aren't most athletes always training and working hard to pursue a goal?
aren't most artists passionately honing their craft?
most all of these people are unapologetic about their loves, what delights them and would never be swayed to be silent about them.
why then, if we say we love God, do we not act like it?
loving and "talking about God and not living like it? it's outrageous nonsense..."
i heard that this morning. regarding fruit.
the things we chase after, the things that we pursue, find worth it, delight in, the things that we desire, the things we just cannot live without, the lengths to which we will go, the things that we will do to get those things that mean so much to us...ALL of these things show where our heart is. they show where our attention and affections are. they show where our security and identity are. they show us where our idols truly are.
our friendships, our children, our job and career ladder and income, our status and appearance, our material world of shopping, our emotional eating, our spouses's respect or attention, our acceptance by peers and public, our ability to debate and win, our desire to popular and well liked....even doing good for others, like serving, if the motive of pride is hidden beneath.
it seems if we really adored and DELIGHTed in our Lord, then our fruit would show for it. our actions would be showing our heart on display.
and that's just it. our heart IS on display.
in our words.
in our actions.
in our work.
in our marriage, in our parenting, in our friendships.
in our fights, in our disagreements.
on FB and twitter, on blogs and emails.
sometimes you have to literally take a sharpie marker and write on your hand. a word. that reminds you to check yourself hourly or more, about the word delight. to remind yourself just WHO to delight in. and to be reminded too that HE takes great delight in you.
our idols are love affairs on display. open betrayals to our God. showing Him that He's just second best. or worst. at the bottom of the list.
HE is jealous for us. He longs to be in right fellowship with us, why then don't we drop all the little false idols in our hands and heart and run to him? and repent. and restore. and live. for HIM.
bc of sin flesh? yes.
BUT what about those sports fans that don't stop cheering for their team when the 'other team guy' yells at them or bullies them with the scoreboard? what about the athlete who doesn't give up on the 10th mile of the marathon simply because they're tired, the olympian who gets up at 4am to train even when exhausted because they press on towards the prize they want? what about the artist who goes through 15 paintings before getting it right or the 10 pages of crumpled song lyrics on the floor before the perfect song is born or the 450 paged novel that MUST be finished by deadline but time's running out or writer's block has come? they don't give up. do they? they persist. they don't give up!!
why do we?
we have A JOY SET BEFORE US that assures us that we can and will have final victory. the end of the race, the completed painting, the fully written song. the glorious gold medal. that JOY SET BEFORE US gets us through the suffering...the trials. the wanting to quit at mile 10, the frustration of the scoreboard or confused unsatisfactory images on a canvas....the sheer fight that is idol worship.
if our actions truly show our heart and our words are the vehicles for our heart speak, then we will should surely be careful to take watch and test the temperature of those waters and check anything that is not "our team", "our project", "our masterpiece"....OUR GOD focused thoughts and desire...at the door.
and to press on. FOR OUR PRIZE is joy and peace and the sweet gift of HIM! Forever!!
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