Seems like, when it comes to God, we have a tendency to think we get to do all the receiving from Him. After all, we can't "earn" our salvation, or "work" for our salvation. All that's left is for us to sit back and rake in the blessings.
I think maybe there are some maintenance steps that we need to be aware of that will aid us in not drifting away (see Hebrews 2:1 and 3). i have found that when I get lax in my daily walk, I tend to get off the road and into the weeds. At first the weeds are not any trouble to navigate. But the farther I get away from the road, the higher and deeper the weeds get until I can't tell which way is up. Then I find myself doing a lot of "Oh God...Oh God....Oh God" praying.
I love Psalm 37. To me it is a check list of things I need to do and be aware of in my daily life. The very first verse knocks the ball out of the park, so to speak. David begins the chapter by saying three little words that plague us all....Do Not Fret. Do not worry. Do not let your focus be drawn away from God. O.k....we're off with a roar as we move through the next few verses.
Oh yeah...just a matter of reminding you, why would we be told "not to fret" unless God knows that we will. So it's not so much the fact that we find ourselves in a place of worry or fretting as it is taking captive the worry and giving it to God.
The very next verse, after telling us not to worry, David writes, "Trust in the Lord." Isn't that the remedy for worrying? I think maybe yes. Trusting God that no matter what we may face, He has it. He is in control.
After we begin trusting God, David writes that we are to "do good." Kind of an open ended statement and doesn't give a lot of direction, but as I see it, doing good means that you get outside yourself and point your efforts to others.
Next we read where David wrote "Dwell in the land." Of course this is a reference to the place that God had provided for Israel to live. Now we are not called to a promised land, but we are called to a promised life. Here is where we are to dwell, and not allow ourselves to be drawn away and enticed by the world.
Feed on His faithfulness is the next directive. Take the faithfulness of God into your Spirit as you read Scripture. In fact, the entire Bible is about a God who is always faithful to His word, and a people who aren't. Let the thought of His promises and blessings fill your thoughts.....flood your heart....and take root in your mind. Give no room for the things of this world. I know...easy to say, hard to do. Maybe the reason it is so hard is that we keep trying in our own flesh, strength, ability and effort instead of resting in God.
Gotta run...I'll try and finish the rest of Ps. 37 tomorrow.
God on you.....
Michael b.
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