New Muscles

This morning, as I fiddled around in the kitchen with the lights off and without my contacts in, I stepped on something extremely small but very painful.  Despite our best efforts to remove whatever it was that I stepped on it won't show itself or come out of my heel.  I have been forced to walk on the ball of my foot, in essence, using muscles that don't usually get used all that much.  As my calf muscles tighten with every step, letting me know that they aren't pleased with the extra use, I am reminded of my walk with Christ.

As Christians, we get used to doing things a certain way or at a particular time.  A little on the routine side of things.  We bow our heads and thank God for the food we will eat, we go to church at the same time on the same day of the week every week.  If you do a quiet time or personal Bible study time then it's probably the same time of day and about the same length of time each day.  Certain "muscles" get exercised more than others and things get easy or I get complacent.  Then life throws you a curve ball and you "step" on something unseen but it causes your world to turn upside down or just at a different angle or pace.  You are going to either reach deeper and use spiritual muscles that you haven't excersized recently or quit.  I asked myself a few questions today:

Do I REALLY thank God for the food I'm going to eat or is it just routine/tradition that I bow my head and say a few words?  You know, He's not looking for specific words over each meal....He sees our hearts and knows whether or not we are sincerely thankful for what He has given us.

When I lift people up in prayer is it because I really believe that God will hear my plea on their behalf or do I do it because I want to be able to say, "Hey, I prayed for you today!"

When I read my Bible, am I doing it so I can know Him more and to hear His voice or do I do it as part of my daily checklist?  Check, read my Bible.  Check, prayed for friends.  Check, went to Sunday School...

Do I serve Him because I want to or because it's the right thing to do?  What is my motivation?

I guess you can boil it all down to: what is my motivation?  Do I do what I do because I love Him, desire to be obedient, and wish to draw closer to Him?  OR do I do it because I think its what He wants me to do or because others are watching me?

There are seasons in our lives when we do these things out of routine and obedience but those routines and obedience should lead us back to passion and love for Him.  The dry seasons in our lives shouldn't be prolonged or permanent.

I thank God for little upsets in my life or routine.  Invisible things that I step in that cause me to use spiritual muscles that have lain dormant for awhile.  My heel is still throbbing from the tiny, unseen thing that is still stuck in it and my calf muscle is screaming at me but I am thankful for the Truth God has shown me through it.

But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;--I Corinthians 1:27

Standing on His Promises, Mrs. Bubba