I read a devotional tonight that was well worth mentioning. This is courtesy of Devotionals Daily and is written by Mark Batterson. In his devotional, he states the following:
"Most people in most churches think they are following Jesus, but I'm not so sure. They may think they are following Jesus, but the reality is this: they have invited Jesus to follow them. They call Him Savior, but they've never surrendered to Him as Lord. And I was one of them. Trust me, I didn't want to go anywhere without Jesus right there behind me. But I wanted Jesus to follow me, to serve my purposes, to do my will."
Now, that was food for thought. Am I following Jesus or trying to get Jesus to follow me? Did I want to walk beside Jesus or in front of him?
I was reminded of what Jesus said in John 15:5 (NLT), "Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing."
Am I following Jesus or expecting Him to follow me? Am I giving Him complete control and accepting His plan for my life or am I stubbornly expecting Him to arrange my life to turn out like I want it to? I Samuel 15:23 (NLT), tell us: "Rebellion is as sinful as witchcraft, and stubbornness as bad as worshiping idols."
How do I know for sure who is following who? The first step would be to look at how I spend my time. Do I spend time with Jesus, or just a minute here and there in prayer - asking for what I want? Do I go ahead and do whatever I want to and then quickly ask Him to forgive me? Do I pray over decisions that I need to make or do I just make them and expect Him to have them turn out the way I wanted them to? Do I worry at all about what His plan for me is - what His will for me is - what His plan for my life is?
How do I know for sure if I am following Jesus? I john 2:3 (NLT) says: "And we can be sure that we know Him if we obey His commandments." So, if I am truly following Jesus instead of expecting Him to follow me, I will be following His commandments. I will have a time set aside to spend with Him. I will ask for His guidance in my decisions. And, I will praise Him and thank Him for all that is in my life - good and bad. And, I will humbly ask Him to lead me down the path He has planned for me.
Who are you following? How do you make sure you are following Jesus?
This blog expresses my reviews (opinions) on books that I am currently reading.I will now also include thoughts on devotional passages that I have read. Please feel free to comment, ask questions and list any books that you recommend.
Friday, September 27, 2013
Friday, September 20, 2013
Priorities
I thought about changing the name of the blog from Today's Reading to Today's Thoughts - but I will leave it as it is. Just be aware that some posts deal with devotional thoughts rather than actual readings.
For today, I read an interesting and eye-opening devotionals this morning. You know the kind - one of those that just steps all over your toes! It deals with Priorities. Now, we all have priorities - I prioritize each day on an individual basis each morning. I typically seem to have more to do than I have time to do, so I have to prioritize. For example, Monday morning, when I began work, the system notification said there were 149 assignments to be graded. Also, in looking at the calendar for the day, I saw that I had to hold a virtual class that night from 7 until 8 PM. Then I had to assist with a virtual class from 8:30 until 10:30 PM. My thoughts - how in the world am I going to get all this done today? So, I start prioritizing!
What's wrong with this picture? We all know that in order to efficiently manage our time, we have to prioritize. We all do it every day - with work, family, etc.
I opened this devotional this morning and the opening verse was, indeed, eye opening: "Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, “[a]Consider your ways!" Haggai 1:5 (NASB)
The devotional goes on to talk about "Priority Living." Yes, I live by priorities - but what are my priorities? Are they based on what I consider important or are they based on what God considers important? Is God my top priority on a daily basis? The answer was depressing.
Some time back, I began attempting to spend an hour each morning in Bible reading and prayer. Also, at least one hour each night. But what happens when I get up and find I have more to do than I can get done that day? I start trying to find "things" that I can cut from me schedule of course. And, unfortunately, that is way too often to "borrow" time from my morning and evening Bible reading and prayer time.
The devotional makes the following statement: "Without intentionally living out God’s priorities, we default to reactionary living. Whatever comes our way then becomes our default for living." I find that too many days, this becomes "my life" and "my priorities."
This verse is included in the devotional, "Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33 (NLT) So, this was the "step on my toes" part for sure.
I need to make God my first priority and he will provide all that is needed for me to accomplish all the other things that I need to accomplish. This will be my anchor in defining my priorities from now on.
What are your priorities?
** The devotional discussed here was from Wisdom Hunters, 9-20-13
For today, I read an interesting and eye-opening devotionals this morning. You know the kind - one of those that just steps all over your toes! It deals with Priorities. Now, we all have priorities - I prioritize each day on an individual basis each morning. I typically seem to have more to do than I have time to do, so I have to prioritize. For example, Monday morning, when I began work, the system notification said there were 149 assignments to be graded. Also, in looking at the calendar for the day, I saw that I had to hold a virtual class that night from 7 until 8 PM. Then I had to assist with a virtual class from 8:30 until 10:30 PM. My thoughts - how in the world am I going to get all this done today? So, I start prioritizing!
What's wrong with this picture? We all know that in order to efficiently manage our time, we have to prioritize. We all do it every day - with work, family, etc.
I opened this devotional this morning and the opening verse was, indeed, eye opening: "Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts, “[a]Consider your ways!" Haggai 1:5 (NASB)
The devotional goes on to talk about "Priority Living." Yes, I live by priorities - but what are my priorities? Are they based on what I consider important or are they based on what God considers important? Is God my top priority on a daily basis? The answer was depressing.
Some time back, I began attempting to spend an hour each morning in Bible reading and prayer. Also, at least one hour each night. But what happens when I get up and find I have more to do than I can get done that day? I start trying to find "things" that I can cut from me schedule of course. And, unfortunately, that is way too often to "borrow" time from my morning and evening Bible reading and prayer time.
The devotional makes the following statement: "Without intentionally living out God’s priorities, we default to reactionary living. Whatever comes our way then becomes our default for living." I find that too many days, this becomes "my life" and "my priorities."
This verse is included in the devotional, "Seek the Kingdom of God[a] above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need." Matthew 6:33 (NLT) So, this was the "step on my toes" part for sure.
I need to make God my first priority and he will provide all that is needed for me to accomplish all the other things that I need to accomplish. This will be my anchor in defining my priorities from now on.
What are your priorities?
** The devotional discussed here was from Wisdom Hunters, 9-20-13
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)