Hi how are you all today? I am well and am on holidays this week. We are staying in a colder place than where I live but the weather is not too bad. How was your week?
In this blog I want to reflect on the statement: this time. This has a connotation of current and time means time. So this time means right now.
Most of us when we have been to a city a number of times think that you have seen everything there is to see. You become slightly or a lot bored with holidaying in the same place over and over. Not all feel this way- some like it because it is familiar and therefore risks are not required.
Risks are not only bad, sometimes they are good. A risk can mean going to someplace new and stepping into good. Taking risks means visiting a new attraction not knowing whether you will like it or not.
That sums up my holiday. I have been to this city before and seen the most talked about attractions. But this time what if I go deeper and discover something new- take a risk.
This is the same in our Christian lives. This time can refer to many of the times we spend with God. In fact time can be substituted for Sunday, prayer, Bible reading. We can treat this Sunday’s church service as familiar instead of holy and a chance for us to learn deeper things of God and to be changed to become more like Him.
We can treat this prayer time as another ritual instead of realising that we get to talk to the creator of the universe. Sometimes it leaves me in awe and I don’t know what to say.
We can treat this Bible reading time as habit instead of thinking what deeper truths can I learn today. Treating the things of God as familiar not holy will be detrimental to us and to others we are ministering too.
There is a story in the Bible about treating the things of God as familiar and is found in Leviticus 10: 1-2 and in the Message Bible, it states:
10 Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the Lord,contrary to his command. 2 So fire came outfrom the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.
Who were Nadab and Abihu? Nadab and Abihu were Aaron’s oldest sons and were ordained as priests in front of all the people. Therefore they were honoured and given high positions in the temple of God. This was not through their own intellect or handsomeness but because they were sons of the one God had called to be the High Priest.
God had very specific things and ways in how the temple was to operate. Everything that was done pointed to Jesus.
But Nadab and Abihu chose to go outside the ways of the temple and offer something that was man made not God ordained.
This can happen to us in our walk with God. The things of God become familiar to us and to make it more interesting we do and say things that are not God ordained.
Our hearts betray us. We think reading the Bible is not doing us any good so instead of going deeper, we treat the Word of God with contempt and go our own way.
The same goes for church services. We are there to love God and love others. We are not there to nitpick at all that happens or gossip about others. We need to get back to treating church services as holy not familiar.
The consequences for us might not be as severe as Nadab and Abihu’s but there will be consequences. We will not feel close to God, we may not hear Him so clearly or things could become so familiar we stop seeking God deeper and just stop.
It is time, this time, to make things right with God. Every time we seek God through prayer, reading, attending church etc should be as if we had never been before. We need to keep our hearts open to receive from God.
So this week, open up your heart again and do each thing with God as if it’s new and exciting. Then walk in the blessings that God has for you from that.
Bless you and keep living the life Hod intended.
Karen
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