devotions

Charlie 0320 Just before a car’s engine runs out of gas it shakes violently, sputters, and knocks hard. It is then, the driver’s stomach does the same thing. Unless you are driving a very old clunker there is a light on the dash that does its best to tell you when you are running out of and in need of filling up again.

A friend of mine is living overseas. No friends, or family went with him. He has been there long enough to make new friends, get new co-workers, but he hasn’t found a church quite like what he had in America. In fact, not even close. We were talking the other day, and I said to him, “You are getting low on God.” How did I know? By the way he talked about life there, and I could tell he was forgetting a lot of the wisdom and understanding from the Word of God he had learned. He agreed.

It is critical, to the life of one who is a serious follower of Jesus Christ,

to keep an eye on the God gauge.

To know the signs of when you are drifting away from true north. When your half of the relationship with Jesus isn’t what it once was.

Some of the things that cause this to happen are; busyness in life, missing church, you know, the forsaking the assembling of the brethren, slacking off on your devotion to God, and over all lacking in spending time with Him. It happens slowly, and before you know it.

As we are entering into troubling times it is more important than ever to stay close to God. In fact, it wouldn’t hurt anything to draw near to God even more! Take you fears and concerns to him. Walk in confidence of knowing God, and knowing he knew long before the news channels what today would reveal. God loves you so much, and he cares about the things you are concerned with. Spending time with Him fuels you to overcome the things in life that can trip you up. When your tank stays full of God you wind up getting more MPG (Miles per God) in life. You never want to find yourself on the road of life and realize you are one mile till empty.

Charlie 70 How many times have you beat yourself up for not doing your devotions? Me? I used to constantly be black and blue! I didn’t like it. Am I not serious about serving God? I used to ask myself. I wanted to make God happy with me, so why did I constantly feel as though I was disappointing him?

It took a while, okay years, but one day I realized being devoted to devotions was not the same as being devoted to God. I begin to walk in freedom, because now I was devoted to God, and I knew I could talk to him anytime I wanted to. I could worship, read his word, and praise him throughout the entire day, and not just at a particular time of day. There may be those that like having a set time each day, but that didn’t work for me. Some people, I’m afraid, do their devotions, but then forget what they read or said to God as soon as they are done. They experienced time gone by, but fail to experience God.

Just like I can’t make you mad, I can’t make God have an emotional response to me as well. We choose our reactions to others and God chooses his reactions to us. I’m sure it’s an easy choice for him though when we talk to him and are mindful of him all day long. God, no doubt, wants to hang out with his children and listen to them, and have them listen to him. God has a lot to say.

^“Therefore, your hearts are to be wholly devoted to the Lord our God, to walk in His statutes and to keep His commandments, as [you are doing] today.” (1 Kings 8:61 AMP)