no need to be proven, it experiences the fire of life and is out on display come what may. Its proof of trust in a God that is in control.
Check proverbs 17.3
Then check out Phil 2. ...
a pretty good indicator of your thoughts and attitudes getting the day going.
That first thing, first word could be to a family member, a text, an email, a co worker, the coffee barista...irregardless take a moment and look at it.
Most of us, myself included have some sort of routine greeting informed by our experiences, culture, friends around us - its generally trite, creating minimal connection, and continues us on our day.
My invitation is to spend that moment with intention and allow Hebrews 3:1-14 to guide you. That first word could be so much more...
The author is giving a recount of the Israelites allowing their hardness to be. He runs the hardening through the redemption of hope in Christ, and then challenges us to understand we are no different than the Israelites apart from Christ.
And then verse 13...the solid therefore. take a moment and read it.
The exhortation is not a trite you can do it, but a calling of the reminder of the hope in the Cross, the person of Jesus, the ...
