Who am I a slave to?

It's true, I am a slave. And as much as it may appear, I am not a slave to my wife. As Paul writes to the church in Rome:

"What then? Shall we sin because we are not under the law but under grace? By no means! Don't you that when you offer yourselves to someone as obedient slaves, you are the slaves of the one you obey- whether you are slaves to sin, which leads to death, or to obedience, which leads to righteousness? (6:15-16)"

The truth is that each one of us is a slave. Whether it is to the sin of the world that leads to death, or the righteousness that flows from the side of a crucified Christ that must be accepted for anyone to receive life to the full. I am happy to say I can boast with Paul:

"But thanks be to God that, though you used to be slaves to sin, you have come to obey from your heart the pattern of teaching that has now claimed your allegiance. You have been set free from sin and have become slaves to righteousness (6:17-18)."

Thanks be to God indeed.

The heart of a teenager

I had the wonderful opportunity to talk with teenagers about issues that they were going through. I have to admit that I am amazed at how similar my life is to these young people. No, I don't mean I act like them... all the time... but I can see my personal life, my personal struggles, are the same things that these young people are dealing with. I struggle in my prayer life, I struggle in my devotional time, I struggle in my priorities. I find myself so often so exhausted from everything that I have committed myself to that I have no energy to give to the God, who should be the most important part of my life. It is so easy to fall into the trap of saying "things will slow down in a little bit, I just have to get through this week... or this month... or this year... or this decade. The discipline necessary to prioritize God in my life is lacking for sure. I know that there is a battle going on right now for my time, and if I don't take control and discipline myself, it can and will spin quickly out of control for me. I cling to Moses' guidance on the word of the Lord, and know that this way of viewing my relationship with God can help me.

"These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the door frames of your houses and on your gates (Deuteronomy 6:6-9)."

I guess the question is this: can I make this things so ingrained in my life that they are a natural part? That is the question that remains to be answered. I hope for my sake and my family's sake that the answer will be a resounding yes.

God Everlasting

I have to admit that I am exhausted. It has been a long week so far, and I can see the tasks at hand piling up. I find I am lacking on the energy or the time to get things taken care of. But I know that you God are everlasting, that you do not grow tired or get drained out. You are the one everlasting God, creator of all things, who will see me through my fatigue. You will help me to finish the race, to rise up on the wings of Eagles, to run and not grow weary. You will see me through, and I praise your name for that. Continue to bless my time and my studies I pray.