Motivate me Monday

The last week has been a really busy one for me. Fortunately, it seems to be slowing down a little, before it starts to pick up again just before Christmas. It's funny how we can make ourselves so busy with "things" at Christmastime, when the true meaning of Christmas is to appreciate and celebrate the birth of Jesus. I'm speaking for myself when I say that my focus hasn't been on him quite as much as it should be. I want to make sure that I prepare my heart in the lead up to Christmas, so that I don't go through the 25th December, enjoying friends and family, opening presents, eating delicious food and that's it. Oh, how careful we must be to avoid that happening!

In regard to my devotions lately, I have been reading the book of Leviticus (in a read through the Bible plan). I've struggled a little, not wanting to skim over it or skip it altogether, because it is in the Bible for a reason, and it is the word of God. But it has shown me that at times when we struggle with our learning and understanding of scripture - not to give up, and also, to not be afraid to read other books of the Bible or to do things differently. Kristin Chesemore from Girltalk says of her dad, CJ Mahaney: "Growing up, Dad always encouraged us that the goal of the spiritual disciplines is to "make your soul happy in God" and to preach the gospel to yourself--not to finish a book. He wanted to make sure we didn't feel obligated to complete a book we had begun if it was not feeding our soul." I thought this was great advice. Now, in saying this, I intend to keep reading Leviticus, but I'm going to read other sections to keep my "soul happy in God" at the same time. I don't want to be discouraged or disheartened and give up my devotions because I'm stuck in a bit of a rut. I shouldn't really be surprised that we can find opposition to spending time with God in so many different ways, including this. I really liked this quote by John Owen.

"There is no duty we perform for God that sin does not oppose. And the more spirituality or holiness there is in what we do, the greater its enmity to it. Thus those who seek most for God experience the strongest opposition.”
John Owen, Sin and Temptation, edited by James Houston (Minneapolis, Minn: Bethany House Publications, 1996), 18.

I experience opposition in many different forms - but I'm determined to "throw off the sin, that so easily entangles" and seek the Lord. I hope you'll join me.

To read more posts for Motivate Me Monday, visit Sarah Mae's blog.