she asked me what I do on a daily basis as a Christian......
My days are rather full and chaotic from the moment my feet swing off the bed and hit the floor......until they swing back up again at the end of the day. I can usually manage an hour or two before bed to just sit and watch a crime drama or two. It is how I unwind and forget the intensity of my day. I wish I could say I get up at 5am every morning for quiet time with the Lord, in His word, in worship. That is the goal, people. For now, this is how it works for me.
I love Sunday Morning worship in church. I love my church. I love the people, the heart, the pastor......and we are not a perfect church but a living, breathing vessel of God. If we are not in our home church, we try to worship else where and occasionally I watch a sermon on television......one way or another, I try to hear a message with scripture. There are lots of good podcasts available and sermons to find on the internet, too!
From Sunday morning, I try to make a few notes and write down the scripture that the morning pastor shared from the bible. That is what I often use for the week. Today, I watched our service on live stream because 2 of my 5 kiddos are sick. Roger has worked tirelessly with a few other techy people at our church, to get this to work for weeks and weeks and today it worked! God wanted me to be included in today's message. For sure. Our pastor used Habakuk. He is preaching a sermon series on this particular book of the bible right now. The point of the sermon was, for me, to Live Obediently. In good days and bad. Climb up to the watch tower (or rampart) and watch and wait for the Lord.....and live each day as He leads. Pastor cited Luke 9 and the command to daily take up my cross and follow Jesus, even if it is not comfortable or safe. He spoke about the story of the Good Samaritan and how he helped someone in need and showed mercy regardless of the religion, color of his skin (or political persuasion.....insert my own thought here). He talked about the enemy of the Lord being puffed up and how self-reliance can be the enemy......
This is plenty for me to chew on for the upcoming week! If I take some time every few days and open my bible and read these passages, then pray and ask God for wisdom and clarity to hear Him in my days......and if I spend time in silence throughout the day, I am meditating on the word of God, as led by my church pastor. I can turn off the radio in the car, turn off the television when I am alone at home, and even if I am folding laundry or driving around the county for work I can listen to that still soft whisper of the Holy Spirit. Often He leads me to more scripture......or some reminder of how very much He loves me. Yes. Yeah. He says that. Quietly in my mind and soul......just in case I have forgotten in that moment how much He cares. I will begin to praise Him and thank Him for how good he is, how forgiving, how filled with grace and love and power.......and then sometimes He leads my thoughts to others I know that are hurting. God Almighty wants me to join him in caring about them, thinking of them, lifting them up to His mighty arms of provision. So we do that.
Sometimes I will start to cry, right where I am in my day, as I see again how very much He loves us all.....and how His heart breaks for the widow, the orphan, the least of us, the lost, the broken, the misunderstood......Sometimes I smile quietly as He shows me little things that remind me of how strong He is, and He even shows off a bit.......just so I won't forget again too soon.
I love to be with God in music. Lately, Lauren Dagle is one of my favorites.......and some of the older worship artists from the IHOP-KC like Justin Rizzo. They can lead me to the heart of worship like an espresso through the drive-in! I am not afraid to raise my arms in praise at my dining room table while I am charting for work, or sing at the top of my lungs and be so filled with the love of Jesus that I have to pull over on the side of the road and close my eyes and feel the reverence of God in my car.
Think about the word of God in your day. Fill your home and your car with deep and scriptural worship songs. Pray. Intercede for others. Praise Him. Give thanks.
Lastly......have a few people that you can reach out to when the struggle is real and the day is hard. Ask them for prayer. Be broken and humble and needy when you need to. Accept the love of Jesus in other people.
There you have it. Go forth this week as will I!
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