God was speaking to me, but I wasn’t listening. How was He speaking to me? I did not hear His voice in my head. I did not see signs in the sky. He was speaking directly to me through His Word. Although I was reading my Bible every day, through devotional and quiet times of reflection, that was the problem. I was simply reading; I wasn’t listening. How did I arrive at this backslidden state?
I took God’s Word for granted. God’s Word seemed bland to me. Reading it was another task, checking it off each day. It was like brushing my teeth, an important, but rote task. In this lost world where many people are so poor that owning a Bible is a luxury or in other places where owning or even reading a Bible is punishable by prison and death, I should treasure my time reading and listening to God speaking to me through His Word. I should eagerly seek and devour my time to read God’s Word. How shameful and selfish I am.
People ruin their lives by their own foolishness and then are angry at the LORD.
Proverbs 19:3 (NLT)
I took God for granted. I failed to reflect upon the many blessings of my life. I ignored the many friends and family who have stood by me during difficult times. Instead of looking upward to God, I looked down and inward and attempted to resolve my problems through my efforts. The inevitable result was frustration, despair, and eventually disinterest. I lashed out at God but I have no one to blame. I make excuses and justify my behavior by blaming the circumstances or others.
I desperately need the grace and mercy of a loving Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Love and trust in the Lord; seek His will in your life.
The Bereans Blog 