But God - January 1, 2019

“But God”

I think these are two of the most wonderful words in the Bible.

I find these two words to be so encouraging as I read scripture.

Today is January 1, 2019 and it is that time of year where we evaluate our past 365 days of living on this earth. Most of us make decisions about things we would like to change for the next 365 days of life.

I do this every year and most every year I fail at some of them. Miserably.

This past year I committed to write scripture every day and I pretty much kept that commitment filling 12 journals, one for each month.

I am so visual that making things look pretty keeps me wanting to come back to those journals every day and continue to fill them with quotes and verses.

I sat down this morning with my new January 2019 journal and started where I did last year.

Writing Scripture.

Psalm 73:25-26

²⁵ Whom have I in heaven but you?
    And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail,
    but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

Several things came to mind while writing this passage.

Do I desire God above all the things that this earth has to offer?

I know all the right words to say. I have been in church since I was a little girl. I can speak “Christianese” very well. I have read the Bible from cover to cover several times.

But, do I truly desire time with God more than I desire to spend time with worldly pursuits?

That is a difficult question to ask yourself when you get weekly emails from Apple giving you exactly how much time you spent on your phone and different apps.

I cringe as I look at that email and realize how much time I have wasted during the week. I can make all the excuses I want. I suffer from fibromyalgia and sometimes that makes it very hard for me to even get out of bed in the morning. I am currently suffering from inflammation in my ribs and chest that make it painful to move at times or even take a deep breath. I keep telling myself that I need to rest and that is true. But why do I need to spend time on my phone playing games or on my coloring app. I can use the same device to read a book or even better, the Bible. I can also go to my very own family room and choose from the hundreds of books that I have on my bookshelves. I could also use that down time to spend time pouring into the lives of my children by doing activities with them.

So many things that I could be doing.

But I choose not to.

I choose to spend my time on worthless, worldly pursuits.

These verses in Psalm 73 gives me joy when I read it though.

BUT GOD.

God gives me strength to climb out of the rut of spending time on worthless pursuits and calls me to follow him.

I cannot do this on my own. I am too weak. I will fail.

BUT GOD.

He has already equipped me to do great things from Him. What he calls me to do, he has also already given me the power and wisdom to accomplish those things.

I may feel tired and weak and sick this year. I may feel like I have no ability to do anything.

BUT GOD.

He is my strength.

He is my JOY.

He is why I attempt to get up early every morning to equip myself with His words and wisdom.

It is a battle for every one of us to spend time with God and follow the things that He desires for us to do.

Every day I must fight to focus my heart on what God would have me do.

Every day there are hundreds of things that try to steal my attention away from the things that God wants me to do.

Every day is a battle for priorities.

What does God want me to do verses what my own flesh wants to do.

Some days are better than others.

Some days I have victories and on those days I want to praise His name from the highest mountain for all the world to hear.

Some days I fall flat on my face and I have to ask forgiveness from those I love the most. On those days I should still praise His name from the highest mountain for all the world to hear.

Especially on those days.

This new year should be all about giving praise to God on the good days and the bad days.
About moving past the bad days when the guilt of my sin weighs me down to new heights of praise and serving Him.

About learning the lessons He has for me this year knowing that there will be hard days and good days.

This new year should especially be about proclaiming Him to my children and letting them see what a real walk with Jesus looks like. To show them the ups and downs of following Christ.

To let them see that even on the days when I fall, that God is still my strength.

To show them that I will praise God on the best of days but also on the worst of days.

That it is not about me but ALL ABOUT HIM.