Rebooted!
Do you ever feel like the enemy of your soul is just strutting his stuff? It seems like he has repeatedly dealt blow after blow until you are low and beaten down. I wonder how many times we find ourselves experiencing this "beaten down" state simply because of the subtle, but consistent, compromises we have made.
9She played fast and loose with life, she never considered tomorrow, and now she's crashed royally, with no one to hold her hand: "Look at my pain, O God! And how the enemy cruelly struts." (Lamentations 1:9 The Message)
I know this passage speaks of the condition of heart and soul Judah experienced when taken into exile. Yet, I also believe all scripture is given "by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16 The Message). So, if God took the time to leave us these words, we should take the time to consider how they might apply to our lives. I would like to consider four things:
The condition of soul: She played fast and loose with life. All of us are subject to this same condition of "soulish" enjoyment of life. We give into our whims and fancies, only to find ourselves totally unfulfilled and the cost of our fast living too much for us to keep up with. Don't miss it - she played FAST. The old idiom, "Haste makes waste," comes to mind here. Whenever we don't take time to really consider our choices, we often regret the outcome!
The condition of mind: She never considered tomorrow. When one is living fast and loose, there is nothing more alluring than the pleasure of today - completely missing tomorrow's demands. Take for example the choices we make to ignore the few extra pounds we see on the scale today. Eat as we like and those few will soon amount to many in the tomorrows which come! It is often our lack of "forethought" which gets us into much trouble. Our mind plays a tremendous part in the activities of today - for all action is based on thought!
The condition of spirit: She now has crashed royally. There is a tremendous cost to inattentive living which we rarely consider in the moment. If you have ever experienced the "crash" of your hard drive, you know the sudden panic at having "lost everything"! The spirit of man is what gives us the unique animation and capability of deep, interpersonal relationship with others (especially God). When the spirit crashes, it is like our "hard drive" has crashed! The very thing which animates us, drawing richness from the throne of God, is interrupted in its ability to "make the connection".
The condition of heart: She has no one to hold her hand. When we have no "connection", we lack the very thing we need to help in life's darkest moments! Compromise has a cost far greater than the moment of soulish enjoyment we experience. Mind, spirit and heart all bear the effect. A disconnected spirit leads to an empty heart.
Don't despair! God's able to "reboot" us even when we "crash"! We just need to submit to the touch of his hands upon the keyboard of our lives! As he "strokes" the keys, respond with new animation of spirit, submission of your mind, and determination to consider carefully the steps you take. In turn, his hands remain close, bearing us up until we are "fully rebooted" into purposeful and restored condition!
9She played fast and loose with life, she never considered tomorrow, and now she's crashed royally, with no one to hold her hand: "Look at my pain, O God! And how the enemy cruelly struts." (Lamentations 1:9 The Message)
I know this passage speaks of the condition of heart and soul Judah experienced when taken into exile. Yet, I also believe all scripture is given "by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16 The Message). So, if God took the time to leave us these words, we should take the time to consider how they might apply to our lives. I would like to consider four things:
The condition of soul: She played fast and loose with life. All of us are subject to this same condition of "soulish" enjoyment of life. We give into our whims and fancies, only to find ourselves totally unfulfilled and the cost of our fast living too much for us to keep up with. Don't miss it - she played FAST. The old idiom, "Haste makes waste," comes to mind here. Whenever we don't take time to really consider our choices, we often regret the outcome!
The condition of mind: She never considered tomorrow. When one is living fast and loose, there is nothing more alluring than the pleasure of today - completely missing tomorrow's demands. Take for example the choices we make to ignore the few extra pounds we see on the scale today. Eat as we like and those few will soon amount to many in the tomorrows which come! It is often our lack of "forethought" which gets us into much trouble. Our mind plays a tremendous part in the activities of today - for all action is based on thought!
The condition of spirit: She now has crashed royally. There is a tremendous cost to inattentive living which we rarely consider in the moment. If you have ever experienced the "crash" of your hard drive, you know the sudden panic at having "lost everything"! The spirit of man is what gives us the unique animation and capability of deep, interpersonal relationship with others (especially God). When the spirit crashes, it is like our "hard drive" has crashed! The very thing which animates us, drawing richness from the throne of God, is interrupted in its ability to "make the connection".
The condition of heart: She has no one to hold her hand. When we have no "connection", we lack the very thing we need to help in life's darkest moments! Compromise has a cost far greater than the moment of soulish enjoyment we experience. Mind, spirit and heart all bear the effect. A disconnected spirit leads to an empty heart.
Don't despair! God's able to "reboot" us even when we "crash"! We just need to submit to the touch of his hands upon the keyboard of our lives! As he "strokes" the keys, respond with new animation of spirit, submission of your mind, and determination to consider carefully the steps you take. In turn, his hands remain close, bearing us up until we are "fully rebooted" into purposeful and restored condition!
Comments
Post a Comment
Thanks for leaving a comment if this message has spoken to your heart.