At times we can blame all those around us if we are not being fed. We can blame the one sitting in front of us at church, we can blame the music, we can blame the preacher, we can blame the crying baby, we can place blame on just about anything or anyone around us. As satan is in our daily lives, he is also there on Sunday morning as your getting ready for church, on the drive there(We have had those fun drives), and as we are sitting in the pew. He is there everywhere we go. He tries to distract us, take our minds off of Christ, worship and praise. If we are not careful he can consume our thoughts, and before we know it we are thinking of the girl in the short skirt, the boy who is tapping his fingers, the pizza for lunch, the work we have to face when we go home, the friend who has left us, the husband who has bugged us all morning, and the person staring at you for whatever reason. Our minds can travel to places we have never even thought of before. Christianity doesn't just hold itself for Sunday, but for everyday of the week. We need to feed ourselves daily in God's word, in a study with friends, and lessons with our children. We cannot depend on someone else to feed us, we have to step up to the plate and feed our hungry soul. Just as we can find any reason to leave church, we also can find any reason for distractions. When we were babies, we did have to depend on another to feed us, but as we grew our mothers gave us a spoon and a fork to begin to learn how to feed ourselves. Once we began we may have dropped a few peas, spilled a little milk but we got it to our mouths. We took in enough until we got full. We must disipline ourselves to have a time for just us and God. We can make time for everything else, why can we not seem to find time to spend with the one who gave us life, who gave His life, and will come again for us? We can say that life just seems to take over, and we can find an excuse for everything in our lives. Its time to stop with the excuses, and put our foot forward to learning and growing with the Lord. We must stay focused, we must allow Christ to show us the way, to speak to us, but in order for us to do so, we must be in His word, sharing with others in fellowship, and taking responsibility for ourselves in learning. If we are not learning or growing we have no one to blame but ourselves. If our prayer life is not steady and without ceasing, we must change that. I have been in this position, I have felt as though I wasn't being fed, but then it hit me like a hammer, its my place to grow with Christ and make sure I am being fed. I need to pick up my fork and spoon and get started. We have been taught how, now we must take hold and move that bible off that shelf, get the dust off, and open it. Life without God's word is no life at all. Just as food without salt has no flavor, our lives will be flavorless without the word of God. There are so many tools out there today to help us in our walk, find one, dig in, dive in, and get excited about feeding yourself! "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak. Walk in wisdom toward those who are outside, redeeming the time. Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one." Colossians 4:2-6 While we are feeding ourselves, pray for those around us also. Pray for your Pastor, the Youth Pastor, the body of the church, the leaders of your church, the teachers, and all those who walk through the door. Pray that God will make Himself known to you, stay focused, and He will light the way...
