"I admire your loyalty to the man who saved your life," she said. "He was a hero. But he's not a hero anymore. The man who blew up the post office and ran me off the bridge and caught your house on fire is not the same man who saved your life in Vietnam."
"Tell me about it," he said, swinging around to face her. "He gave his life for me, and that means something to me."
"I know," she said. "It means something to me, too. I'm a Christian. I know about someone giving His life for me."
"No, you don't." He pulled his chair back out and plopped into it, looking smugly across the table at her. "You don't know about that. If you did, it would change every area of your life. Not a day would go by, not an hour, that you weren't thankful for what he did for you. You'd wear it like a robe. It would be all over your face. His light would shine out of you. But you don't." ...
..."How much time do you spend each day studying God's Word?" The question came like a spear through the air, impaling her right through the heart.
"I'm a busy woman..."
"When life is normal," he said. "How much time? Fifteen minutes? Thirty?"
"Sometimes." She said.
"Just think about it," he said. "A man gave his life for you, and you mostly ignore him."
"I do not ignore him! I'm in church three times a week..."
"So you think he died for you so you could walk in and out of his house three times a week? ... Because I pointed out that you can't possibly understand my loyalty to the man who saved my skin, since you obviously don't have much for the one who saved yours?"
~excerpt from Word of Honor by Terri Blackstock
Thoughts I'm challenging myself with this week:
- Where do my loyalties lie? What am I choosing to let become more important than God? Luke 16:13 - You cannot serve two masters. You will end up hating one and being devoted to the other. If I choose to focus on something other than my relationship with God, I'm choosing a different master. It's ok to focus on school, work, family...just be sure to include God.
Something I once heard that is amazing and true:
Make a list of your priorities in order.
1. God
2. Family/Spouse
3. School
4. Running/Training
PROBLEM: DO NOT PUT GOD JUST AT THE TOP!!
To fix my list:
1. God
2. Family/Spouse + GOD
3. School + GOD
4. Running/Training + GOD
When you make your priorities, don't just stick God at the top of the list. Include him in EVERY ASPECT of your life! When you don't include him in all you do, that's when you open yourself up to life getting in the way and rearranging the priorities before you can even realize what's going on. You don't want to risk God ending up at the bottom. If He's included all the way through, He won't be moved aside!
And when I say "you," I totally mean "me." Completely preaching at myself here. I have to write things down to make them stick sometimes.
2 comments:
We can all stand a little preaching like that. Preach it, sister! I love you!
Great reminder!
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