The Devotional Blog For Procrastinators.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

Me: Who’s there?

Voice: It’s Me

Me: Me Who???

Voice: You know this is really your doing at this point.

Me: Oh. Yeah. (very quick realization of the voice)

Voice: How do you feel this relationship is coming along??? I think We need to talk.

Me: OOOOHH. The most dreaded four word combinations in the English language. Yes, we do. I’m just so smothered with everything that is going on and getting distracted away from our attempts to meet. Every time I try to come spend time with You, something else (always less important) jumps in front. I know, I know, I let these things take priority even though they shouldn’t. Quite honestly, I just lack the discipline to maintain this relationship. I don’t even know where to start anymore. Worse yet, I know that I need to make an effort here and I’m not even trying. I want to be with You, closer, warmer, more intimate. I feel that the years that I’ve spent learning about you are going to waste because I have become so distracted by the world. Please help. I almost feel ashamed to ask for forgiveness. Though I know full well, that Your grace is more that the human mind can ever imagine. There are a lot of things that I know about You, yet, I seem to forget them all the time and only remember them in times of trouble. (Pause) I don’t even know what to say anymore. I go on this tirade every time and I promise to get better about spending time with You and do this and do that and blah blah blah blah. Where have I actually kept my promise. Do I have a guilty conscience? YES, but I wish that that is not what makes act as if I’m not sincere. I really REALLY want to be in this relationship.

Voice: Well, that’s a start. But no relationship matures without effort. You must be willing to spend the effort, set the time, enrich the relationship because you WANT to, not because you tell yourself that you HAVE to. I love you and you know it. I also know that you see me and you don’t even say hello many times until your conscious tells you otherwise. Hey at least it is still working………. (Silence)

Spend the effort, spend the effort, spend the effort….I love you.

I have taken on this new task/challenge to lead worship for a mid-size Arabic speaking congregation here in Columbus. I say that because I have not lead worship in Arabic in over 10 years. Heck, I have not even played any Arabic worship music for quite some time. I have an extensive collection of Arabic worship and Christian music, so I know the songs, but I’m not used to playing them.

As I have gone through song lists in the worship book this congregation uses, many songs kept coming back to me. Man, I haven’t done this in a while. However, I feel that God is preparing me for something to come. It has been very challenging for me to do this. Yet, this congregation is very greatful as they had been worshiping for a loooong time with no music. Every Sunday someone comes up to tell me that they have been praying for someone who can just play the songs, and are 100% sure that I was an answer to their prayers. As much as that makes me excited to be part of God’s work, as much as I feel that there is now a HUGE responsibility on my shoulders to be more attentive to God’s guidance than ever. To grow more intimate with God. I have longed to do this more this year and have been distracted in every which way from doing what I want. Please, if you read this blog, PRAY for me. I really need it. There are changing winds that are coming, and I pray that we, as a family, are ready for whatever God wants us to do.

I really didn’t read the Bible or do a traditional quite time last night. I actually ended up worshiping with some songs that i have not heard, sang or played in almost a decade. I have been working on writing chord sheets for an Arabic Christian song book with some modern and traditional songs intermixed. I remembered many of the 10 or so songs that I was working on last night and how strong the words in each song really strummed at the strings of my heart. I was lost in a world far far away for at least an hour. Each song brought more that thoughts of praise and reminders of grace. Each song brought to mind an entire nation, a people, a culture that sings praise to the Lord despite the persecutions around them. Many of whom are lost though they are called Christians, and many who are seeking the Lord in earnest. Oh how I long to be with my people sometimes. Those people that I grew up with, and sing more of those worship songs as we did over a decade ago. Yet now, we look to reach others for Christ and to expand the kingdom of worshipers. When I look back, I see that the Lord has changes many if not all of us. We have matured, we have a vision and we have a passion to serve the Lord in ways we did not have when we were young. I long to be with my people, worshiping, encouraging, and ministering with them. Till that day comes, I serve where the Lord has planted me and I hope that I can be a shinning light for Him. Even though I am a broken vessel, He still chooses to work though me. Thank You Lord.

Ok, as you can tell. January has not gone as well as I had hoped. I think I might have been trying to take in too many thing all at the same time. I’ll be back this week, more on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday kind of way. I hope and pray that I can keep up without giving up.

The Awaited One
by Max Lucado

We were a wreath of Light around the stable, a necklace of diamonds around the structure. Every angel had been called from his post for the coming, even Michael. None doubted God would, but none knew how He could, fulfill his promise.

I’ve heated the water!”

“No need to yell, Joseph I hear you fine.”

Mary would have heard had Joseph whispered. The stable was even smaller than Joseph had imagined but the innkeeper was right- it was clean. I started to clear out the sheep and cow, but Michael stopped me. “The Father wants all of creation to witness the moment.”

Mary cried out and gripped Joseph’s arm with one hand and a feed trough with the other. The thrust in her abdomen lifted her back, and she leaned forward.

“Is it time?” Joseph asked.

