After God's Heart
firstly, I was greatly encouraged by the increased discussion during our last Bible study and I thought it was absolutely wonderful to hear praises in Chinese although it makes me feel slightly guilty for not keeping up with the language.
Anyway, I was intrigued by what people had to say about maintaining a disciplined walk with christ. As usual, there are SO many things to say on the subject but I guess I'll just expand on what I've bene thinking about the last couple of days.
for those of you who have so faithfully read my blog and think that I am over my Psalms phase, think again. David- supposedly a man after God's own heart, must definitely have some good tips, don't you think? The way he can be so honest with god about his hatred of his enemies but was able to lay it all down at the feet of the cross and then LEAVE it there. The way he always started and ended by praising God and acknowledging His awesome beauty. The way he was quick to repent. How often is it that we rush in and out of God's presence. Surely it's not enough to fill a cup if you swipe it through quickly even the most powerful running taps. What is the first thing we do when we enter the Lord's presence? Ask questions? Seek answers? Tell him about your day? Or... "be still and know" that He is GOD? Enjoy His beauty (psalms 27:4)? stand in absolute awe? Did you know, that if you did that, time would have no meaning? When you're in the company of good close friends, 3 hours can zip by without you noticing..even if you planned to be together for only 10 minutes. (maybe you'll consider the same thing with telephone conversations). =0) It may be hard to get started but once you get going, it's also hard to stop but don't stop because like I said, it's harder to get going again.
You know, you don't have to do the same exact thing everyday. Sometimes I spend ages reading... sometimes I spend more time praying specifically for people or situations, sometimes I spend more time meditating on the words of some incredible songs of praise. Whatever it is... don't stop. I remember a quote from a book I read about prayerand if you'd like to read it, I would GREATLY recommend these two books: Kneeling We Triumph volumes 1 and 2. Incredibly challenging! Anyway, the quote: 'If you feel like praying, PRAY because it would be such a waste to miss the opportunity and if you don't feel like praying, PRAY because it is dangerous to remain in such a state!' I guess, it really is dangerous to be out of communion with Christ whether through prayer or through listening from reading His word. There should be an element of fear of being away too long from Christ but if He is with us, NO ONE can be against us.
Okay, enough waffling from me today. I'm really excited about this weekend (OCF retreat) and even more excited about what God has in store for us there! So excited really that I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it. =0D (For those NOT in OCF, we're having a retreat further out from central London over this coming weekend. I'll try and do a general email or something when I get back. Thanks for your continued prayers and support!)
Because He is TOO good to me,
Debbie Gan
