|
Inner Woman
Welcome to Inner Woman! This section is is a place to
relax and find spiritual insights, devotionals, Scriptures, and Food
for a woman's soul...the Inner Woman. It is
formatted from a Christian perspective. However, I
believe that many women will find it helpful in their lives, even if they
are not of the same faith.
Note: Inner Woman is updated monthly.
Inner Woman Featured Article:
Are You Too Busy for God?
By: Lara Velez
Life is busy. We have work, careers, family, children,
marriage, bills to pay, church obligations, homeschooling, cooking,
cleaning, driving…the list could go on forever. Throw in entertainment
and recreation and you have a time mess on your hands. Many of us just
have too much going on. We are too busy.
Recently, my husband pointed out something to me that I am not proud to
admit. Basically, my priorities are off. Lately, I have been too
busy for God. Life has gotten in the way of my special time with
Daddy. I must tell you, I was NOT a happy camper when hubby pointed this
out to me. I immediately got on the defensive. My flesh was extremely
uncomfortable with this all too true topic.
I have been too busy for God. Can you relate?
I mean we are not the only busy people on the planet. We are not the
only busy people who are God’s children.
Busy People…
Moses
Can you imagine being Moses? He went from living in the palace to having
to help set his people free to dealing with these ungrateful people.
His days were busier than ours can ever be. He had He had a pharaoh
chasing him, millions of murmurers and complainers to contend with, and
a desert to wander because of the ungrateful lot he was with!
Now Moses used to take [his own] tent and pitch it outside the camp,
far off from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting [of God with
His own people]. And everyone who sought the Lord went out to [that
temporary] tent of meeting which was outside the camp.
When Moses went out to the tent of meeting, all the people rose and
stood, every man at his tent door, and looked after Moses until he had
gone into the tent.
When Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand
at the door of the tent, and the Lord would talk with Moses.
And all the people saw the pillar of cloud stand at the tent door, and
all the people rose up and worshiped, every man at his tent door.
And the Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend.
Moses returned to the camp, but his minister Joshua son of Nun, a young
man, did not depart from the [temporary prayer] tent. –
Exodus 33:7-11
Moses took time to go and seek God. He MADE time to spend with the Lord.
However, notice the last verse…Joshua stayed in the tent. Hmm….maybe we
can all learn something from Joshua here…let us not be so quick to leave
Daddy’s presence or put him in a little box of time. He may have more
planned for our time with him….
David
He was the king of Israel. He had tons of responsibilities and battles
to fight. He was a very busy man. As busy as he was, he longed
for God. He wanted nothing more than to be in the Lord’s presence.
O GOD, You are my God, earnestly will I seek You; my inner self
thirsts for You, my flesh longs and is faint for You, in a dry and weary
land where no water is.
So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary to see Your power and Your
glory.
Because Your loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise
You.
So will I bless You while I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name.
My whole being shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my
mouth shall praise You with joyful lips
When I remember You upon my bed and meditate on You in the night
watches.
For You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings will I
rejoice.
My whole being follows hard after You and clings closely to You; Your
right hand upholds me.
But those who seek and demand my life to ruin and destroy it shall
[themselves be destroyed and] go into the lower parts of the earth [into
the underworld of the dead].
They shall be given over to the power of the sword; they shall be a prey
for foxes and jackals.
But the king shall rejoice in God; everyone who swears by Him [that is,
who binds himself by God's authority, acknowledging His supremacy, and
devoting himself to His glory and service alone; every such one] shall
glory, for the mouths of those who speak lies shall be stopped.
- Psalm 63:1
WOW! Now that is a man who longs for God. As busy as David was with the
business of life, He still made God the center. God was always in is
heart and on his mind. Read the Psalms and you will see…
Paul
Paul was one of the leaders of the early church. He was a very busy man
with a heavy burden to spread the Truth of God’s love to the world. He
was persecuted and in constant peril…yet, he sought God, and wanted to
be with God.
But whatever former things I had that might have been gains to me, I
have come to consider as loss for Christ's sake.
Yes, furthermore, I count everything as loss compared to the possession
of the priceless privilege (the overwhelming preciousness, the
surpassing worth, and supreme advantage) of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord
and of progressively becoming more deeply and intimately acquainted with
Him [of perceiving and recognizing and understanding Him more fully and
clearly]. For His sake I have lost everything and consider it all to be
mere rubbish in order that I may win (gain) Christ,
And that I may[actually be found and known as in Him, not having any
[self-achieved] righteousness that can be called my own, based on my
obedience to the Law's demands (ritualistic uprightness and supposed
right standing with God thus acquired), but possessing that [genuine
righteousness] which comes through faith in Christ (the Anointed One),
the truly right standing with God, which comes from God by saving faith.
For my determined purpose i] that I may know Him [that I may
progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him,
perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person
more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to
know the power outflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over
believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually
transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in the
hope]
That if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection
[that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].
– Philippians 3:7-11
Paul was a man who understood the TRUE meaning and purpose for life. He
knew that without the Lord there was nothing. He knew that his life
belonged to God and ONLY God.
Today’s Body is quite busy. We have no time for God, ministry,
reaching out to the lost, spending time in the Word, praising His Holy
Name, or anything God related. We put Him in a little box and spend time
with Him once or twice a week at church…but, is that enough? Is HE our
beloved? Is Daddy our FIRST love? Is the Lord the center of our lives?
Have we lost our focus?
Have we put other things (gods) before Him?
Business, television, riches, hobbies, work, children, activities,
friendships, daily tasks, and the like can be gods in our lives.
ANYTHING that we put before God is a hindrance to the most important
aspect of our lives…a personal and deep growing relationship with the
Creator of all things. If we delight more in the latest episode of a
meaningless, most likely unhealthy, television show than spending time
in the Word, we have a serious problem. We have put the television god
before the One Who loves us like no other. The One Who laid down His
very life for undeserving us.
I want to challenge you (and myself) to seek earnestly a deeper and
closer walk with your Daddy in Heaven.
How?
- Put Him first
- Read the Word
- Memorize at least one Scripture a week
- Turn the television off
- Get up early
- Go to bed late
- Give up a hobby
- Make a schedule
- Listen to teaching tapes while driving
- Turn on praise music instead of TV or secular music
- Get more involved at church
- Volunteer
In Him,
Lara
Copyright © Lara Velez
Dig Deeper: Psalm 11, 18, 46; Proverbs 16:7; Jeremiah
29:11-14; Luke 11:9-13; Romans 8:39; 1 Corinthians 13
Note: Scriptures were taken from the Amplified Bible. Special thanks
to my husband and Frank St.John for reminding me WHO should be first in
my life.
About the Author: Lara Velez is a
web designer,
ministry leader,
and published writer. She is also a child of the King, wife to her best
friend, and a homeschooling Mother to two beautiful daughters.
Inner Woman |
