Tell My Why I Should Run For Cover, When All I Hear Is the Cry of My Lover

Well, I thought there would only be three parts to the last post, but this could almost be a fourth.  It's like an addendum.  God has a way of weaving lessons together in my life.  This bit just came together last night at small group.

Last time our group met, we were each assigned a couple of chapters of Proverbs to read, and then at the next meeting, we were to share what we found on the topic of wisdom in these passages.  It was a good plan, but we got a little mixed up in our assigned chapters.  But you can't go wrong with reading the word of God.  Even those of us that ended up reading the same chapters found different things stood out to us.

So I read over the first few verses of Proverbs 13 and was struck by verse 4, "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing, while the soul of the diligent is richly supplied."

I just recently listened to a sermon by Pastor Stephen Furtick from Elevation Church.  He spoke from
John 5: 1-9, the passage where Jesus heals a man by the pool Bethesda who had been an invalid for 38 years.  Pastor Furtick pointed out that Jesus asked the man if he wanted to be healed (vs. 6).  He said at first this might seem a little offensive, but in reality Jesus understood the issues associated with a longterm disability.  The man had been an invalid for 38 years.  When you are plagued with an issue for a long time period, it is easy to become comfortable, to accept the problem, even to consider it to be normal. Jesus told the man to, "Take up your bed and walk (verse 8)."  Verse 9 says, "And at once the man was healed, and he took up his bed and walked."

The sermon was about recognizing our disabilities, our sicknesses, our problems. And then not just asking for God to fix them, but doing what it takes to correct them.  The verse in Proverbs reminded me of this sermon, and I begin to think about how this applies to wisdom.  "The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing..." We can be hungry for more, crave wisdom, crave to know the Lord, but if we don't do anything to get there, if we are lazy and apathetic, we won't gain that wisdom.  We won't know our Lord intimately.

"While the soul of the diligent is richly supplied."  The one who is diligent...the one who is faithful in the small things, steadfast in what he's been given to do now, diligent to continually seek the face of God....

Again Jeremiah 33:3 came to mind, "If you call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not know."  And also Jeremiah 29:14 "You will seek me and find me.  When you seek me with all your heart."

When we are diligent in our pursuit of the Savior, He will be found.  He will hear.  He will answer.

And as far as wisdom, James 5:5-6, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.  But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."

This has really challenged me this week.  As I'm asking God to provide the right job when it's time to move on from Moldova, to show me His heart and teach me to walk in His way, to be the best I can be at the job I'm currently called to, I have to be diligent in these efforts.  To adapt an analogy Pastor Furtick made, I can't sit hungry and stare at what has been laid out on the table before me and expect to be fed.  I have to do my part and bring the food to my mouth!

For me that means I'm trying to make some practical babysteps:  going to sleep earlier so that when I wake up at 6:45 (not always by choice) I'm alert and can spend time in the Word and seeking God, maybe getting in a workout too, and then get to work early!!!  Actually studying my Romanian lessons and setting aside time to read this history book I'm working through round off my list.

I know, you probably can't get past the "going to sleep earlier" part.  Babysteps people.   I said "earlier."
It's a loose definition.  Before midnight would be incredible, but I think we'll start with before 1 am.  I mean, it's 11:40 pm and yoga is calling my name.....there's still time :)


~ Redeemed

Title taken from "Won't Turn Back" by NeedtoBreathe.

*Elevation sermon podcasts can be downloaded for free on itunes.