At times I find myself admiring homes that appear to be spotless and perfect with no damage in site. Then, seeking to come up with ways to make this desired outcome for my own home. I’m not saying that a perfectly kept clean home is a problem, but what can lead to a problem is one coveting or envying another’s home or maybe even their life. It draws me to remember God‘s commandments and how they can be a safeguard for our lives.
“You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.” -Deuteronomy 5:21 NIV
Heart check
When we have a mindset of focusing on the outer aspects of the things in our lives, we can lose focus on the inner parts. Even to the point of missing God‘s assignment for our lives that he has appointed us. There is nothing wrong with doing work for the glory of God when serving. But when our focus can be overwhelmed with multiple duties and tasks, we can get out of a position of God‘s will for our lives.
I have recently learned how to just ask God in prayer if something is meant for me to do versus deciding without God in the center. It can be easy to take on assignments not fully realizing that it was not ours from the beginning. I can prevent this by humbly asking God to bring it to my attention again so that I may walk in obedience.
One way of breaking this down is by using a chart. I recall when reading the Bible study book, “Lies Women Believe” by Nancy Demoss Wolgemuth, there was a section about priorities. It was very helpful to know the difference between my to-do list and His to-do list. “His” meaning God‘s to-do list. Jesus prayed to be glorified so that He could glorify God. Just as Christ sought to be obedient to the will of God. We also need to be in obedience to the will of God to glorify Him alone (John 17:4).
At times we can get carried away with all the ways we can serve God or just be involved in general that we forget to check in with God to determine if this is our God-given assignment.
Intentional
Lately, the word intentional has been on my mind frequently to the point when praying out my plans for this new year and asking God where he wants me to be. It made me think of purpose and favor. In this season, I have all intent to be in favor of the Lord and seek to glorify Him in all ways. Talk about being pleasing in the eyes of the Lord. In the home, in my marriage, motherhood, community, and every detailed area of life. I wanted to be specific about everything on purpose and not just go at it as life goes on. Carefully thinking about each area of my life where I want to be with Jesus.
One thing that I admire about following Jesus and seeking God’s will for my life is that you don’t have to go through life wondering what’s next or just being unaware of your purpose. Being in the word, knowing who God is, and prayerfully asking the Lord where He wants you to be in this season can and will bring clarity. I feel that is a dominant reason for what can be problematic with society at times because of the confusion of what to do next and not knowing who they are or their purpose in life. When we genuinely seek God and ask Him where he wants us, he will not leave us abandoned or unanswered.
The Walk
When I think about walking, some walks are easy. Then you have some walks that are more challenging depending on the conditions of the sidewalks and the season. Some may be smooth and easy, and some may be rugged, even tough, to walk up if it’s a very steep hill or a winter ice slippery sidewalk. Regardless of the intensity of this walk, I know that to get to my destination, I need to persevere through the walk because shortcutting doesn’t always help the journey. It sometimes makes things more difficult and may even cause backtracking. While you are in this process, cling to God and his promises. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” -Ephesians 2:10 NIV
As we all go through this one-time attempt at life here on earth, being diligent about where we are seated for purpose, may we all look closely into the who, why, and how. We cannot expect to go through this life with expectations of true purpose without being properly positioned at the feet of Jesus.
