Hump Day

It's hump day, Wednesday, the middle of the week. Everything from here's all downhill as I used to say when I was a member of the workforce. Michael and I had small group this morning. We usually have it on Mondays but something came up this week and we had to postpone it until today. As usual, we had an enjoyable time with just the eight of us there. We are looking at the minor prophets. It's a really loose look at them, nothing in depth. I did my regular, personal Wednesday Bible study yesterday (Tues) so I wouldn't get behind on it. (Like it really matters what day of the week I study it.) I'm using the book To Serve with all Your Strength by Fran Sciacca and it is a deep, time-consuming, sometimes exhausting study. I'm always studying something. Sometimes I will have 2 or 3 studies going all at the same time and of course I always have my never-ending Bible reading (although I must confess I'm not always faithful to that ... I usually remember it AFTER I've gone to bed and I don't always get back up to read it).

I love to study but while I study much to know the written Word, I study more to know the Living Word that speaks to my heart and spirit. Sometimes the best study we can have is that fleeting moment when something touches our spirit and we see how inseparable we are from Christ, our head and heart. It's taking those mini-studies in Christ and implementing them into our daily walk that we fail to do sometimes. It seems that we're always in such a hurry any more. So many things to do and so little time really to do them. But I know if I make the effort I will be blessed. I have only to abide in that which I have received. But I keep reminding myself that I must remember to take advantage of the time when I have it. I try always to let my confidence in Christ teach me to lay myself and my time and my services on the altar as spiritual sacrifices, holy and acceptable in His sight ... a sweet smelling savor.

I must not look upon a life of holiness as a strain and an effort, but simply as the natural outgrowth of the life of Christ in me. Thus will I understand and prove what it is to abide in Christ. It is a life of busy-ness and a life of stillness all rolled into one. To live, above all, day by day in the truth that He Himself, the living Christ Jesus, is my wisdom, my first and last care must ever be this alone ... to abide in Him. The living Christ Himself is my righteousness. The entire point is to take every tiny moment and apply it to our relationship with our God and Savior. To walk with Christ, heartbeat by heartbeat, and taking every thought captive for Him. I mustn't waste a single time or the smallest occurrence by failing to capture each one. Walking in the spirit with my head down and my heart open, receptive to what He teaches me with every step I take. I must take in the food that He supplies me at any given moment. Too often we regulate our time to His time and Mine time. I study from 9:00 - 11:00 then I do this or that. No, it's studying AND doing this or that and wrapping it all up together inside our walk with the Lord. It's wasting not a single moment. My joy should be that at any moment I can be found walking with Him. If I'm not in conversation with anyone else, I should be in conversation with Him. That is taking every thought captive.