Thoughts from a guy just trying to chase after God!

So funny that in the busyness of day to day life you forget to do things you really need to do. You don’t spend enough time with your wife or children. You don’t spend enough time in the word of God or in prayer or in fasting. You don’t take time to tell people about how Jesus has completely transformed your life. You don’t even have enough time sometimes to be kind to someone you pass by. Most of all though we are a people who neglect the one who deserves the bulk of our attention and time and that is God.

But we do have plenty of time to twitter, facebook, email, text, blog, ichat, instant message, fill in the blank of digital community that has no depth to it. Now before you get all bent out of shape I am just as guilty as the next person and I am using a blog to share this instead of calling or telling every person I meet with about it. No worries though I will do that as well. I guess it has really hit me lately because I am so guilty of being at work and checking my twitter or facebook, or checking ESPN every 10 minutes, instead of digging in the word or spending time in prayer or just having fellowship with God or a brother in Christ. It is because we have become a culture and society that cannot survive without technology. It was so bad when I came home when I should be spending time with my daughters whom I haven’t seen all day or talking with my wife I am still checking twitter or ESPN on my phone. Not good, not good at all.

Psalm 91:1 says “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” I had a buddy send me this Psalm and I want to encourage you to go read this Psalm today. That first verse is a call to drop every technological distraction and any other thing that is keeping us from God and to rest in His presence for there we will find rest and the nourishment we need to live life. I read in a book that talks about how in our times of emergency we call 911 and God offers his own 911 in Psalm 91:1. It tells you where to rest so that when emergencies and trials come nothing will overtake you. The rest of the Psalm tells us that no harm will come to us, verses 14-16 end the Psalm with this.

14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

That is a great comfort for us. This passage of scripture and pushing from one of my mentors really got me to this place of knowing I need to spend more time with God. I had never had an effective time with God where I was in His word and just praying in the spirit and in my understanding with him every day. Since God brought all of this to light I have woken in the mornings for the last 26 days and the first thing I do is spend time in God’s word doing the one year bible reading plan and in intimate prayer with Him. You can go to http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com to find the plan I am using if you are interested.

I guess I write this to say, that before you twitter, facebook, or all the other things you do, make sure you are not neglecting your one true love, which is God, and that you are not neglecting those closest to you; your wife, children, family etc… Make sure you are obedient to what God has called you to first and that you have real authentic community not what is online or on your phone. Just my thoughts and I hope that challenges us all a little. For those of you who don’t struggle with this keep fighting the good fight and praying for those who do.