I thought I knew what I was going to write about this week, so I finally sat down, and started typing...then deleted it...and come up with a whole new idea...and deleted that one too...and changed my mind over and over...and still nothing! The words were a bit jumbled and weren't flowing like I expected them to! I realized that another week was almost up, and I still didn't have anything to post on the blog! And did I mention that I'm a bit of a procrastinator?!
Ok God, I prayed, can't you just give me something really wise to blog about? Teach me something so I can share it, but please make it quick, I've got a deadline you know!
I'm a bit embarrassed to admit that my prayer actually may have sounded like that!
I decided to open up my Bible. I'm beginning to realize that the answers I'm looking for are always right there, if I'm willing to take the time to ask, to look and spend time with God. His Word is so full of life! I love reading different translations of the Bible, and the Message translation is one of my favourites. So, I stopped trying to figure things out on my own, I opened up my Bible, and asked God to help! What I found was
James 3:15-16 "Do You want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom--it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throat"
Wow, strong words! I stopped and realized that maybe God was trying to tell me something!
Here I had been looking for something to write about, for a bit of wisdom to share, and maybe deep down, hoping that I would seem wise in someone else's eyes.
But suddenly I saw that if I am writing in a way that only causes people to look at me and the things that I know, then I think I'm missing the whole point! I need to stop and take a good look at my intentions. Am I just asking God to help me write a blog post, or am I truly wanting Him to teach me something that will challenge me to change the way I am living my life.
Maybe God gives us gifts as a way to point people to Himself! He is the one who needs to shine, and the One whom people need to be drawn towards. If we use our gifts, whatever they are, hoping that people will admire us or think better of us in some way, then it won't be long before we're trying to compete with each other and hoping to outshine the person next to us! And then things fall apart!
We need to use our gifts, our skills, talents, and abilities, as a way to work together, to build each other up, and to point people to God. He is more than able to meet everyone's needs, not just the needs that we can see. He sees hearts and hurts and fears and wants to heal the things deep inside all of us.
We need to spend time with God, and allow him to change us from the inside. To let him teach us how to live well, to live wise, and to live humbly.
I decided to open up my Bible. I'm beginning to realize that the answers I'm looking for are always right there, if I'm willing to take the time to ask, to look and spend time with God. His Word is so full of life! I love reading different translations of the Bible, and the Message translation is one of my favourites. So, I stopped trying to figure things out on my own, I opened up my Bible, and asked God to help! What I found was
James 3:15-16 "Do You want to be counted wise, to build a reputation for wisdom? Here's what you do: Live well, live wisely, live humbly. It's the way you live, not the way you talk, that counts. Mean-spirited ambition isn't wisdom. Boasting that you are wise isn't wisdom. Twisting the truth to make yourselves sound wise isn't wisdom. It's the furthest thing from wisdom--it's animal cunning, devilish conniving. Whenever you're trying to look better than others or get the better of others, things fall apart and everyone ends up at the others' throat"
Wow, strong words! I stopped and realized that maybe God was trying to tell me something!
Here I had been looking for something to write about, for a bit of wisdom to share, and maybe deep down, hoping that I would seem wise in someone else's eyes.
But suddenly I saw that if I am writing in a way that only causes people to look at me and the things that I know, then I think I'm missing the whole point! I need to stop and take a good look at my intentions. Am I just asking God to help me write a blog post, or am I truly wanting Him to teach me something that will challenge me to change the way I am living my life.
Maybe God gives us gifts as a way to point people to Himself! He is the one who needs to shine, and the One whom people need to be drawn towards. If we use our gifts, whatever they are, hoping that people will admire us or think better of us in some way, then it won't be long before we're trying to compete with each other and hoping to outshine the person next to us! And then things fall apart!
We need to use our gifts, our skills, talents, and abilities, as a way to work together, to build each other up, and to point people to God. He is more than able to meet everyone's needs, not just the needs that we can see. He sees hearts and hurts and fears and wants to heal the things deep inside all of us.
We need to spend time with God, and allow him to change us from the inside. To let him teach us how to live well, to live wise, and to live humbly.
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