She shot back a glance, and he had his answer.

Within moments the Awaited One was born. I was privileged to have a position close to the couple, only a step behind Michael. We both gazed into the wrinkled face of the infant. Joseph had placed hay in a feed trough, giving Jesus his first bed.

All of God was in the infant. Light encircled His face and radiated from His tiny hands. The very glory I had witnessed in His throne room now burst through His skin.

I felt we should sing but did not know what. We had no song. We had no verse. We had never seen the sight of God in a baby. When God had made a star, our words had roared. When He had delivered His servants, our tongues had flown with praise. Before His throne, our songs never ended. But what do you sing to God in a feed trough?

In that moment a wonderful thing happened. As we looked at the baby Jesus, the darkness lifted. Not the darkness of the night, but the darkness of the mystery. Heaven’s enlightenment engulfed the legions.

Our minds were filled with the Truth we had never before known. We became aware for the first time of the Father’s plan to rescue those who bear His name.

From An Angel’s Story
(originally published as Cosmic Christmas)
Copyright (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2002, 2004) Max Lucado

….There is not much good. I was thinking today of how easily it is to be distracted from spending quite time with the Lord. I mean, I don’t even have to try to distract my self with anything in particular. When the time comes to go into a quite time with the Lord, all of a sudden, something interesting come on TV. An interesting headline shows up online, or even a good friend shows up on IM. Why is that so? Well, that was really a rhetorical question because I know the answer. Satan does not want us to spend quite time with the Lord. A time that we can grow our relationship with Him, and instead he tries to turn us into mindless zombies that can’t pull away and show any sort of backbone. Having said that, I’m quite guilty myself of being easily distracted by just about anything. I have, however, noticed this year that there is also a constant little voice in my head that keeps telling me to keep focused. I’m pretty sure that that is the voice that I have been praying for for a long time. It seems that there are a lot of personal issues that i have been praying for that are finally getting taken care of. For that, I’m very greatfull to God for answering my long time prayers.  I now pray for less distraction when it comes to quite time, but I don’t expect Satan to back down without a fight. In this I know that the Lord is my shield. In Him I trust to protect me from the enemy.

Immanuel
by Max Lucado

The King walked over and reached for the book. He turned it toward Lucifer and commanded, “Come, Deceiver, read the name of the One who will call your bluff. Read the name of the One who will storm your gates.”

Satan rose slowly off his haunches. Like a wary wolf, he walked a wide circle toward the desk until he stood before the volume and read the word:

“Immanuel?” he muttered to himself, then spoke in a tone of disbelief. “God with us?” For the first time the hooded head turned squarely toward the face of the Father. “No. Not even You would do that. Not even You would go so far.”

“You’ve never believed me, Satan.”

“But Immanuel? The plan is bizarre! You don’t know what it’s like on Earth! You don’t know how dark I’ve made it. It’s putrid. It’s evil. It’s…”

“IT IS MINE,” proclaimed the King. “AND I WILL RECLAIM WHAT IS MINE. I WILL BECOME FLESH. I WILL FEEL WHAT MY CREATURES FEEL. I WILL SEE WHAT THEY SEE.”

“But what of their sin?”

“I will bring mercy.”

“What of their death?”

“I will give life.”

Satan stood speechless.

God spoke, “I love my children. Love does not take away the beloved’s freedom. But love takes away fear. And Immanuel will leave behind a tribe of fearless children. They will not fear you or your hell.”

Satan stepped back at the thought. His retort was childish. “Th-th-they will too!”

“I will take away all sin. I will take away death. Without sin and without death, you have no power.”

Around and around in a circle Satan paced, clenching and unclenching his wiry fingers. When he finally stopped, he asked a question that even I was thinking. “Why? Why would You do this?”

The Father’s voice was deep and soft. “Because I love them.”

From An Angel’s Story
(originally published as Cosmic Christmas)
Copyright (Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2002, 2004) Max Lucado

    Especially your relationship with God, is actually the term “relationship”. A relationship requires time and effort and actually trying to work on making that relationship grow just like a plant.

Personally, my efforts in spending quite time have always been thwarted by distractions of all kinds. Time, busy work, video games, activities with friends, etc… you name it. My other issue was mainly my lack of discipline in actually wanting to spend the time an effort in working on my relationship with God. Yes, this sounds as bad as it really is. I have long rested in the fact that I grew up in the church, and that I didn’t need a “special” time to work on my relationship with God because I felt that I can always have a conversation in prayer anytime. This attitude was not helped by the fact that I went to Bible college, which made the study of the Word almost purely academic.

So, my goal in this blog is to actually write out what and how I feel regarding the scriptures that I read. I hope that this blog keeps me in check in trying to have a regular devotional time in which to read, journal and share.

Your participation is encouraged as we dive into various books of the Bible. This is not intended to become an academic or theological blog in anyway. Yet, it is intended to be a reflection in the Word of God. Now GO DO YOUR DEVOTIONS.