How easily are we distracted!

Watch this video before reading the text

http://www.tangle.com/view_video?viewkey=41870f36e74781645619

When we watch this video is hard to focus on what the man is trying to tell us. Looking at what the man behind him is doing is much more interesting and amusing. I mean, how many times have you heard this passage? How many sermons people make out of this passage? It's always the same thing...
Many of us have been distracted by the wrong things, we have been distracted by our "friends", by addiction, by temptation, by entertaining ourselves with other things rather than God, making up excuses for not going to church, for not serving, for not praying, and for not seeking God. It's really easy to be distracted by other things. Get led astray by more "interesting" things than God. The problem is that when we start being easily distracted by other things , we begin falling into religious rituals and we begin thinking that reading the bible for a couple of minutes a day will do, praying before lunch is enough, or how about giving a homeless guy some coins that were left from your brand new 52" inch LCD TV. You get so easily distracted that you begin to think that it's ok to trade God for a game on TV, it's ok not to pray once in a while, because you know , there was this real good movie on TV, it's alright to not read the bible every day, because I had some papers to finish for work or school , for next week. It's ok, it's alright, no problem...
Really? Is it really ok to trade the creator of the universe, the God who left everything to be nailed to a cross for my sins and your sins, the everlasting Father and the lover of your soul for things that will pass away, things that will not be eternal? Is it really ok to live a life being distracted and making up excuses for not serving God and serving others just because you rather fulfill your personal needs? God is calling us to live fully devoted to Him and dedicate everything in our lives to Him. It's not wrong to have some personal entertainment and enjoyment, but it is wrong to trade God for your personal satisfaction! Think about it, how easily have you been distracted and drifted away from God? Isn't time to go back to His arms and let Him be everything for you?

May you meditate on this during this week.

Proverbs 3

Proverbs 3

Did you see it? How beautiful a though it is: "let your heart keep my commandments, for length of days and years of life and PEACE they will add to you (Proverbs 3: 1 and 2). It almost seems unfathomable, to imagine our lives truly ever feeling completely at peace with the world we live in; yet that's what God's Word promises to us IF we will not forget the Lord's teachings and make them cling to our hearts.

I think of all the years of trying to do things my way in this lifetime; and how miserable I was in my so called "freedom to choose" decisions I made along the way. After thirty plus years of living the "Sinatra" lifestyle of doing it my way; my heart grew weary and I felt as if I couldn't possibly go on another day this way. So, thankfully at the prompting of the Holy Spirit, I surrendered my life and my ways back to the Lord via re-dedication. I can honestly say, that as I've let His Word guide my thoughts, my actions and my deeds...life is good and full of peace.

It is only when I let my eyes drift to far to the right or left; or try to SEE too far into my future, that life seems like a never ending roller coaster of disappointments. Yet,the solution to having true peace in our lives is so simple to attain: vs. 5 - Trust in the Lord with ALL your heart,and do not lean on your OWN understanding. vs. 6 - In ALL your ways ACKNOWLEDGE HIM and He will make straight your paths.

I see a lot of obedience issues being presented in Proverbs 3 and at the root of most of our day to day struggles, it usually boils down to an area in our lives where we are not fully obedient to God's Will. Again, we are reminded of the value of tithing in Verses 9 and 10: "Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the firstfruits of all your produce; THEN the barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be busting with whine."

Want to experience overflow like you've never encountered before? Give the Lord HONOR by giving Him the FIRSTfruits (the 10th BEFORE the taxes and deductions come out of your wealth) and He will ensure your every need is covered and more actually. This is actually the only area that God says to test Him in and He would prove to us the Promise is REAL.

We serve an amazing God. I mean, even when we can't wrap our puny little minds around what's best for us; HE ALWAYS grabs hold of the rutter and re-positions us toward victorious living. All we have to do is be a yielded vessel to HIS guidance and the end result is sure Victory in all our struggles of this life.

Whoever Finds Me, Finds LIFE

Proverbs 8 - Whoever Finds Me, Finds LIFE

Before the earth existed, before sound came booming to the planet, before one blade of grass sprouted up from the earths soil....Wisdom existed! Who or what is Wisdom? I'd suggest that Wisdom is none other than Christ Himself.

He is the Alpha and Omega (Beginning and the End) - the same yesterday, today and forever...He was once dead but three days later he rose from the grave and IS ALIVE TODAY!

What great promise and hope is found there in those realities of Christ? The same one who was before all else and will be long after it all; is the same one that asks us to SEEK HIM, FOLLOW HIS WAYS and RECEIVE REWARD in Heaven for simply letting Him love us, shape us, use us, clean us up, teach us...all so God may be Glorified.

Scripturally speaking, I am only going to state the obvious, directly from the Word of God:

35 For whoever finds me finds life
and receives favor from the Lord .
36 But those who miss me injure themselves.
All who hate me love death."

We either Love Him in an ALL in capacity or we HATE Him with an ALL OUT tendency...which side do you find yourself walking today?