Are You Listening?

In tonight’s blog I’m going to compare one group of people to myself, but before that let me start at the beginning. My pastor has called our church to read the Bible this year, and our church leaders posted a suggested reading plan on our Facebook page. I haven’t looked at it yet. I’ve read the Bible before, and I’m currently writing a book based on a book in the Old Testament so I really don’t know where I want to begin this Bible study. At this point I’m reading passages that I hear referenced in various sermons. By now you should be hearing my words as excuses because they are. Not only have I been making excuses but I see that familiar pattern of wanting to do what I want to do. Who do I sound like? I started reading I Samuel a few nights ago, and I’ve just gotten to the part where the Israelites asked the prophet Samuel for a king. Why did they want a king? Because all of the nations around them wanted a king so they wanted one too. Now the immature side of me is laughing because that sounds childish…wanting something because someone else has it. But I’ve been guilty of that. The second part that is laughable on the surface is that the prophet told them the dire consequences of having a king (basically that the king can and will do anything he wants to them and their children like using them for labor at his whim) and they STILL insisted on having a king. Ludicrous, right? Someone tells you that XYZ isn’t the best decision nor is it good for you, but you choose it anyway because you want it anyway. Lord, I could write a whole book about me doing the same thing! As I am studying, these verses are illuminating areas that I need to change. Issues with stubbornness, issues with desiring to fit in, and a general spirit of “I want to do what I want to do.” Many people see the Bible as ancient and a book they can’t relate to, but I am learning as I’m studying all over again that it is truly a reflection of where I am and where I need to go. And even better it is illuminating just how gracious and merciful God is. I pray that you not only stay with me on my own spiritual journey, but that you begin your own. You will be surprised what hidden treasures you learn along the way.