Sunday, May 24, 2020

God's Broken Heart


Have you ever thought about how we break God's heart?  I'll be honest...I've thought about disappointing Him and hurting Him, but I've never truly thought that I'm breaking His heart.  It's just really never dawned on me...until now.

God sent His Son, Jesus here in human form.  Jesus was a man, and as such, He has feelings.  He walked, talked, ate, and slept just as we do.  So why not think that He has feelings just like we do?  When Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, He said, "...My soul is exceeding sorrowful".  (Matthew 26:38)   And in John 11:35, after Lazarus' death, we're told "Jesus wept".

Just as Jesus was hurt by the disciples not keeping watch as He prayed, we hurt Jesus with our actions.  We may say we love Him, but our actions don't always show Him that we do.  When we neglect Jesus by not spending time with Him in prayer or in His word, His heart breaks.  Every time we sin, His heart breaks.  When we don't make Him first in our lives, His heart breaks.

Sometimes when we're lonely, have you ever thought maybe that it's God's cry for time with us?  Maybe He's aching for fellowship with us because we're precious to Him.  God loves us unconditionally, yet we spend more time on others who don't.  We spend more time worrying and praying about what breaks our hearts.

Maybe it's time we care more about what's breaking God's heart than our own.

"Yet my people have forgotten me days without number." 
Jeremiah 2:32



Sunday, May 17, 2020

God First


Although I've been saved for many years now, I didn't feel I was growing in Christ like I should.  For a long time I didn't really realize that I wasn't putting God first in my life.  I put my family before God, money, worry, stress, vacations, and the list goes on and on...  And even though I've realized these things, I still tend to do this without even thinking about  it.  No matter how hard I try, these little things will sneak back into my life before I know it.  It's a constant struggle for me so I have to stay on my tiptoes.  And the best way I know to do that is to just keep talking to God.

God wants us to put Him first.  He tells us in Exodus 20:3, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me".  Well when we think too much about other things such as money, our job, the future... any little thing can become a god for us if we're not focusing on God.  Life is so busy with jobs, housework, the kiddos...but if we'll just put God first, all of those things will fall into place.   There are so many distractions in this world, but we have to just keep asking God to help us keep our mind set on Him.

A few ways we can try to do this is by talking to God, reading His word, memorizing scripture, praising Him, and thanking Him.  I know for me, meeting with Jesus every morning helps to start my day off better.  Just knowing that the Lord is waiting to talk to me, waiting to spend time with me...that's a feeling I just can't describe.  If we want to have a close relationship with God, we have to discipline ourselves to set aside time to spend with Him.  We have to include Him in everything we do.  If you've got a decision to make, if you have a problem...don't google it, don't talk to someone else about it...talk to God.  That's what He wants you to do.  He wants to be included in your life.  He loves you more than anyone in this world.

So I'm not only challenging you, but I'm challenging myself, as well, to put God first.  Then sit back and watch your life change.

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, 
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind."
Matthew 22:37