Absence Makes the Heart Grow Fonder... or Forgetful

So, I've been gone for a little while and I'd like to apologize for that. But due to a lot of current stress, life has been a little busy. I kept thinking, 'I need to write. I need to write,' but other things got in the way of the specific work I am trying to do on this blog.

And then I got to thinking, that's how it is sometimes when it comes to our one-on-one time with God. We allow other 'more important' events to get in our way. 'We just have to go to that pro ballgame and miss church Sunday morning', or 'skipping Wednesday night just this once won't hurt, my day has just been too long.' The problem with this mentality is that we allow those 'one time' events to creep in and take over and before you know it, we're not attending church or spending time with God at all. 

 Now, I tend to get cranky when I don't get my worship time in during the week. I attend a small church on Sunday mornings and a larger church on Wednesday nights. I have been attending the smaller church for 18 years now and never intend to give it up. The people I worship with understand my weirdness and love me all the more for it. The larger church gives my children the opportunity to worship with more children their age and it gets me through the week. 

When I miss worship, or get behind in my personal devotional time, that hole begins to grow. Seeking after the things I want does nothing for me. Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:33 to

"seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you."

His commandment to me is to seek after Him first, not last. In Mark 12:30 Jesus goes on to say,

 "'And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’"

If I'm not  involved and accountable for my worship and devotional time with God, I am not loving Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. Without God time, our hearts become heavy, our souls lost, our minds contaminated by worldly thoughts, and our strength stolen by the devil. Even if you've been gone for a long time, God always has His arms wide open, waiting to bring you close to Him. Don't wait until your heart has become forgetful, be proactive and spend ten free minutes this evening with Him.

Tonight, I'd like to leave you with the chorus to one of my favorite songs, 

"Light the Fire" (lyrics by Sonic Flood, parts in parenthesis are echoes)

"Light the fire
(light the fire)
In my soul
(in my weary soul)
Fan the flame
(fan the flame)
Make me whole
(make my spirit whole)
Lord, You know
(Lord, You know)
Just where I've been
(where I've been)
So light the fire
in my heart again "

source: http://www.lyricsondemand.com/s/sonicfloodlyrics/lightthefireinmyheartlyrics.html