This morning my daughter (5yo) came rushing in my bedroom while I was still half-comatose.  In a loud voice she yelled "I can't find a tank top!!!!" Needless to say her high priority for finding a tank top was not very important to me.  My priority was shaking off sleep and getting in the shower.  Don't get me wrong, I was willing to help her, it just had to be at my pace . . . I certainly wasn't ready for her pace :).  Eventually the problem solved itself (amazing) and she decided to switch outfits (on a side note I'm more than a little worried that my 5yo already has outfits, but that's for another post).

This little 5 minute exercise in frustration and priorities got me thinking about our priorities and God's priorities.  So often our priorities don't match up to God's priorities.  What is close to God's heart is not close to our hearts.  We're not bad people, per se, it's just that we get crossways of God and we forget that we (as little Christs) are called to reflect who God is - and this includes his priorities. 

In Isaiah 55:6-9 God reminds us that we need to seek Him - this includes His ways and priorities.  God makes it clear - our ways are not His; in order to know His ways we need to seek Him:

"6 Seek the Lord while he may be found;
    call on him while he is near.
7 Let the wicked forsake their ways
    and the unrighteous their thoughts.
Let them turn to the Lord, and he will have mercy on them,
    and to our God, for he will freely pardon.
8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
    neither are your ways my ways,”
declares the Lord.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
    so are my ways higher than your ways
    and my thoughts than your thoughts."

Seeking Him starts with the acknowledgement that His ways should be our ways.  Once we can convince ourselves of this we can take the next steps of actually seeking Him.  Our seeking first begins with the fact that God has sought and found us.  This fact becomes the basis for our own seeking - know that God is available and "for us."  Seeking on our side comes in Bible reading and prayer.

Today challenge yourself to question your own priorities - are they set by God or by yourself?  Are seeking God's ways or just following your own?

As I think I've said before, I'm not a runner but since I do triathlons I'm forced to run :) I have grown fond of it, but sometimes running seems to be monotonous.  Sometimes I think, "The same course, the same roads, the same hills every day - how can I stay motivated?"  Just think if you ate the same food over and over again, even if it is food you like; sooner or later it would be hard to swallow it down.

Yesterday I decided to do something different - I ran my course in reverse.  I found myself running with more power and even distracted (in a good way) while I ran.  It was the same course, same mileage, but a vastly different feeling. As I ran I looked at all the terrain and surroundings in a different light.  Houses that I passed looked different as I saw them from a different angle.  I am happy to say that I actually enjoyed the run!

There are some parallels here in our daily spiritual life.  So many of us approach our relationship with God the same way, every day.  It shouldn't be a surprise that after a while it all gets stale and boring and we feel disconnected from God.   Often it just takes a change of pace, speed, or method that can wake us up to what God is doing in our lives.  What can you do?  1. Get a new Bible or book to read and do your devotional; 2. Spend a week praying not for yourself, but for someone else; 3. Incorporate some music to your Bible study - music often opens up thoughts about God that we wouldn't ordinarily have; 4. Change up the time you read your Bible and pray - move from nighttime to morning or lunchtime.  

Your responsible for your relationship with God - change it up to maximize your devotional life!

Today I was reading in Genesis 18.  This chapter presents us with the story of Sarah and the promise that she would give birth to a son.  Abraham was promised a son to carry on his line.  The problem was for years his wife, Sarah (Sarai) was unable to conceive even while Abraham's concubine (Hagar) was.  So you can see the problem.

The Lord appeared to Abraham in Genesis 18 in the form of three men.  The men again promised that Abraham would have a son.  This time they gave an exact time - "this time next year."  Perhaps for Abraham,the promise still seemed a bit far fetched.

Sarah certainly thought it was.  When she heard the promise she laughed out loud.  She was well beyond the age to be able to have a child so the promise seemed ridiculous.  She didn't believe what the men had to say . . . she didn't believe in what God had to say.

Let's be honest - there was NO REASON for Sarah to believe what God had to say on this matter.  It's not like Sarah could point to a track record of God's good works in her life.  If you read the chapters leading up to the story you realize that Sarah had it rough: moving from one place to another, being mocked by Abraham's concubine, and unable to have children.  The work and promises of God were scant in her life.  She really had no reason to believe in that promise.  We certainly would not have (no matter how much we use this passage as an example of what not to do).

The reality is that we have a much larger track record than Sarah did of God's work in our lives.  We have no reason to doubt or laugh at the promises of God.  The greatest example we have is the person and work of Jesus.  God coming in human form is evidence of God's love for us and His intention towards us.  In Christ we have the eternal "yes" of God.  All of the promises in the OT are confirmed in the coming of Christ.

God gave you a "yes" . . . believe the promises because God has confirmed the promises in Christ.  He has a track record in our lives!