If there is one thing that I cannot stand, it is someone who continually complains about their walk, yet does nothing. Now, by nothing, I mean exactly that. There is an excuse for everything. Their life is so completely full that they have no time to spend in the Word. No time for a 5-minute devotion. Not even time to spend reading the Bible with their children. The church ultimately becomes responsible for showing the children how to walk with the Lord. But unfortunately, many times the children end up becoming just like their parents: complainers. Would you like some cheese with that whine? I find it really interesting to talk with people like this because they always seem to have time to update their Facebook status every hour on the hour, check out all their friends' Facebook statuses, shop online, read other books, etc. But in all of this apparent busy-ness, there is no time left to abide. We are told in John 15 that Christ is the Vine and we are the branches. (John 15:4) We cannot bear fruit outside of Him. (John 15:5) Our walk will falter without this abiding that we are commanded to do. As a matter of fact, Jesus goes on to say: "If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned." Ouch, sounds painful.
Not only that, think about this rationally. Why would you want to stray from your Heavenly Father? The God of the universe, who sent his Son to be a sacrifice, to pay the price for your sin? This may come as a surprise, but one day Facebook will be gone. You won't be able to update your status anymore, nor will you be able to keep up with the Jones' because the Jones' won't matter. That cool new TV show? Gone in a blink of an eye, along with all of the neat new things that you "had to have". What will matter then? In the end, it will come down to this: did you abide? Did you take time out of your busy day, out of your hectic life to give thanks and spend time with the One who gave you the breath in your lungs? Did you glorify Him by not obsessing over what you don't have and what you want or think you need, but instead put your focus on how He has blessed you beyond measure?
So, quit complaining, stop making excuses, and start living what you claim to believe. Log off of Facebook, turn off your computer, unplug the TV, and silence your phone. Grab your Bible, brush off the layer of dust that has collected on it, and open it up. And abide. Spend time with the One who picked you out of creation and said "This one is mine". You may just find that life isn't so hard, not so overwhelming.
(For those of you who just got offended by reading this: I wrote this for you. I have heard enough complaining and belly-aching to last me a lifetime, and frankly, enough is enough. And you know what: so has everyone else. Give us all a break. Sometimes life sucks. Deal with it. Quit making excuses for not spending time in the Word. We are all busy. But some of us know how to prioritize our time.)
Lovingly yours,
A
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