Something I received that I believe is worth putting “out there.”
It just brought home the fact that we do need to be Christ Centered, and God will remind us of that very fact in subtle ways.
“I’m persnickety. I might as well admit it; many of you already know it. I like things a certain way. I have definite ideas of how I want things done. I’m also particular about certain of my possessions. I have my favorite pens, and you’d better not ask to borrow them. A number of years ago, I had a pair of dress boots and my kids knew not to step on the toes. Recently I switched cell phone providers because the company I’d had for 16 years no longer carried the brand of phone I “prefer”. The only problem is that for almost a month now, I’ve had to carry two phones while they try to switch my number to the new service provider. This means that I make calls on my new phone and receive them on my old one. Very inconvenient, but I can tolerate it. The agonizing moment came last week while carrying both phones in my pocket, when the old phone scuffed the screen of the new phone. It’s not even a month old! I must have loved it too much. The Lord has a way of humbling us and getting our affections back on Him.
A while back I was reading the account of the capture of the Ark by the Philistines (I Samuel 5). Pleased with their battle trophy, the Philistines put the Ark in the temple of their god, Dagon. The next morning they found Dagon on its nose before the Ark. They set the idol upright, but the next morning Dagon had again fallen before the Ark, only this time its head and palms were broken off. What a vivid reminder that God wants our heart’s devotion. We tend to use God and love things, rather than to love God and use things. I have risked being transparent with you because I am fairly certain that you also have your own little idols. And while you may not be as fastidious as I am, the Lord nonetheless probably has His competitors in your life. Let’s resolve to be sincerely and purely devoted to Christ.
For I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy; for I betrothed you to one husband, so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin. But I am afraid that, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. II Corinthians 11:2-3″
From Rick Hattan. He and his wife are AWANA Missionaries in Nebraska and eastern Wyoming.
Practical Bible Teaching 