Prone to Wander

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8

Its easy to get distracted, isn't it? And to complicate matters, its already in our nature as humans to wander. Spiritually speaking, I think we all have ADD. Sometimes we wander around the corner but sometimes we wander miles and miles away--subtly and in a very short amount time. Its like we're kids in a busy store with so many opportunities and distractions to get away from our Father. I confess - I have seen this tendency within my own heart.  

I lived for so long with the desire for closeness with Him and feelings of passion for my God that I took it for granted that it would continue to be that easy to follow Jesus. But lately I've gotten distracted by this life and I haven't made time with Jesus a priority. I have wandered away very quickly. And in just a short amount of time I find myself further than I've been in a long time from God. I've grown complacent in my pursuit of Him. I regret that I wasn't more intentional about staying close to Him and I am indeed repentant. 

Thankfully, its me who wandered; He hasn't gone anywhere. As I began to beat myself up about this, I felt the Holy Spirit speak a few truths into me. These truths lifted me up and motivated me to keep moving forward. 

   1. Wandering is normal. We can spend so much time regretting that we miss our second chances. He isn't surprised by our wandering nature. He just wants us to refocus and follow Him again. It isn't wandering if we never return and we'll never return if we keep dwelling on the past. Repentance isn't dwelling on our sins so much that we never move forward; it is the chance to accept that we were wrong and to start over again. 

   2. We were never truly meant to rely on our feelings while we walk with Him. Our feelings have a place, yes. But sometimes we will feel like doing things and sometimes we won't and mature relationships don't operate strictly off of feelings.  Just like any other relationship, we have to do what it takes to keep those relationships alive regularly, despite our feelings. We have to make an effort, seek, listen and be honest. We have to drop our walls and be transparent continually. 

For the longest, I had a deep hunger for God and that was my motivation to keep seeking Him.  I was so smitten with Him for so long, much like a honeymooning phase. But relationships never stay in that phase if they're to grow. Our devotion and love must be tested and tried. Those tests grow us and our ability to love. They give us a tighter bond and makes us less likely to bail at the first sign of trouble. He is devoted to us enough to stay. He wants to make sure we are too.  

I think these lyrics from an old hymn, "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing", say it best. 

"Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

Prone to leave the God I love;

Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,

Seal it for Thy courts above."

The Litmus Tests

...I have pronounced against them because I have spoken to them, but they have not obeyed, and I have called them but they would not answer. Jeremiah 35: 17

This verse, like all the others, has a modern day lesson for every one of us. The words get straight to the point - God spoke but someone didn't listen. 

God told Jeremiah to go get a certain family, the Rechabites, bring them to the temple and offer them wine. So he did. But they refused the wine because an ancestor told them to never drink wine, own vineyards or live in a house. They made their homes tents instead...all because an ancestor left that instruction for them. They took his commands seriously. 

Based on the culture, I think everyone in Jerusalem knew these people and that they abstained. I cant help but believe Jeremiah knew they would say "no" to the wine but made the choice to obey God, to let God have His way and make His point. And I bet God's words about them afterwards were not what Jeremiah was expecting. We cannot predict God or His ways because He is so vast! He is a beautiful and faithful mystery, worthy of following!

Obeying God is a litmus test for how much of our hearts we've truly given Him. Its's also a path to freedom. In the history of Israel, God often promises them that if they make Him their God, obeying Him, He will protect them from being besieged by other nations. I see this as a picture symbolizing the freedom He provides for each of us individually. We can either have our hearts besieged by the enemy or set free in Jesus. There is no middle ground. There is no such thing as standing on our own two feet. Therefore, it makes sense that He gives us over to the bondage we seek after when we refuse to listen. He isn't going to force His way on us because true love offers a choice. 

It's easy for us to take things we've learned in life and consider them truths, even when the these things contradict scripture. It's easy for us to justify disobeying God by claiming His instruction will bring us trouble, harm or makes no sense to us. It is easy to let our fears keep us from doing what He tells us to do. But any reason not to obey Him is a barrier that keeps us from giving Him our whole heart. His ways are always best for us. They stretch us and grow us, they dispel our fears and make us wiser. The only way we're ever going to know He is faithful is to step out and obey and let Him do with it what He will. 

He loves us. He doesn't want to hurt us. But hurting us isn't the same in His eyes as it is in ours. It's like the difference between what we allow for our kids based on their health, emotional and intellectual needs. They may think we are hurting them by taking them for shots or making them do things they don't like, but in reality we are loving them by doing what is best for them. 

He speaks to all of us who believe in Him, whether we believe that or not. The test is, are we willing to listen, weight and test whether it is Him or not. Are we willing to give Him our whole heart and give up everything else in it if necessary? Are we willing to be uncomfortable? Are we willing to have our believe systems challenged and changed - all because He said so? When we do, we reap more rewards than we can weigh. We become more and more of His, and realize how safe we really are in His care. 

To Know Is To Do

This means one must not transgress against and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger of all these offenses, as we also previously told and warned you. 

1 Thessalonians 4:6

The more I read scripture, the more convinced I become that this is a book about relationships-- with God and with fellow humans. Scripture draws a direct correlation between one's relationship with God and his or her relationship with others. This means that the way we interact with other people is telling of how well we know God. 

We can know about a lot about someone, but to know someone is a whole different thing. Truly knowing someone is the result of an ongoing, two-sided relationship. A relationship impacts every aspect of life. The interactions that take place in our relationships spill over into our interactions with others. They teach us, whether we realize it or not. And since our interactions with God tend to be foundational to all the others, we can't just study Him, we must also seek after His heart by interacting with Him through prayer and worship, among other things. If we want to learn the right way to think, interact and treat people, we need to spend more time with Jesus. 

It's all throughout scripture, to love God is to love others. To love anyone is to treat them with respect and honor. . It means that we no longer approach them with a "me first" attitude because godly love, agape or unconditional love, always considers what's best for the other person. 

But here's the kicker - loving others isn't as easy as we tend to make it sound. It goes way beyond a feeling or thought. It is something we do and continually practice as we battle all the reasons not to love at the same time. It has nothing to do with agreeing with others or liking their choices. The only real boundaries in loving others is in our hearts.

Even as we strive to do as Jesus does, we're going to make mistakes and bad decisions, but even in all of our messes God leaves open an invitation of redemption and healing. He leaves room for repentance and offers the grace of change when one is humble enough to apologize and seek reconciliation. He welcomes us to seek these things in our relationships with others just as we should with Him. He encourages us to keep getting back up and keep moving forward as He stands on the sidelines, cheering us closer and closer to the finish line.