Ya’ll, I wasn’t even on the road for 15 minutes this afternoon (picking kids up from school) and I thought nope, I am done with people today. Yesterday as we took the kids to lunch I couldn’t help but notice the lack of manners from people of all ages, children not saying thank you to the waiter, to grown women not acknowledging the kindness of someone holding the door open for them. Sigh, really?
Yes, there are days when I am done with people. Regardless if you live under the same moral compass as me teach your children to be mindful of other people and educate them in manners. I fear we have become a self-centered world not even aware of the decline and yet there is hope!
I am in the process of re-reading 1 Kings and it never ceases to amaze me the shape the leaders were in over Israel at the time. The Old Testament is an exciting but also a difficult read not for the faint of heart. There was a lot happening during that epoch of time that is hard to digest emotionally and intellectually. And still through this historical story God is trying to tell us something.
So when I read of leaders like King Solomon that purposely diverted from God’s plans for his life or worse his son Rehoboam that completely lived with no moral boundaries, I think hmm what can I learn from this story? The main thing over and over that I take away is God desires to be more than a crisis call or emergency management.
Can I tell you God desires to be more than your last ditch effort for a miracle? His desire is to live a life with you not be your last minute effort to get a prayer answered. I think we have reduced God to “last minute efforts” that is after we have exhausted all other resources we will begrudgingly out of our desperation call on the Lord (instead of making Him center of everything). Center is the focal point, the core, the root.
It’s easy to get lost in all the hustle n bustle of today’s fast pace lifestyle and forget about God. It’s easy for life to drown out God’s voice or better yet it’s easy for life to distract you from God’s voice. Sometimes (in fact most times) I need to just get still and quiet before the Lord. I have to admit with all the gadgets of today’s modern world it is not as easy as it used to be.
Learning to be still with the Lord allows us to saturate in His presence; Infusing with His will that is allowing Him to impart Himself to us. We marinade food but we don’t marinade ourselves… Marinade means several things: to soak, to immerse, to submerge, to saturate but it also means to preserve. Preserve is a verb it’s an action that means reserve. We will marinade food to preserve the flavor but we will neglect to marinade ourselves so we can absorb God’s essence. Incredible isn’t it?
When we learn to be still with the Lord we steep in His love which actually reserves us and leads us to His sanctuary. Sanctuary is a refuge of protection.
I don’t know about you but it’s tiring day after day trying to make it on my own. I need a little help. There are days I am desperate for a refuge where I can just soak under the protection of God’s mercy and I can become saturated with His love. His love is transformational even on days I don’t want to love people, on days I want to quit, on days when nobody has manners. Psalm 46:10 10 Be still, and know that I am God…
I hope this week you will marinade yourself in God’s mercy and love knowing it’s a refuge of protection specifically for you!
Good Afternoon Ladies!
1 Comment
Awesome!