"The act of creating is a form of worship and a way to draw near to God not separate from Him."- Jen Wilken
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And you who were alienated and hostile in mind....reconciled in his body of flesh by his death so that you could be presented holy and blameless and above reproach.-Colossians 1:22 Alienate: to be withdrawn from the objective world,to turn away, transfer, divert (dictionary.com)
Hostile: characteristic of an enemy, aggressive, warlike (dictionary.com) The bible clearly states that this is what we "were" in our minds when Jesus came to live among us. I don't know about you but that doesn't sound like a safe place to send the Son of God. Yet, because of a love and commitment he showed up. This is the part that gets me every time, not only did he show up, but he established us as holy and above reproach. He brought us back to the Father when we were at our ugliest through His death on the cross. I see it like this....because of our sin we were repulsive to God. Jesus came and stepped in front of us so that God's wrath could be let loose on him. "It's finished!" he cried and it's because of this that we are presented as holy and blameless. Humanity saved by grace because of love. This has to be the best story ever penned. Gene Merriam Webster defines "rest" as being free of activity or labor. It goes on to define "rest" as a peace of the body and soul. Looking at that definition I can say with confidence that I rarely rest. I'm just too busy with my distractions, entertainment, and work to bother resting. I'm a bit embarrassed to admit this but I have gift cards to restful places like the spa, restaurants, and movie theaters that I have yet to enjoy because I simply don't have time to relax. When I search my heart, I find that a busy lifestyle makes me feel important, needed, and valuable. The bottom line is that I cease to find my worth and value in Christ. I begin to find my value in my Google calendar; the more colored blocks of time I can squish into a day the better. God understood that rest is important and a part of a healthy lifestyle. Genesis 2:2-3 Did you miss it? I did the first time around. 1. God rested from ALL his work. 2. God declared this day HOLY. Why? Because he rested from all his work. ,Obviously, God finds great value in resting from work. That's really hard for me to wrap my mind around. He blessed the time and space around the day he rested. Check out this story: Jesus and his disciples are out feeding the 5,000 and holding the largest picnic of that time. Jesus is teaching these hungry folks and the disciples are rushing around like waiters during dinner hour. Now, jump to scene two. Mathew 6:45 Jesus recognized his need to be alone with God. Our all powerful awesome Lord needed a break. Jesus basically told them to give him some time alone. He went to the mountains and spent time resting with God. So here's the thing: If God and Jesus made time to be alone and rest, shouldn't we? I mean Jesus should have been busier than anyone with only a few months to minister, disciple, and then make right the sins of his beloved. That's a big "to-do" list. If rest is important to Jesus than it needs to be important to me. "I'm sorry can you please repeat that I really wasn't listening to you." The people I live and work with have to constantly cover me in grace. They know that my mind is running at non-stop all the time. I would love to listen to what they are saying, but I simply don't have time amidst all the thoughts and distractions rallying for my attention. The sad reality is that I choose to believe the lie that I'm too busy to listen. This is not good. Basically what I'm saying is: I trust in myself to make my day successful. Psalms 25:1 After several months of the Holy Spirit working on my heart in this issue, I began to realize that I wasn't honoring the people around me. Yikes! This was a hard hit to bear. The gist: I was too self-absorbed to listen to others. Too much in control to allow God to direct my life. Too much about my phone, my appointments, my life, to bother looking up. I was convicted for the moment but after several hours soon forgot what the Holy Spirit had pointed out. Romans 12:9 BAM! POW! It hit me right between the eyes. Hebrews talks about the word of God being sharper than a double edged sword. It goes on to describe how God's word cuts between spirit and soul judging the thoughts and attitudes of a person's heart. Let's just say Hebrews was accurate. I dropped my homemade oatmeal cookie and just sat there (insert shocked emoji here). There I was being disciplined by the Lord. Ouch! What I'm doing now to help me honor others by listening to them:
Conversation is an art which take practice and concentration.
What are the desires of my heart?
My mom used to tell me that the desires of my heart are the things I think upon most often throughout the day. IF that statement is true, and mama knew what she was talking about, then I think it's time to face the facts and admit that the Lord is not first in my heart. If I were to make a list of the treasures in my heart it would be something like this: food, entertainment, and computers. Some practical ways I'm fixing the treasures in my heart:
I love lunchtime. It's my favorite. I love going outside in the sun and enjoying a quiet meal watching the trees or talking to a friend.
We are called into God's family as adopted children. We have been called (1 John 1:12) and chosen as children of God.
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