The old Chinese proverb says that the first part of a long journey is the first step. And this is mine. I have never blogged before, but have been reading my dear friends Brent and Emancipation's blogs at www.lefttowrite.net and http://provokedthinking.blogspot.com/and am really inspired both by their transparency and by the encouragement I have gotten from all that they've done there.
Perhaps a bit of introduction would be good, So would some pictures and stuff, but I don't really have time for that now. I really want to post a thought that's been rolling around inside my head:
Yesterday I read the following from Amos chapter 5 verses 21-24 and it would like to have jumped off the page and smacked me in the face:
"I hate, I despise your religious feasts; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice peace (or fellowship) offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never failing stream."
I often wonder what God thinks of the worship I see and hear. I really wonder what He thinks of my worship and I guess in my heart of hearts I fear that this is exactly how He feels. So I re read the chapter to try to ferret out WHY God said this. The chapter title in my Bible (although NOT Divinely inspired) is "A Lament and Call to Repentance" and here's the pivotal verse to me: "Seek good, not evil, that you may live. Then the LORD God Almighty will be with you, just as you say He is" (emphasis mine)
Over and over again, Scripture tells us, in essence:
It is not about what it looks like
It is not about how impressed others are
It is not about how impressed you are
It IS about your heart.
Now my sister Faith will jump in and remind me (rightly) that although it is true, a right heart will not be without right actions like preparation for worship, modest appearance, humility etc. But it starts in the heart.
OK, so how do I straighten out my selfish (and a myriad of other issues) heart? Obey what I already know. God doesn't hold me to an impossible standard. Sure he says, "Be Holy because I am Holy" but the outworking of that is simply to obey what you know right now. It reminds me of a Chinese Proverb.
the First part of a long journey is the first step. Will you step with me?
5 comments:
Well brother, I am here, and I am reading your thoughts. Thank you for taking this first step. I can empathize with you on some of the thoughts and feelings associated with opening the door and letting the world in to read what is going on in your heart and head on any given day. I think its wonderful that you are here and I can catch up on what our heavenly Dad is showing you in each day we have down here.
So, am I to believe that I am the wayward brother?
Here I am!
Don't doubt it for a minute!
The thought that comes to mind is Paul's from Romans 1. From faith to faith - the just (righteous) shall live by faith. So, it is exercising what I say I believe at every opportunity. To be God conscious. To - in all my ways acknowledge Him. Then, I am assured of direction for my path (Proverbs 3:5-7). Once again we are faced with the unquantifiable distance from the brain to the heart and then to the feet!
Brent, you're my inspiration. When we met, you were led to believe that it was I who would mentor you. In point of fact, even if that ever happened to any degree, the tables are now turned... and I am grateful!
Steve, as I said in part when I invited a number of dear ones to come read and converse here,
"I offer you my thoughts - unvarnished and unwordsmithed, not to impress you or inspire you or shame you... not to do anything but beg you to converse with me. I have not kept up with you as I should, but I have only written this to those I value dearly. Can we start again here?"
So Steve, no, you are not THE wayward brother, I am. Having recognized it, I have titled my blog BWAT referring to me since I also invited a number of sisters to join us here.
The book of Hosea is coming to mind reading your post Kevin.. Thinking about God's Children and how often they gave him lip service and said & did all the "right" things. As you said their hearts were not right, they didn't not truly recognize "their" place or "their" need. I pray each day for an awareness of how much I need Daddy, how despondent I truly am. It is only in the awareness of who we truly are before Him that we can see who HE is.. 1 John 3:1What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we're called children of God!
KSK, it is I, the great man of mystery that has been so distant of late. Trust me when I say it is an encouragement receiving both your and Brent's updates, even if I've not had the time, or perhaps more honestly, not made the effort to respond in kind. The good news is that you have motivated me to start my own blog, which is located here:
http://hitchhikerstravelblogs.blogspot.com/
While I've not yet had the opportunity to start blogging there just yet, at least it's a start just having a place to blog!
Your scripture references remind me of a section of Scripture that describes how the people of Israel were busy building their houses and filling them with all kinds of luxuries, meanwhile they were shirking the Lord's work.
While I too sometimes struggle with some level of feeling like a hypocrite when it comes to my worship with the Lord, I try and remember that we are indeed created in His image, and therefore the sense of disappointment that the Lord feels toward me, whether in regard to my worship or any other part of my life that I suspect isn't up to par or out of balance, is probably very similar to how I feel in respect to my own children when they stray off course. Yes, we do feel disappointment, but only because of the depth the love we have for our children in the first place. Indeed, love never dies.
Well, I'm off to get some shut eye, then the family is off to Ocean City, MD for a weeklong vacation starting this weekend.
Blessings,
CJB
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