James 1:19 tells us that we should "be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger..." These are the thoughts God places on my heart.
Monday, July 27, 2015
One of the topics that comes up frequently in our small Christian community is distractions. We are constantly bombarded with messages from so many different messengers it can be overwhelming. When is the last time you were in a place that had complete silence? I am not talking about somewhere that had the television on mute with the closed captioning running. I am talking about nothing happening but you and God. That is the ultimate benefit of being unplugged and focused. You know that Jesus was very effective because he was very focused on his mission. He came to earth to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for us. Everything he did was about that. His training of the disciples and followers was about bringing his salvation message in service to others. His preaching was about helping us to understand why he was willing to give of his life for us--the ultimate sacrifice. Jesus also spent time in the desert and elsewhere in silence. If Jesus needed to separate himself in order to communicate with God, where does that leave us? It is imperative that you carve out time each day to talk with God and then just listen. Sit in silence with God each day. Start small (say one minute) and then increase the time gradually until you feel it is enough. God will talk to you but you have to be focused on listening. If your mission is to live eternally with God in heaven, don't you think you need to begin to work on that goal? God is waiting to save you. Will you answer his call?