What am I doing?

"What am I doing?" This is a question that began running through my mind last week when a friend mentioned that their goal for the year for one of their children was character development. As I spent more time than usual at home this week, I became more and more aware that much of what I do is "just because," and not very thought out. In fact, many times I feel as though I am a mom "treading water" and just "surviving" or "going through the motions."

I think the reason I feel this way was made clear in this morning's message. Before I explain, please note that sometimes what I hear and what is said might not be exactly the same. In other words, what I walk away from the message with might not be the exact outline of the preacher, but I trust that the Lord is showing me what I need to glean...

Jordan Thomas, pastor of Grace Church in Memphis, preached this morning because John is in Wales. He preached on Psalm 26:4-9, primarily.

One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I shall seek:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord
And to meditate in His temple.....

When you said, "Seek My face," my heart said to You,
"Your face, O Lord I shall seek."
Do not hide Your face from me...

Speaking of the phrase, "Do not hide Your face from me," Jordan asked the following question:
Can we relate/ can we say that the worst thing God could ever grant would be the removal of the favor of God, or God hiding His face from us?

He went on to sat that if Christ is not Glorious to us, we are under the judgment of God... the apex judgment is that we would not see the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.


So, why is it that I allow myself to get so caught up in the JUNK of this world that I do not see the face of Jesus Christ, and I don't even realize I am being judged? Clyde Cranford wrote about how sometimes the things that are real (God, truth, Christ, eternity) do not seem real at all, and all the cares of the world seem so real and pressing that we can't look beyond them and remember the big picture. I feel like I fall into this trap so often...

Doing school, working out, cooking supper, cleaning the house... just doing it... but not remembering my purpose in the midst of it all.... what is my purpose, anyway?!

To glorify God and enjoy Him forever, I believe the saying goes... More specifically for me, I feel that the way I am to do that is to help and serve my husband and to point my children and others to Christ.

How can I go about the duties of the day and still do this? It is not TOO difficult to go through the day and not overtly, blatantly, obviously dishonor God. However, it is another matter altogether to go through the day, being dutiful as unto the Lord, worshipping Him as I fulfill obligations, and keeping my purpose in mind.

The solution is a clear one. Meditate on the Lord, seek His face, and dwell in His house. This involves more than a devotional time of Scripture reading in the morning. 4 Thoughts I need to apply:
1. Really thinking on Scripture, not just reading it before the kids wake up and interrupt me
2. Memorizing Scripture
3. Being more diligent about prayer, esp. praying through Scripture
4. Keeping Scripture in front of me more often throughout the day


One thing Jordan said that is so true... Christ got his theology from the Scripture, and He had clearly memorized LARGE portions, if not all of the Old Testament. This came from fellowship.... it doesn't automatically happen.

Practical ways I will apply this:
1. attaching pertinent verses to prayer requests
2. pulling out memory verse cards and putting them in different places in the house... BUT... not allowing them to just be junk on the wall or in the windowsill... actually reading them, thinking about them, and stirring myself to honor Christ more because of them.
3. Being more deliberate about the education of our children. I don't know exactly how this is going to look and/or if it will change much, but that is definitely something I want to think about and work on... probably a whole 'nother post.

Sorry this is the second rambling-type post in a row... it's my blog, it's Sunday afternoon, and I reserve that right! :) I will try to be more concise, informative, and include pictures next time! :)

Two good verses mentioned in the sermon:
Hebrews 1:3 says, "And he is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power."

Colossians 1 says, "He is the image of the the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation."