I've updated the blog a bit...I'm sure you've noticed. :) It's that time of year again that everyone starts their spring cleaning so I thought I'd spruce things up around here too.
There's a lot of cleaning I'd like to do this year. Aside from the typical cleaning of the floors, and closets, and such. I'd like to do some cleaning of my heart and mind. Too often they get cluttered up with completely unnecessary things. I've not been sleeping well at night recently and I think it has something to do with the fact that I'm not focused or centered on the things that I ought to be.
Last week at church our pastor shared about how to center your prayer life on God instead of centering your prayer life on yourself. How often have I prayed for things that I need or that I want? When the entire time I should have been praying for more knowledge and understanding of what God needs and wants for me. We need to remember our eternal glory and not let our circumstances or situations draw our eyes away from God. God has guaranteed your eternal glory so why should anything be in competition with Him? I have to admit that it was a tough sermon to hear. You mean it's not all about me???
Ephesians 1:17 says "that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of all glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him"
Knowing is growing. In order to grow more we have to know Him more. In order to know Him more we have to spend time with Him...in prayer. God centered prayer maintains God centered living. God chose us that we may be holy and blameless and even though He has already poured every spiritual blessing into us there still must be growing! And it's not just important that you pray, but how you pray. We ought not pray for more blessings (we have already been blessed...remember?), but we ought to pray to acquire a deeper intimacy with who God is and what He has done. Praise should be a major part of your prayers because God has already given you all of His spiritual blessings. Why would we need to ask for more?
So I don't need to pray for more power, more grace, more patience...because I have already been given them...in fullness. I need to pray to grow in the knowledge of His power, His grace, His patience. I don't need to pray for more blessings. I need to pray to know God's blessings. I don't need to focus on the gifts, but focus on the Giftor.
So where to start? How about praying scripture back to God. I can't say it better than Him anyway. So I'm praising Him that...
"therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come." - 2 corinthians 5:17
"the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul, therefore I will hope in Him." - lamentations 3:22-24
Seems like a pretty good start for cleaning my heart and mind out. What are you praising Him for?
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