I was feeling pretty convicted about something not too long ago. I made some changes based on what I thought I was being convicted about and all was well. After realizing that I needed to get all my blog posts out of my head, I sat down to pound this particular one out. I started typing, and something in me just needed to research this topic out a bit.
Come to find out, what I was being convicted about wasn't actually a "law" at all. I sat there, staring at the computer, wondering how the heck I didn't know that already.
Now maybe God just wanted ME to observe this particular something, and that's fine, but what bothered me was that I didn't already know the scriptures referring to this thing. And I really felt like I should have.
This brought me back to the "what else do I not know?" question. I am already a little panicked about the years I spent away from the Lord. I feel like I have a lot to make up for. I feel like I should be way far ahead of where I am educated spiritually. And why am I not? Because of how I spend my time.
"I don't have time" never flies with me. I have the same 24 hours in a day that any person in the world has ever had. I fill my day with temporal things that make me feel good in the moment, and then wonder why I don't know more than I do. Even in prayer, I find myself severely neglecting the one thing that I need more than anything. Martin Luther is widely quoted as saying, "I have so much to do today that I should spend the first three hours in prayer." Goodness.
I thought that once God removed television from my list of priorities, things would get easier. And it did, in some ways. Although now I'm having to guard myself against being one of those people who sniff, "I don't watch television..." Big whoop. It's not whether or not I'm watching television. It's how much time I'm spending in the WORD. And what a slippery slope the computer has become. I think it's so easy to not watch television becuase I have the computer. It's screen time, and it's taking me away from studying God's Word. That thrills Satan. Oh yeah.
I'm having a much easier time limiting the computer than I ever did television. Good news. God is good.
It's a work in progress, but my desire is to stay in the physical Word. Keep my Bible open, in the kitchen, pick it up, flip through it, recite it. (This is outside of my dedicated time to study God's Word. We've gone through that lately, so we won't do it again. My excuse was, "Well, I studied this morning, so I'm good until tonight when I study some more. Ugh...) Even in those 5 minutes that I usually plop down and check email, to instead go to the Word. Shouldn't that just be natural for someone who says they are seeking Christ? What the heck is wrong with me?
And I can't complain about what I don't know. I know why I don't know it.
And are we held responsible for what we don't know? Since we have the Word readily available, the Spirit to help, should we know what's in the Word? Do we have any excuses?
I don't.
*and just to add, I do watch television sometimes. It remains one of the only ways I can completely turn my brain off. And we all need that to happen sometimes. :)
Come to find out, what I was being convicted about wasn't actually a "law" at all. I sat there, staring at the computer, wondering how the heck I didn't know that already.
Now maybe God just wanted ME to observe this particular something, and that's fine, but what bothered me was that I didn't already know the scriptures referring to this thing. And I really felt like I should have.
This brought me back to the "what else do I not know?" question. I am already a little panicked about the years I spent away from the Lord. I feel like I have a lot to make up for. I feel like I should be way far ahead of where I am educated spiritually. And why am I not? Because of how I spend my time.
"I don't have time" never flies with me. I have the same 24 hours in a day that any person in the world has ever had. I fill my day with temporal things that make me feel good in the moment, and then wonder why I don't know more than I do. Even in prayer, I find myself severely neglecting the one thing that I need more than anything. Martin Luther is widely quoted as saying, "I have so much to do today that I should spend the first three hours in prayer." Goodness.
I thought that once God removed television from my list of priorities, things would get easier. And it did, in some ways. Although now I'm having to guard myself against being one of those people who sniff, "I don't watch television..." Big whoop. It's not whether or not I'm watching television. It's how much time I'm spending in the WORD. And what a slippery slope the computer has become. I think it's so easy to not watch television becuase I have the computer. It's screen time, and it's taking me away from studying God's Word. That thrills Satan. Oh yeah.
I'm having a much easier time limiting the computer than I ever did television. Good news. God is good.
It's a work in progress, but my desire is to stay in the physical Word. Keep my Bible open, in the kitchen, pick it up, flip through it, recite it. (This is outside of my dedicated time to study God's Word. We've gone through that lately, so we won't do it again. My excuse was, "Well, I studied this morning, so I'm good until tonight when I study some more. Ugh...) Even in those 5 minutes that I usually plop down and check email, to instead go to the Word. Shouldn't that just be natural for someone who says they are seeking Christ? What the heck is wrong with me?
And I can't complain about what I don't know. I know why I don't know it.
And are we held responsible for what we don't know? Since we have the Word readily available, the Spirit to help, should we know what's in the Word? Do we have any excuses?
I don't.
*and just to add, I do watch television sometimes. It remains one of the only ways I can completely turn my brain off. And we all need that to happen sometimes. :)
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