Encouraging one another, all the more
If I’m asking this question, and you have the same question, we can pretty much be sure of this: we probably don’t fear God rightly. “This is the end of the matter. All has been heard. Fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13, emphasis added) “He said this to mankind, ‘The fear of the Lord is this: wisdom. And to turn from evil is understanding.’” (Job 28:28, emphasis added)
Lately my busyness has resulted in somewhat of an odd eating pattern. If I find time in the morning I will drink one teaspoon of milk. During my 8-5, I think about being able to drink another teaspoon of milk, but who has time for food in the middle of a work day? At the end of the day, if I am lucky, I find a short moment for dinner and I will have a teaspoon of honey.
There was a time last winter in Aruba on holiday where I was doing really great. I felt connected to God, learning about forgiveness and spent a lot of time eating with (and annoying) my family. When it was time to go back to the Netherlands in January to continue my University studies suddenly everything tumbled. My relationship with God had become almost nonexistent. I felt depressed and overwhelmed. I really didn’t want turn to God. I tried running from God. I kept trying to run farther and farther away. This feeling continued for a couple of months.
Okay, I just have to say upfront that the Bible uses some intense language and is pretty scandalous! It’s not necessarily the G-rated Bible you may have learned about in Sunday School. It’s full of stories of scandal: drunkenness, murder, sex, hunger for power, betrayal. On top of that, the Old Testament over and over again asserts that God’s people have acted like the “whore,” “prostitute” or “harlot”. Yes, the Bible actually uses those words! Just FYI, those are really strong – and accurate – words. They are scandalous words to describe a scandalous people.
Ever needed guidance on a situation that you weren’t sure how scripture could help you in your decision making process?
About 9 months ago, I began reading a book with a friend of mine called, Knowing God by J.I. Packer. I honestly did not think much of it. I sort of yanked it off the shelf because the title and packaging caught my eye and before I knew it, my life began to change.
Many times in my life I have had someone look back at me and say, “Are you coming?” I tend to stay back and watch different events in life unfold. But this repeated phrase has often come in my direction as cold waves crashed around me while I’d slowly wade into the ocean. The water often cold; I would wish to stay in that spot or retreat backwards to shore — content to watch from a distance out of an inner fear of the ocean itself. Instead of putting those fears aside and joining my family or friends and building on our memories together, I would miss out on those precious times.
Logically, I know after reading God’s word that surrendering all to the Lord will be the best thing I ever do…
Have you ever just looked up one day and suddenly been awed by your surroundings? This is something I’ve dealt with for years, and to be honest, the cycle itself can be very discouraging. Learning to find my joy in the consistent character of Jesus, when all I want to do is crawl in my bed and hibernate until spring, is no walk in the park. But thanks to the grace of Christ, a lot of lessons in truth, and some amazing God-given relationships, I have seen a great deal of victory in this area over time.