After I read my devotional this morning I started reflecting on the sermon from Sunday. It seems to me that I tend to battle depression. Often times I start feeling down and out. I strive to push these feelings away. After all I have so much to be thankful for. God has given me so much that I do not have any reason to be depressed.
So I ask myself why do I get down in the dumps. What is it that keeps pulling me down? I may not like the circumstances of my job, but at least I have a decent job. I have made mistakes in the past that affect our lives today, but God is seeing us through. My list can go on and on and I always come back to the same thing. God is with me, He hasn’t forsaken me. God provides all our needs.
As I struggle with being “down in the dumps” I force myself to focus on God. 2 Timothy 2:10 “Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.” If Paul can suffer and be joyful so shouldn’t I? Paul looked at his suffering as a means to an end. How much did Christ suffer for us? We are on this earth for a short period of time when compared to eternity. What is an hour or a day or even a year compared to the millions of years we will spend in heaven? It is like comparing the seconds ticking by today to the years of life we live.
Ephesians 5:15-17
15Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, 16making the most of your time, because the days are evil. 17So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
As I go through life I want my complete focus on Christ. I want to be counted as one of the wise. I do not feel righteous. I am not righteous, it is Christ who cleanses me and makes me righteous. I pray that Jesus will create in me a clean heart. That He will renew a right spirit within me. That He will not cast me away from His presence but restore unto me the joy of His salvation…
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