And I will say to my soul, Soul, you have many good things laid up, (Enough) for many years. Take you ease; eat, drink and enjoy yourself merrily.
There verse above reminds me that there is no time to sit on my laurels in the Kingdom of God.
Each week, each day is an opportunity to learn and grow with God. And believe you me, when I say that I need to grow........I mean it.
Monday....
New day to a new week.
Another chance given to me, by God, to get it right.
Last week, I said the wrong things....
Not only did I say the wrong things, I said them in such a way that they were hurtful....
But this week, after praying and receiving forgiveness for my actions and behavior, I get an opportunity to get it right.
Monday.....
New day to a new week.
Another chance to get it right.
Last week, I chose my flesh over what God wanted.
I saw you walking down the interstate, and I knew that I was suppose to stop and pick you up. But I didn't. A million reasons flooded my mind about how you could be a dangerous psychopath with murder in your heart. Once again as I drove past you...and the miles piled up between us, God spoke and asked, "Why? Why didn't you stop."
Oh God, I am such a mess. But this week, after praying and receiving forgiveness for my actions and my behaviors, I get another opportunity to get it right. I will listen more closely to You, Lord, and not so much to my flesh.
Monday.....
New day to a new week.
Another chance to get it right.
Last week, I doubted You, God, and Your ability.
I found myself in a situation where I totally knew that You had placed me in, yet I did not believe you would come through on Your end. So....I tried to help you out by taking control of the situation. Can you say, "Messed it up!"
Once again....praying..."It's me again, Lord. Why do you keep working through me? Why do you even fool with me?" His answer? "I love you and that's what I do." Last week, I tried to help (which is a kind of Christian-ese slang for "Get out of the way God, You're not doing it the way I want it done). But this week, after praying and receiving forgiveness for my Pharisee mindset, I get another opportunity to get it right. I will wait for You, Lord. I will wait for You.
That's the great part about the Kingdom and person of God.
You can mess up, but the whole confession / repentance / forgiveness / restoration thing sets you right to try again. Another opportunity to grow in God. Isn't it funny, not ha-ha funny but strange funny, that when you mess up with the devil, he wants to beat you down and make you wallow around in your mistake, but God wants to raise you up and teach you so that you can move on in life.
In addiction, it's all about the crushing weight of shame and guilt that keeps you from rising up to try again. It takes the Holy Spirit of God talking to your heart, drawing you to a place mentally and spiritually where you will say, "I've got to do something or I'm going to lay here and die." God is the "raising up" God. He is the "healer" of all our mess. That is why on Monday's I look at it as another opportunity to make right all the mess I created last week. A do-over if you will.
So it doesn't matter how many cravings you had last week.
It doesn't matter how many times you quit last week.
It serves no purpose to allow last week to dictate to you what this week is going to be like. It's a new week and a new opportunity to move forward with God.
Why not ask Him to teach you how to pray more effectively?
Why not ask Him to put a person in your path today that you might minister to. (Remember "Minister" means to serve). Serve in whatever capacity God needs you to.
You are salt....so go flavor your part of the Kingdom of God.
You are light....so go drive away darkness in your part of the Kingdom of God.
You are an image bearer of God. Go let others see God in you.
You are a new creation, raised up from the ashes of an old lifestyle that kept you in bondage and slavery to drugs and alcohol. Go be a witness to the power of God.
It's Monday....
Go!
God on you....
mb
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