Think
I have a lot of routines and activities of my day that I don’t think much about, I just do them. I don’t think much about washing my hands, but I do it often throughout the day. I sometimes eat without thinking about what I’m eating. It is my choice, but I don’t always think about the nutritional value of the snack, I simply consume it.
I have a morning routine that doesn’t vary much from day to day. When I write about what I have just read in God’s Word, it requires me to think. I like to hear from the Lord what I should “think” about this passage. I want to mentally chew on this for a second. This morning I was reading in the book of Isaiah and the prophet Isaiah was giving the people of Judah and Israel a strong word of warning. Check this out….
11 The Lord has given me a strong warning not to think like everyone else does. He said,
12 “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do,
and don’t live in dread of what frightens them.
13 Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life.
He is the one you should fear.
He is the one who should make you tremble. (Isaiah 8:11-13 NLT)
When I come across the challenge to “fear God”, I think about the word respect. I realize that I see it differently now that Jesus has come to earth to save us from ourselves and from the punishment that we deserve. When Isaiah is penning these words, Jesus had not yet arrived to show us the compassionate, grace-filled heart of the Father. In the Old Testament, we see mostly a God of Justice and Judgment. The Old Testament really sets up Jesus coming to earth.
I need to give some deep thought about daily trusting the Lord. I need to decide what I will do with Jesus. He is the One and Only Son of God. He made a way for me to have a personal relationship with God, The Creator. I no longer have to have a prophet, priest or pastor speak to the Lord on my behalf. I have direct access to the Lord. I want to think deeply about my relationship with God and what I believe. I want to be a man of deep faith that is cultivated by my journey in His Word. I want to live my life in a way that displays profound respect and honor for God, The Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
I want to think about the Lord before I speak.
I want to think about the Lord before I take action.
I want to think about the Lord and His Presence and His Power all throughout today and every day.
Pressing On!
Dwayne