Thus says the LORD:
"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me."
~ Jeremiah 9:23-24 (NKJV)
God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty; and the base things of the world and the things which are despised God has chosen, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence.
~ 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 (NKJV)
I was vexed in my mind.
I was so foolish and ignorant ...
Whom have I in heaven but You?
And there is none upon earth that I desire besides You.
~ Psalm 73:21-22,25 (NKJV)
Some people see me as on fire for the Lord. Some people see me as simply exuberant. Not a few call me foolish. I honestly don’t mind being seen as foolish for the way I love the Lord.
I have a confession. Lately I really have been foolish. I’ve allowed distractions to draw my attention from the glory of the Lord enough to become "vexed in my mind." It honestly doesn’t take much “cares of this world” to steal from a relationship with the Lord.
I’ve been blessed by the prayers of those who love me, and by one friend in particular offering just the right words. How deep is my gratitude for such people. Yet I wouldn’t have been vexed in the first place if I’d kept my heart where it should be.
What can this world offer to best the ability to glory in knowledge and understanding of the LORD? A sermon I heard this weekend suggested that human glory is the opposite of shame. Such glory I’ll gladly accept.
Oh God, You are my God. Whom have I in heaven or on earth but You? What shall I desire but You? Your glory is a consuming fire I cannot bear for long. Yet even as I back far enough away to recover, let me not become cold. Please show all of us how to draw near and endure Your glory.
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I want to be consumed my dear friend, love you.
ReplyDeleteWow! It is so easy to get distracted by the things of this world, lately editing my books! Love this reminder!
ReplyDeleteI love love love how real you are. Oh, for his glory to be a consuming fire in me! Ah, that He understands and knows me. Thank you once again for pointing to HIM!
ReplyDelete~ Wendy
It's so easy to turn those little distractions into big, vexing ones. At least, that's true in my experience. Luckily for me, I have friends to keep me on track, too.
ReplyDeleteHuman glory is the opposite of shame. I really like that.
I know just what you mean when you talk of earthly vexation. It's merciful of the Lord to bring us back to him.
ReplyDeleteWendy, one of my struggles is sometimes knowing how to respond to nice feedback when I'm painfully aware of how fallible I am. I do want to be transparent here, as much as possible.
ReplyDeleteBilly, I trust you won't take offense if I share with you that I don't prefer the word luck. I catch myself saying it, and change it to "blessing," "blessed," ("blessedly" if you need an adverb ...) ;D