Sacrificing or Obeying?
Good Morning, it's Pastor Mike here! Sorry I forgot to mention that in yesterday's devotional.
On Saturday we spent time focusing on what it means to wait patiently on the Lord. His promise to us is that when we do He will "turn to us and hear our cry." He also promises to put a new song into our hearts as we learn to sit at His feet patiently.
Admittedly, there are many days I am actually hesitant to hear from God. To be honest, sometimes I am afraid that God might want me to do something that I don't want to do.
I'm afraid that God might ask me to restore a relationship that has grown distant, address an area of my life that actually falls outside God's design for honesty or integrity or even giving away something that is precious to me... my time, my attention or my money...
// READ & FEED: Today read Psalm 40 again and try to focus specifically on verse 6.
"In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted, but you have given me an open ear. Burnt offering and sin offering you have not required."
// JOURNAL: Part of fasting is sacrificing, even denying ourselves a physical desire like food, in order for God to fill us with a deeper spiritual desire for Him. What I love (and kinda dislike:) are the words the Psalmist uses in verse 6 to clarify the difference between sacrificing and obeying.
David makes it abundantly clear that what God clearly values is not our sacrificing, but rather our OBEDIENCE. OUCH. Man, I wish that God would value sacrificing my caffeine for a bunch of smoothies... why can't that just be good enough? :)
The bottom line is that God really wants our hearts, and the reality is that our sacrifice of the physical helps to soften our hearts to consider the spiritual discipline that obedience requires.
Take some time today to write down some of the ways that you sense God is asking you to be obedient to Him as part of this fast. Push through the pangs of fear and anxiety you feel about what it might mean to be able to do that. Challenge yourself to consider more than just sacrificing for Him, but actually what it means to OBEY Him.
- To be open to go wherever he desires for me and Jonathan to go - even if that means away from my parents (NO!) or linking up with someone in a home-dwelling situation (Joanne, Lolita, someone else)
- Inviting Brandon to church - and his fiancee, even though I don't agree with how he's conducting this relationship.
- Visiting Maria and bringing her to church
- Inviting VerRonda and ViAnna to church
- Inviting Bill Scott to church
- Inviting Kay to church
- Volunteering in children's church
// Pray: I want you to spend some time talking with God about some of the ways He might be asking you to OBEY Him. Make sure to wait patiently and quietly as you listen to what He might be saying to you.
I also want you to pray about who you are going to share this with :)... that's right... you can't do this alone and you need to be praying about that person/people that will help support you as you take this next step of obedience, a spouse, friend, life group or service team member who will encourage you along in this journey.
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