26 March 2013

Joshua 24:21-24

Toby Mac is one of my favorite artists and he carries the theme of this scripture in several songs. I think that the worlds "idols" that we worship encompass so much more than what we might think of in reading scripture. "America has no more stars, now we call them idols..." (Toby Mac, Lose My Soul). We "worship" money, social status, entertainers, computers, video games, even addresses! All too often we are judged acceptable or not acceptable by what we have rather than what we do, what we give and what our character is like.

God, I pray that I don't get caught up in worldly things, that I keep my eyes and heart on You. That I remember by serving man, I am serving You. That I bear witness to myself and hold my own self accountable for my actions and that I seek You in all I do, Amen!

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1 Corinthians 11:17-22

The Bible I have is a recovery Bible (NLT)and often will have notes on different scripture to help me (or whoever) gain a better understanding of terms, or feelings in the scripture. The reason why I like this particular scripture is because I often felt out of place in church or with my family because of my lack of faith or knowledge or accomplishment or status compared to that of others. I recognize now that in almost all of those instances, they were a product of my own feelings of inadequacy and self-worth, or lack-there-of. It helps me a lot to try to remember that my family and friends and church love me and don't really feel that way. And if I just take a deep breath and step back from the situation and look at with the loving and accepting eyes of those in my life, rather than my eyes that are hurt and feel inadequate, things totally change. And I also know that before and during my addiction there were several times when I thought that I was "better" than another person. I am grateful that I don't feel or, hopefully, behave like that anymore. I truly believe that we are all sinners and we are all equal and worthy of God's love, grace and mercy. My cousin Nic once told me that just because he sinned differently than me, didn't make him any less of a sinner. Knowing that he truly believed what he was saying, helped me tremendously to put current and even past situations into perspective. I realized then that the only person looking down on me, was me.

God, I pray that I remember that You love me unconditionally and that I am worthy to be called Your child. That you help me become Your disciple and that I am wise in Your Word and always treat people with love and respect and tolerance. To be mindful of where I came from but grateful for where I am. That I strive to follow Your will and not my own, Amen!