Forgetting God

Parental love is sacrificial. If you are a good parent, you pour all your love into a child, raising him, teaching him, making sure he is safe, guiding him to be a successful adult. You want the best for him. And eventually he grows up and leaves the nest. You feel you've done your parenting job well.

If you are fortunate, you will continue to have a warm, loving relationship with that child, and will be included in what's going on in his life. The dynamics change, as it's now a two adult relationship, but it continues to grow and flourish into a strong friendship. And in the later years, the child will still be there for the parent, making sure he is safe, and loving him in his time of need.

For some, though, this isn't the case. The child grows up and becomes involved in his own life, leaving his parent behind. Slowly, there are no times of getting together. Fewer phone calls, or texts. And weeks and months continue on with no contact from the child. This leaves the parent wondering what happened. And feeling unloved.

Do you think God feels the same way with us when we spend our days without a thought of Him? If you are a Christian, then at some point you knew you were loved by Him, and accepted the sacrificial love of His Son, Jesus, on the cross so you can have an eternal relationship with Him. Our heavenly Father gave His Son for us, gave us the Scriptures to teach us and guide us, and lovingly watched us grow up. For some of us, we work on our relationship with our Heavenly Father, and grow in Him, loving Him more and more. But for others, we become deeply involved in the things of our lives, and slowly, our devotion to Him is replaced by our devotion to the world around us. We live our lives our own way, and act like we don't need God. As a result, we think of Him less. Pray less. And we hardly take the time to read the Bible. How do you think God feels when we neglect Him?

A relationship takes work, and needs nurturing if it is to flourish. God will always love us. The point is whether we love Him back. Are we responding to His love by staying in touch with Him? When the day is over, have we spent quality time with Him? Or did we forget Him?

Prayerfully, you, the reader, will make every effort to have that close, intimate relationship God so desires with you. The more you put into it, the better and more satisfying it will be. 

My heart says of you, 'Seek his face!'

Your face, LORD, I will seek.   Psalm 27:8

"Now, then, My children, listen to Me.

Blessed are those who keep My ways.

Listen to My instruction and be wise;

do not disregard it.

Blessed are those who listen to Me,

watching daily at My doors,

waiting at My doorway.

For those who find me find life

and receive favor from the LORD.

But those who fail to find Me harm themselves; 

all who hate Me love death."  Proverbs 8:32

His Footprints Are All We Need

A man and His Lord were walking along the beach. The man's life was laid out before him with two sets of footprints. One set belonged to him and the other belonged to the Lord. During the most difficult times of his life, he noticed only one set of footprints. He turned to the Lord and said, "Lord, why did you leave me when I needed You the most?" The Lord replied, "My child, I never left you. When you see one set of footprints, that was when I carried you."

We are familiar with this story and can relate it to our own life experiences. All of us have had, or are having now, very difficult times. Broken relationships. Financial problems. Health concerns. The loss of a loved one. Whatever it is that we face, it robs us of the strength to continue on. Life stops in its frozen tracks. We are trapped in a bubble that no one else shares, and we don't know how to escape. In fact, we don't know if we will ever be free again.

Fortunately, we have a Savior, Jesus, who promises never to leave us or forsake us. Like this story, He walks alongside us and knows every detail of the terrain we are traveling on. He becomes our strength when we are too weak to continue on. And He will carry us.... if we want Him to. All we need to do is to call on Him to help us in our times of need. To give Him our burdens. And to trust that He will make it alright.

I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear the Lord and put their trust in Him. - Psalm 40:1-3

Because he loves Me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges My Name. He will call on Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. Psalm 91:14-15

Troubles are inevitable in our lives. Jesus even said we can expect them. What a relief to know that we have a loving Savior who will walk with us in those storms, to take us through them to the other side. For this, we can rejoice.