Ease Into The Day

Saturday.......wow! I'm off.
I haven't been off on Saturday in 14 years.
I will still go out to Rapha tonight for our service, but I'm off.
I was able to, what Vicki and I refer to "ease into the day."
That means we wake up at the usual time (some where between 5:15 and 5:30) but don't feel obligated to get up. We just kine of lay there and talk and doze...you know....ease into the day. To be able to do this today was a real present.
Thank you Lord!
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Jeremiah 7:8
Behold, you are trusting in deceptive words to no avail.

I have really started being careful about what I say and what I believe from others around me.
Doesn't mean I don't trust those around me, I do.
It means when someone comes to me and makes statements concerning God or church or religion, I go straight to the book.
I know that I have an advantage over some since I am a pastor and part of what I do is study Scripture.
Never the less, I have to weigh out these things against the Bible. What does God say? Not what do I think. Or what is my opinion.
I work with some really great guys and part of the enjoyment of what I do is our interaction. We are constantly visiting and talking with each other about things that are going on in the camp (Rapha) or in our own lives. We seek each other's council and wisdom but, in the end, we take it to God to get the final verdict, so to speak.

Deceptive words that cry out to be trusted will lead us down a path that we really don't want to go down.
In the passage in Jeremiah, He (Jeremiah) is warning the people that what they say and the evidence of their behavior does not match. They are living a life that is contrary to what they proclaim to believe. I guess the biggest deception comes when we hear the enemy whisper to us, "It's o.k....go ahead and do (insert what ever it is you are going to do)....God really doesn't care about that. After all, you're a good person. You go to church. You sing in the choir, you give regularly....see you are a Christian." Problem is we don't get to balance out wrong with right. Justify our misdeeds and sin with our religious mindset. To me that is the most deceptive act a person could possibly do. Justify their misdeeds by saying, "God must not really be mad at me, look at all the positive stuff that is happening in my life. I share my faith and people are saved. How could they be saved if I was really, really sinning." Don't laugh, I have lived that lie before. Do you not know that the "Word of God doesn't return void?" Do you know what that means? It means that if the worst sinner in the world stands to preach or share something, God will use that message to convict and save people. God isn't excusing the one who delivered the message, but He will not empty the message of Power to save. So if you are the one who is delivering the message, and you are in sin, you cannot justify your sin by the simple fact of saying, "Wow, God is using me. He must not be too upset with me and what I have done."
Be careful.
Be quick to confess.
Quicker to repent.
Don't trust in deceptive words, even when they are coming from your own mind.
Search out the Scripture for truth in all your endeavors.

God on you....
mb