On Sunday, Takunda and I, watched a powerful message by Sadie Robertson Huff on being guided by the Spirit which really got me thinking about my own listening and responses to the listening. I know I write a lot about our time with Jesus but it isn't something I've been so good at as of late.
Thankfully Jesus loves me enough to keep pushing back at me, to get me to see this.
But I need to keep leaning in and seeking. And when I remember His goodness I then remember how much I want to know Him deeper and deeper; how I want to dig in to His Word and study, study, study.
I don't always know how to do it though and I wish that I had had leaders in my youth who had taught me how to eagerly read the Word and study it.
I mean, when last did you hear someone share what an incredible time they had with the Lord that morning or evening? I can count my people on two fingers. But I can also tell you, quite honestly, that I can't remember a time I've rejoiced over my quiet time.
My guess is that we rush through our Bible readings and prayers because we have an entire list of to-do's for the day so we've got to just 'get through' our time with Jesus and spend as little time thinking about our relationship with Him as possible.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book, Life Together, writes:
"Whoever cannot be alone should be aware of community. Such people will only do harm to themselves and to the community. Alone you stood before God when God called you. Alone you had to obey God’s voice. Alone you had to take up your cross, struggle, and pray, and alone you will die and give an account to God. You cannot avoid yourself, for it is precisely God who has called you out. If you do not want to be alone, you are rejecting Christ’s call to you, and you can have no part in the community of those who are called."
Ouch. Maybe I've been more toxic for my community that I have been fruitful or helpful...because my time with the Lord has been lacking. Please know that I'm not here trying to throw a pity party for myself or inviting you in to one, but this is serious business guys.
How do we add to the body of Christ when we don't know Him?
1 Corinthians 12: 24-27
"But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."
Are you struggling to get in to the Word? Or perhaps are you drowning out important time with God through reading all the Christian books and listening to all the sermons or podcasts you can get your hands on?
Sometimes it literally needs to just be QUIET time, where we allow Him to speak, or to just be in the stillness with us.
-Caryn
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