I'll be the first to confess--I can't sit down and have a scheduled prayer time. I just can't do it. I don't know why. It's just a very negative thing for me, to sit still for a certain length of time and have to pray whether my heart and mind are there or not.
I prefer instead to try to stay in constant contact with God--like you would with a partner. You may sit together in the same room and not talk--or you may have a great conversation! But, either way, you are enveloped in the companionship you share, and you are well aware of the other's presence.
When I read about Enoch (his story is just a short paragraph) one sentence came alive for me:
'Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.'
This verse made me hungry to live that way! I think I live as Enoch did--just conscious of, and present with God always. It's as if we're taking a walk together.
So, anyhow, little things . . . and thankfulness.
I grew some corn this summer, to save some for seed and to save some to eat. (I think it's a good time to put some food aside.)
As a teenager, I went to West Virginia to live, alone, deep in the heart of the state. As it turned out (what was I thinking?!), I needed quite a bit of help to get by!. You can't just pack your car and take off with your dog to live deep in the mountains without any money or supplies to speak of, with no 'know how', and not knowing a soul! It was a journey of faith, I guess. Many kind folks helped me out and I learned a lot. I lived a fairly 'old fashioned' life (no electricity, a well in the yard, later a wringer washer, etc.) and I learned a lot of post-Depression values. So, psychologically, I know how it is to live 'a life of deprivation' as some would call it.
With that in mind, and believing such days are fast approaching, I had chosen some very pretty corn--'Oaxacan Green'. I knew it would cheer me up, when food was scarce and I was limited to a rather 'boring' diet. In fact, I would look forward to eating food made with cornmeal from my beautiful green corn!
Well, it has just gotten to where I can pick it and, as I started shucking the ears, I was quite surprised! Very little of this corn actually looked like what I had planted! Instead, I had been blessed with corn in my favorite colors-many shades of green, turquoise, blues and purple! I thank God often for it, when I look at it hanging up to dry. I'm not calling it a miracle-- I know enough about plants to understand how these things happen. But I am calling it a gift, because it happened for me and it made me happy.
And yesterday, the pièce de résistance: an ear of corn that seems to contain every shimmering color of a pastel rainbow!! I think it is one of the most beautiful, natural things I have ever seen! I thank God a lot for it too. It's like He's telling me He was thinking of me, and He's going to be right there with me when things get tough! When the time comes to eat that corn, I'll remember that!
It may seem like silly stuff, but thankfulness is a powerful way to guard your heart!
I have to believe that Satan was not thankful. His sin was pride, but I think in order for someone to become prideful, thankfulness first makes an exit.
The Bible tells us that in the last days, one of the characteristics of people will be that they are ungrateful. It also talks about people who God 'gave over to a depraved mind', and lists many characteristics of their wickedness. According to that passage, the root of it all was that ' . . . although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him . . .'
And, one of the repeated problems with the fledgling Nation of Israel, as they made their exodus from Egypt through the desert, was that they repeatedly turned to grumbling and murmuring. This was ungratefulness put to words--and it really roiled God's temper. He had just done awesome and amazing things for them, to release them from slavery--slavery! It doesn't get much worse than that--and yet they were busy focusing on what they didn't have!
Granted, if we were in their shoes, we probably would too. If we aren't disciplined in our minds and hearts, we all tend to do the same thing!! It's nice to have their story as a lesson so that we don't.
I've been a Christian for more than 25 years now. As a young Christian, struggling to overcome sinful behaviors, I remember a more mature Christian telling me that they didn't really struggle with things like that as much anymore--that, instead, they found themself struggling more with their attitudes. I was kind of amazed, but now I can relate.
If you don't already know--what you DO comes from what you think. What you spend your time thinking about will almost inevitably lead to your doing it someday. The battle over sin begins in your heart and mind. That's the place to focus your energies on being disciplined. That's the place where you need to let God live.
Guard your heart!! Thankfulness is a great way to begin!!
No comments:
Post a Comment