Thank You for a pleasant day all the way around, Father. Good times of worship and some sweet fellowship tonight. I would ask, as we come together, that You would guide my mind and heart. Amen.
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One of my greatest irks in recent days is at least one squirrel who has figured out how to jump up onto my office window ledge and then in a quick, consecutive leap land on a bird feeder suspended from the gutter a foot and a half or so beyond my window. The perpetrator is a glutton.
He grabs hold of the one edge of the roof of the feeder and drapes himself over the roof so that his head – specifically his mouth – is within arms reach of the other side of the feeder where the black oil sunflower seeds are ripe for the taking…and boy does he take!
Early on, I had time to crack the window a bit at the bottom and then as he judged his next move I could poke him with a letter opener – not enough to hurt but enough to “encourage” him to cut it out! There’s no possible way to pull off any poking now at all. His eyes are on the prize and there is nothing that I am going to do to distract him from getting what he wants.
Isn’t that the way we are with the things of this world? Often, we set our hearts on things that in and of themselves are not innately evil but there are times when God just says, “No.” “Those things are not what’s best for you.”
Initially, we may be deterred but we know that we want those things, and we are determined to get a taste. Now, I can’t monitor my bird feeder every hour of every day so at some point the squirrel gets what he wants, and then he’s hooked – easy access to what he wants most.
Though God’s eyes are always on us, He allows us to do what we want though it is detrimental to our relationship with Him – it’s called free will.
If I catch the squirrel on the feeder open the window and scare him off, but nothing will stop him if I’m not watching.
God wants us to avoid those things that bring division between ourselves and Him. He encourages us not to do those things, but ultimately it is our choice.
Over time we will often tire of our indulgence and will see it for what it is. We will seek forgiveness and turn back to God. But the stupid thing is even after all of that, we will far too often go after it again. It truly is a vicious circle.
Only God can help us turn our backs on that which displeases Him, but we must be diligent in our interaction with Him. When we take our eyes off Him, it’s easy to catch glimpses of the sin that so easily entangles us and desire it once more.
…let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:1b-2a NIV
Lord Jesus, help us to keep our focus on You. Our relationship with You is the greatest reward we could ever receive. May our hearts be drawn to You.
The last lines of the third stanza of the hymn, Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing, come to mind.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
prone to leave the God I love;
here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
seal it for Thy courts above. – Robert Robinson, 1758
Amen and amen.
July 9th, 2023, Sun, 7:23 pm
