Getting Our Attention
Numbers 22:32 “I have come here to block your way because you are getting ahead of yourself”
Numbers 22:35 “Only say what I tell you to say–absolutely no other word.”
These Scriptures relate to the wishy-washy prophet Balaam, to whom God had to use extreme measures in order to get his attention: talking donkeys, angels with flaming swords, etc. God would prefer us to respond to His still, small voice and to obey immediately the words He has written in Scripture for us to follow. So often, though, we choose our own path and get ahead of ourselves–and thus need a divine slowing-down. May we pray for self-control daily, one of the fruit of being Spirit-led. And may our mouths only utter few words and ones that are divinely-selected.
Rock-hard–in a Bad Way
“A stony heart cannot receive an impression.”
We think of being rock-hard as a good thing: stable, unmoveable. But that doesn’t apply to our hearts, that need to stay fertile ground for God to press into them seeds that can produce some good fruit (words/behaviors). Picture a squishy, fresh marshmallow vs. a stale, hard one. Or picture wet concrete vs. dry concrete. It’s one of the few choices no one else can control in our lives but us. Do you need a heart transplant today?
Love That Banishes Discouragement
“Now, once I was downhearted
Disappointment was my closest friend
But then you came and he soon departed
And you know he never showed his face again“ –Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher (Audio Adrenaline)
Ah, the D-words: downhearted, disappointed, discouraged, depressed, despair, downtrodden… It doesn’t take many negative circumstances in life to get to those places. But we all have a choice when we get there: to stay and wallow and feed those beasts, making us slide deeper–OR, to run to Jesus and give him those negative thoughts/emotions, letting him fight those battles for us, banishing anxiety and fear and pulling us out of the funk we’re in. Constant contact with Him then is also a preventative measure to not going back there again.
Where Will You Enter the Struggle?
“The heroic male identity arises when we are outraged about some specific instance of evil and become warriors in defense of the sacred.” –Sam Keene
This quote isn’t just for men, by the way. Anger has been hard-wired into us by God to be against evil. However, we usually use that emotion out of selfishness or pride or for some other not-as-noble reason. When was the last time you and I were truly outraged about some injustice in the world? I know I’ve been too passive in the face of suffering–not a protector, but a bystander. Jesus healed the broken and wants me to do so as well. Where will you and I enter the struggle?