I read
this on A Wise Woman Builds Her Home blog [http://proverbs14verse1.blogspot.com/] in October, printed it and read it
again this morning. A wonderful reminder
for us to be intentional in our relationship with our Lord and Savior J
Calming
the Storm Within You
I loved these wise words from Nancy Leigh DeMoss that I read early this
morning after my Bible time so I wanted to share them with you:
"Devotions"
Without "Devotion"
Some of us have had devotions, but we have not had devotion.
There's a big difference. We may have gone through the motions of reading our
Bibles and "saying our prayers" but we have not been cultivating a
love relationship with our God. We know alot about Him, but we
don't really know Him.
We are active and busy in a multitude of spiritual activities, but we have lost
perspective of who it is that we are serving and why.
The result of our "devotionless" religion is seen in the way we
respond to pressure. So many of us as Christian women are chronically
stressed out. Everywhere I go, I see it in the eyes of women; I hear
it in their voices; and too often I see it when I look in my own mirror. I know
what it is to have demands coming at me from every direction. I know what it is
to respond of weariness, with an impatient, demanding spirit.
And I know what it is to contend with God Himself, even as my eyes fill up with
tears of frustration with myself and my reactions.
I also know that there is only one place where that angry, reactive,
overwhelmed self can be transformed---the same place that Mary chose--the feet
of Jesus. I must take a conscious, deliberate, daily choice to sit at His
feet, to listen to His Word, to receive His love, to let Him change me, and to
pour out my heart's devotion to Him.
When I get into His presence, the whole world looks different. When I draw
close to His heart, I find mercy when I know I deserve judgment; I find
forgiveness for all my petty, selfish ways; I find grace for all my
inadequacies; I find peace for my troubled heart; I find perspective for my
distorted views.
In
Him, I find an eye in the midst of the storm.
Oh,
the storm around me may not immediately subside;
but the storm within me is made calm.
