I'm Doing it Wrong

Hey there. I don’t normally blog this sort of way, but this was too good not to share. This was a passage I read in my morning quiet time from Isaiah...

“Who among you fears the Lord and obeys the voice of his servant?

Let him who walks in darkness

And has no light

Trust in the name of the Lord

And rely on his God.

Behold, all you who kindle a fire,

Who equip yourselves with burning torches!

Walk by the light of your fire and by the torches that you have kindled!

This you have from my hand:
You shall lie down in torment.”

Isaiah 50: 10-11

 Dang, God. That’s my reaction to about 60% of the things I read in the Bible. The messages are often very clear and tug us in the places we try to pretend aren’t there. This one did that for me.

 Let’s start with the second part first because often that’s where I find myself. Not with burning torches, but I do try and equip myself and then walk in the ways I think is best. How? I neglect to read my Bible every day. I spend more time selfishly. I choose my desires over Biblical truths. Let’s get more specific though. I choose to continue to do things that aren’t the best for me even though I know I shouldn’t. I choose to fill myself with quotes and Instagram highlights instead of reading scripture. Does that leave me feeling good at the end of the day? Never.

 Actually, God tells us exactly where it leaves us... Torment. Thinking we know the best plan for our lives can lead us in the opposite direction of God’s blessings. We can’t see the delight on the other side of the desert we are stuck in. Instead of choosing to walk toward the delight by trusting and relying on God, we just hang out in the dessert because we trust our own instincts and can’t see beyond what’s in front of us. Equipping ourselves will leave us weak because we were never meant to do it on our own. It’s honestly exhausting. 

 God’s plan for us is that when we walk in darkness we would trust him and rely on him. We wouldn’t ignore the commands he’s given us for a fruitful life. We wouldn’t leave the book untouched on our shelf that has the ability to bring us life and life more abundantly. The world tells us it’s more appealing to choose what we want, but God tells us choosing what we want will leave us wanting more. It’s not easy choosing what God says we should in the moment, but in the end, it leads us right where we need to be. I promise it will be better than where you were headed without him.

If you wouldn’t miss morning coffee with a friend, why are you missing it with Jesus?