I had another blessed weekend. I got to play baseball with a bunch of kids Sunday afternoon. That was a blessing. There were probably 20 kids ranging from 3-14yrs old. I got to be all time catcher. Fun Stuff. I pitched a couple innings too. I love baseball. All the kids did exceptionally well at getting along. No one kept score, and no one struck out. Even more impressive is no one had a bad attitude when someone was up to bat for a long time and kept missing the ball. I was proud of how all the kids played.
So, I'm at work on this Monday morning, and I have no "work". I've been reading Christian articles on the web for awhile this morning, and I came acrossed the following article. I really appreciated its challenge. I hope you do to. If you're not right where you want to be, then make this week the week you begin your new quest to seek God in all His Glory!!
PAY ATTENTION
By Dr. James MacDonald
Now therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation. Hebrews 2:1-2
The Christian life is not a destination; it’s a journey. While it began at a point in time when you came to the cross, it most certainly doesn’t stop there. Are you moving ahead into all the great things that God has for you?
One of the primary messages of the book of Hebrews is, “Keep up—don’t fall behind.” The author repeatedly warns believers in Christ Jesus to keep our relationship with God current. Don’t let your heart get hard, or cold, or calloused to the things of Christ but press on to what’s ahead. Hebrews 2:1 urges:
“Now therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it.”
When you came to Christ you made some promises to God, right? How are you doing with them? Don’t drift away from the most important thing in your life. Here are some penetrating questions to keep your relationship with God moving ahead:
Does my life give evidence of a person truly redeemed by the Son of God?
Does my faith endure in hard times as well as good times?
Does my life reflect a growing pattern of righteousness?
Do I have an increasing hunger for God’s Word and a passion for God’s kingdom?
Is my love increasing for God and His people?
You say, “I don’t want to drift away. What can I do?” Perfect question! Your answer is in verse 1: “Therefore we must pay close attention.” What a great wake-up call! “Pay attention—this matters!” If you think you might be drifting away a little bit—come back! If you’ve been caught up in other things and lost sight of your primary purpose—come back to the Lord.
In the most loving way I know how, I urge you to stay on course. If it’s been several days . . . or weeks since you knelt in humility before the Lord with your life open before him, get on your knees right now. Review the five questions above. Ask the Lord to show you the areas of your heart that need a fresh touch from him and a recommitment from you.
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2 comments:
Sorry you were bored today, but hey, I'm glad you found this article and shared it with all of us. So, I guess I'm not too sorry! :) Really, thanks for posting it, it is a great challenge...some great questions for us to ask ourselves. Have a great rest of the day.
Ash
thanks for the probing questions luke. i really appreciated them. also, you mentioned earlier how you liked the spiritually oriented blogs... well i have a story for you.
so it was decently nice the other night so i built a bonfire in our BBQ pit and me, being the piro that i am was messing around w/ some fire. there was a bunch of dead leaves and twigs and straw left in between the rocks suppounding the pit from last year. i had a long stick that i was jabbing into and catching on fire, seeing how fast all that junk would light on fire, and i noticed something.... God was teaching me a lesson w/ a stick, fire and a piece of straw. i was trying to see how far away i could be from the straw before it would catch on fire. i would move toward the straw and as i got closer the straw would gradually burn, but if i got too close the fire would go out b/c i smothered it, and if i took the flame away after the straw had been on fire, the flame would go out. now, imagine that you are the stick, the fire is your Christian life and how you live it, the straw is a non-believer. if our "stick" doesn't get close enough to the "straw" nothing will happen. but if we get our "flame" close to the "straw", we make an effect on them and we can help their "flame" start too!! but, if we get too clse to the "straw" too fast them the flame goes out in a hurry and has just a very little effect on the "straw". so i guess what i'm trying to say is that we as Christians don't get close enough to non-believers then we will have very little impact on their lives. if we are just far enough away we will mke an impact on their lives an change it forever. but if we get in a hurry and try to shove our Christianity at people they will be turned off, run away, and we will have little impact on the people we come in cantact with. wow, that turned out a LOT longer than what i wanted, but oh well, it's a lesson we all need to learn. right?! i know i have, the HARD way!
have a blessed day
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