It's a Relationship, not a religion!

Too often we focus on the religious aspect of church instead of a relationship with God.  We go to church, sit there and listen to the songs and preaching, and then leave, forgetting what the sermon was even about.  This isn’t what we need to be doing.  We need to develop a relationship with God instead of just being religious.

How often do you read your Bible?  Every day?  How much do you read a day if you do?  A few verses?  We need to get in the Word and stay in the Word!  It needs to be in and on our hearts, our lives.  We need to live in the love of God – forgetting the traditions of man.

Mark 7: 5-9, 13

Then the Pharisees and scribes asked him, Why walk not thy disciples according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashen hands?  He answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me.  Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.   For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men, as the washing of pots and cups: and many other such like things ye do.   And he said unto them, Full well ye reject the commandment of God, that ye may keep your own tradition….Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye.

We cannot rely on men to make our lives better!  How much better to live in the love of God, to live a relationship with the almighty than to focus on our earthly and worldly lives?  What can that life bring us that God can’t abundantly give us?  Absolutely nothing – nothing but heartache and pain. 

This is what happens to us when the things of man are in our hearts: Mark 7: 21-23

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness:  All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.

These are what come out of hearts if God isn’t what’s occupying our hearts.  We need to push all of this aside and focus on what God wants for us to do.  He wants us to love Him, not just like Him on Sundays, to lay aside all earthly feelings, doings and focus on Him.     

We need to actively seek a relationship with God.  Talk to Him.  Love on Him and let Him love on us.  We need to wake up every morning, talking to God and knowing that without Him our life would be nothing.  We don’t want to live in what Mark 7: 21-23 says we will if we don’t have God in our lives or hearts.  We want to be blessed, and if we actively seek that relationship with God, we will. 

Deuteronomy 6:5

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

The other night, Eddie James came to visit our church.  He sang a song, Nazarite Cry, on his new CD Shift, which I strongly suggest buying.  When I heard it and as I was worshiping to it, I had this thought:  We need to love God as much as a lover loves.  We need to be a lover of God.

Here's that song:  I think it goes well with this devo.  Take some time to listen to it and let it soak in.  Focus on God and worship him.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xuh_pUUr6-0

Who Directs Your Path?

We like to plan our future.  We like to plan ahead the day.  And when we make decisions, we want to make them according to our plans.  But what about the One who created us?  What does He want us to do?



Twice in the book of Proverbs does is say, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death."  Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25

So, if that wasn't the case, why would he tell us twice?  We need to get it in our heads that one way is death, the other life.  The footnote in my study Bible sent me to Matthew 7:13,14.  This is the end of the Sermon on the Mount.  Jesus is distinguishing the line between destruction and life.  Which meant, if you didn't follow Him, you would be sent to destruction.  He emphasized that we needed to choose life, choose Him.

These verses in Proverbs are indicating that exact thing.  Solomon, in this case, was telling us that we, as man, will see things that seem right but will eventually lead man to death.  So, we need to be wise and choose the right path.

But choosing the right path isn't easy.  Even Jesus said it wouldn't be easy in Matthew 7:14, "Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it."

It is important to remember that although life is difficult and we want to take the easy way out, we can't.  We have to take the right path.  That is the most important fact.

So, how do we figure out this right path and avoid death and destruction?  We pray.  I know I've quoted these verses a lot, but it's so important that we learn it.

Proverbs 3:5,6 "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths."

Acknowledge God and trust that He will take you where you need to go.  Like Jesus said, it won't be easy.  Life isn't easy, but God knows what He's doing.  We have to trust in Him. Trust that He knows our future, and He knows how it all ends.  He knows what is, and will, be best for us.

Proverbs 16:1 says, "The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord."

Everyone is subject to God's will and way, no matter how much planning we, man, put into it.  Have you ever thought that life wasn't going like you wanted it to?  That nothing was going according to plan?  I have.  I've been there, many times!  I knew that God had a plan for me, but I didn't want to wait for it.  And, I wanted it to be what I wanted, not what God wanted.  I was wrong.  I was heading down the path of destruction.

One day, after praying about something that I thought was going in the wrong direction, God revealed to me something that I would have never had if I had gone down the path I wanted to go down.  I wouldn't have been able to freely worship God if I had gotten my way.

I thought about that, and immediately, I thanked God for stopping that path.  Because, I didn't want a life where I couldn't praise my King freely.  He gave me life.  He gave me everything.  Why should I NOT trust Him when He directs my path in a different way?  I didn't have an answer.  Because God has my answer.  He knows exactly what will happen and when it will happen and how it will happen.  That should be good enough for me.  That should be good enough for all of us.  It's just that we aren't taking the "me, me, me" out of GOD's plan for us.

"A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps." Proverbs 16:7

Who directs your path?  You or the Lord?