Time with Him before the world heats up and melts me. Or my "self" gets it's two cents in and I find myself focusing on, believing in the lies that surround me - attack me.
Kind of like butter in a hot skillet. If you don't watch the heat, it can pop, burn, becoming useless except for the space it fills up in the trash. I don't want to "burn up" the days He has blessed me with. I don't want to look back at my day as I lay my head on the pillow, letting things run through my mind like the small stream in His woods out back, and see that my "pad of butter" wasn't used for His glory. That I neglected to spread it out thin over the souls He invited into my day.
His day that He blessed me with.
He has convicted me that I have been guilty of the sin of slander. It wasn't by chance that He has led me to the writings of others on this subject and read what a sin it is. There isn't such a thing as chance or coincidence. The many scriptures that talk about it, how He abhors it. How destructive it is. How He has brought me to my knees. Because of His conviction, I have confessed and asked for forgiveness to those I slandered about and to. Thinking about the damage this sin caused, leaves within me, in the down, buried, deep place in my soul - those feelings of shame. Of embarrassment. Of sorrow. Of disappointment with myself.
I failed Him.
I continually pray that others won't see me when they look at me - that they will see only Him. My sin has caused others to doubt that I am His follower. That I am striving to be like Him. My sin has caused others to struggle in their walk with the gift of forgiveness.
Including forgiving myself.
The manna He gave the Israelites was to be harvested the first thing for six mornings. It supplied their need for food - His food from Heaven. Just like He supplies my need for His food - His Word - His food from Heaven.
There aren't many mornings that I miss out on climbing up into His lap and reading His Word together. I love our time that He reads to me, points out a verse He needs me to pick up for my nourishment. Loves me to Him.
I love starting my day out with Him.
It prepares me for the steps ahead as I journey through the next hours that make up my day. It gives me tools to center my focus on Him, truth to fight back with. His Word promises me that even if others don't forgive me, He has. First John 1:9 makes this promise, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” He knows my heart, my desire is to please Him. He knows that I grieve over my sins because it makes Him weep. His Word is teaching me to forgive myself and move on. To learn from my choice to sin. His reminds me of the gift of His continual grace and mercy.
It's my "pad of butter".
His Word is my manna. "The breakfast of champions". It is what I feed my mind, my heart. It is what I am becoming. He has given me this "pad of butter" each and every day to do with it what I want. It is up to me to apply His "cooking instructions" so that it is prepared properly in order that it may be used for His glory.
To not let it burn from the fire of my sins.
No comments:
Post a Comment