I have agree to commit to Bud the reading of "The Purpose Driven Life" by Rick Warren in 40 days. I have to be completely honest about this because God knows my heart and to say anything less than the truth would be a sin against Him. When Bud first posted on GCO asking for others to commit to reading the book and being accountable to each other, I immediately jumped on it because I felt so guilty from not keeping up my end of the last commitment I had made to him to do a study on The Prayer of Jabez. I had allowed too many things to get into the way of that study and I felt I had let Bud and God down and I was determined that this time, nothing, absolutely nothing, would get in the way.
And so it begins, my first lesson in learning that it is not about me, but, about what God wants in my life. What is His purpose in my life? Agreeing to read the book was, at first, about me being able to make up for letting God and Bud down the first time. There is that word again "me". It did not take me long into reading the first chapter to realize that God has purposed that I read the book! My thoughts and Gods were worlds apart. Silly me.
I had never really thought too much about it but every day we are bombarded with things that are always directed towards us, me, I. The commercials on t.v and in magazines, our employers, our families. Me being more satisfied with my body, my love life, my job. It is up to me to make sure my mother is taken care of in the nursing home. It is up to me to make sure that my family stays in touch. It is up to me that my brother remembers to call his mom or send her a birthday card or mother's day card. I could go on an on.
Now I have been taught in church that I can do nothing without Jesus. When I am weak He is strong. Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I have been taught that if I rise each morning and commit my day to God that He will order my steps. Yet somehow it has become more about me and my purpose and less about God's purpose. I can blame a lot of it on satan, but in all honesty, I had a great deal to do with it. I became impatient. Hurry, hurry, hurry. I retired in order to slow down some. I retired from a highly stressful job that always had a deadline to meet and never enough time. And yet, I seem to be busier now than when I worked. I somehow do not believe that was God's purpose in me retiring. Again, me has stepped in the way.
Heavnely Father, I so want to know Your purposes for my life. You have had a plan and purpose for my life since before I was born and yet I have always managed to get in the way. It is my prayer that as I commit to this 40 day study that I will finally, for once and for all, get out of the way so that You plans and Your purposes may be shown in my life.
In Jesus name I pray,
amen
And so it begins, my first lesson in learning that it is not about me, but, about what God wants in my life. What is His purpose in my life? Agreeing to read the book was, at first, about me being able to make up for letting God and Bud down the first time. There is that word again "me". It did not take me long into reading the first chapter to realize that God has purposed that I read the book! My thoughts and Gods were worlds apart. Silly me.
I had never really thought too much about it but every day we are bombarded with things that are always directed towards us, me, I. The commercials on t.v and in magazines, our employers, our families. Me being more satisfied with my body, my love life, my job. It is up to me to make sure my mother is taken care of in the nursing home. It is up to me to make sure that my family stays in touch. It is up to me that my brother remembers to call his mom or send her a birthday card or mother's day card. I could go on an on.
Now I have been taught in church that I can do nothing without Jesus. When I am weak He is strong. Greater is He that is in me than he that is in the world. I have been taught that if I rise each morning and commit my day to God that He will order my steps. Yet somehow it has become more about me and my purpose and less about God's purpose. I can blame a lot of it on satan, but in all honesty, I had a great deal to do with it. I became impatient. Hurry, hurry, hurry. I retired in order to slow down some. I retired from a highly stressful job that always had a deadline to meet and never enough time. And yet, I seem to be busier now than when I worked. I somehow do not believe that was God's purpose in me retiring. Again, me has stepped in the way.
Heavnely Father, I so want to know Your purposes for my life. You have had a plan and purpose for my life since before I was born and yet I have always managed to get in the way. It is my prayer that as I commit to this 40 day study that I will finally, for once and for all, get out of the way so that You plans and Your purposes may be shown in my life.
In Jesus name I pray,
amen
posted by Anonymous | 4:28 PM
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