Monday, May 8, 2017

Be Still

Be still, and know that I am God!
I will be honored by every nation.
I will be honored throughout the world.
Psalm 46:10 NLT

We all know that this is something we should be doing each day, but for many it is a struggle. There are things we put before our relationship with Christ. We may not always realize that we are doing this. 

For example, in the morning when you wake up, do you thank God for this day? It doesn't need to be vocalized. It can be a quiet something you think. You are acknowledging God and thanking Him for the rest you had last night. Next up, do you read your Bible? Or do you check email, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat? Now, there is nothing wrong with checking your email and social media accounts, but we also need to make time for our relationship with Christ. We need to find a time each day to set aside just for Him. We need to "be still".

The last two weeks, I have been working hard at making sure I have my time with God right after I wake up. Yes, I still jump on my computer and open my emails, but the FIRST emails that I will even look at are my daily devotionals from She Reads Truth and Eagle Brook Church. The next email I read is from (in)courage. As I'm reading the devotionals, I will have my Bible in my lap and while I am reading the verse, I will look at the bottom portion of my Bible so that I can see if there are any study notes about what I just read. Sometimes there are, sometimes there are not. I find that the study notes help me to understand a little bit better. After I read my three things, I then open my Spotify app so that I can listen to worship music. There is something about it that just makes things better in my day. Often times a song will speak to me and I will tweet out lyrics that resonate with me.

I'm not saying that my track record is perfect, because it is far from. Weekdays I do much better than weekends. It's all about our intent though. Do we strive to put God first? Or do we look to our distractions?

Can I challenge you this week? This week, find a time that you will "be still" and focus on God. Read His word. Listen to worship music. Read devotionals. Read things written by the folks at (in)courage. Or who ever will help you grow in your faith and encourage your walk with God.

Curious what the study notes in my Bible say about verse 10? Here it is,
"War and destruction are inevitable, but so is God's final victory. At that time, all will stand quietly before the all-powerful Lord. How proper, then, for us to be still now, reverently honoring him and his power and majesty. Take time each day to be still and honor God"

I have the Life Application Study Bible by Tyndale. The translation that I use is the New Living Translation. 

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