Blakeyblog

As you all know from my previous entries, we are all moved in to our new apartment, but the burden of the week has been that we are not yet all moved out of our old one. We thought it was a job that would have been finished in only one or two days, but it has taken all week and we are still not finished preparing the place for our check-out date. This reminds me of our old sin nature that is continually trying to steal the joy of our new life in Christ.

I’ve been giving alot of thought the last few days to the trapping nature of sin. I notice in my own life that there are certain sins I have somehow in my human error labeled as “smaller” sins such as exaggerations, attitudes and laziness. In this light approach to sin I can become trapped in self-deception and calloused toward conviction. Instead I should take care to maintain a very heavy perspective on sin, knowing that it is a deliberate action against God and His Word. I should respond quickly to conviction in repentance and change. I think if this were my approach to sin and repentance I would be much closer to the Lord than I am today. Unfortunately this is probably not just the case for me. I often hear people justifying and excusing their as they brush aside laziness, gossip, lies and attitudes as simply “normal human struggles”.

People blame their struggle with sin on temptation. But Scripture shows us that it is not temptation that is the problem, but our inability to stay focused on Christ. James 1:14 says, “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” This is not just some event that happens upon us. Like the commonly claimed story that I was simply walking along and *boom* Satan was there and I was trapped and eventually sinned! No, James shows us that this is surely not the case. We are tempted and drawn away by our own desires. In one day we constantly want things be it physical–food, pleasure, possessions or maybe non-physical–we desire acceptance, approval, a compliment or some feeling. This is the point at which we must deal with sin. Not at the action or behavior, not the thought or word, but the desire. This is our sin in it’s beginning form–desire.

On Wednesday in our high school Bible study we discussed what it means to be “pure in heart” from Matthew 5. It is not difficult to see the connection between a pure heart and holiness. The very idea of pure makes me think “free from sin”. In my small group we talked some about reading and studying the Bible and how this is important in our pursuit to be free from sin. I asked each girl to share how she is doing with that command and as we went around the table it was clear that we have all been at different places in that regard. Some find it difficult to read at all, some are learning to give up precious sleep in the morning to spend time in the Word and others are somewhere in between. I know that I have been at each place. I remember thinking that the Bible was boring, not reading it at all. I remember a time I was very passionate about the Word and read it with friends and even kept a journal of each thing that challenged or encouraged me from what I read each day. And I have also been at the place where studying the Word was simply on and off. What made it this way? Was it my changing schedule during the different seasons of my life? Was it because I have graduated from school now and must work all day or that I just don’t have time for it? None of these seeming contributors to my not studying the Word are the reason. The reason is that my desire lay elsewhere. And in that same train of thought I have often heard it said of Scripture, “God’s Word will keep you from sin, or sin will keep you from God’s Word.”

I’ve been reading this week in Psalm 119 and many verses proclaim clearly that the only way that we can cut the struggles we have with temptation and sin is by immersing ourselves into the Word of God. Verses 9-11 say

Not just hearing it, but doing it. Unfortunately we are often like I am about our old apartment…eventually I will get around to cleaning this place up. We think that eventually we can get around to reading or obeying the Bible. God’s Word does not warrant or even accept such delays in our action. But we won’t ever know what He says to us unless we are more “in” His Word than “out”. I hope that you will pray with me to have a swift obedience to His commands. As the Psalmist says later in Psalm 119 verses 59-60

It’s a cold and overcast Wednesday here. It’s so dark at only two o’ clock this afternoon that it feels so much more like five o’ clock that I had to turn all the lights on around my desk. Hopefully even some rain is in store for us this week. Last night Bobby and I spent some time at our old apartment getting it ready to turn in our keys. For some reason it took much longer to simply spackle nail holes and scrub walls than I thought, so we will have to make another night out of it before we’re through. I have gotten a few more items in our new place unpacked and some furniture in place so it is slowly taking shape as “home”.

Yesterday I set out to find a small computer desk to put in the dining nook in our kitchen. I’m looking forward to that being my own little office space. Hopefully I will even blog more from home, rather than work. I know what a task it can be to hunt down the piece of furniture I’m picturing in my mind, so this time I did the research online and simply went to the store to purchase my selection. Sadly customer service must be at an all time low because I waited twenty minutes and had spoken with five employees before someone actually helped me get the piece and load it into the back of my car. Obviously none of them have read Bobby’s latest entry on service! Wal-Mart woes aside, it’s a nice piece of furniture for it’s price, and I got the pretty antique white finish so I’m glad someone eventually helped me!

Recently I began reading an older (but new to me) book by John MacArthur called Our Sufficiency in Christ. I was struck this morning by one of MacArthur’s simply put but resoundingly profound statements as he writes about 2 Peter 1:3.

This weekend we moved from our first apartment into our new one. I didn’t anticipate how much work it would take to get the place ready to move (i.e.: packing boxes, wrapping breakables and organizing). Neither Bobby nor I are pack-rat types so we don’t have a whole lot of stuff. However we do have enough that we filled an entire U-haul truck and a few trips in my Explorer. With some much needed help from some good friends the mission was accomplished and all of our earthly possessions are now at our new home. Nothing is unpacked yet, but they are all there nonetheless!

Naturally I got to thinking about the move and how we are making a new home somewhere else now. I considered the blessing this new home is in that instead of our small one bedroom apartment we now have a large three bedroom apartment which allows a room for the baby and even a spare room where Bobby can study and Godsong can do their recording. Praise the Lord for our new home!

I had several long thoughts about moving as I packed last week at our old place, directed boxes to different rooms this weekend and consider all I need to get done to make this new place “home”.

Time–The months and years seem to have flown by. I was remembering that before Bobby and I were married he was up having an interview here and I had flown up here to attend it with him and also to look at apartments together. Bobby’s potential boss, Cliff, took us around to many apartments he had seen, but we weren’t able to find any that we liked or fit our budget-to-be. I remember driving home after our honeymoon to this apartment. Bobby had picked it out and was so excited for me to see it. I loved it and until now we had lived there since. Over the last few years many memories have grown from that home. We’ve enjoyed the company of visiting family and nearby friends, Monday night dinners, late nights of CivIII and Texas Hold-em poker, lots of “Keuer” chicken and many conversations. It feels like so much has happened in the time we’ve lived there, but it really hasn’t been that long.

I can see how it might be easy to get all sentimental with warm fuzzies as we ponder the past, but I cannot help but ask myself, how have we changed? How have we used the time that God has given us? The Bible talks often of how short our time is and commands us to redeem the days we are given. I’m reminded of a verse, 1 Peter 1:17 “And if you call on the Father who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout your stay here in fear.” This verse is saying that if you are a Christian you must conduct your whole life in fear of God, because He is the one who knows your heart completely and redeemed you with the precious blood of His Son. It brings to mind the fact that I should enjoy the time given to me not for some kind of earthly spiritual fulfillment, but out of reverence for God as I live each day for Him. If we are not living each moment to bring glory to the One who gives it, we are wasting each day.

Possessions–Another thing I thought alot, especially as I packed, was all the stuff that we have. We don’t have a whole lot of stuff, but definitely more than when we first moved in. I know well Jesus teaching in Matthew 6 warning us not to store up treasure on this earth. “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” By no measure would Bobby and I be considered “wealthy” for our area. But before I put the preoccupation with possessions out of my mind I was reminded again in Bobby’s lesson yesterday as he talked about the rich young ruler who came to Jesus requesting eternal life. Jesus tells the man, “If you want to be perfect, go sell what you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come follow Me.” (Matthew 19:21). This is a very sad story because the man turns and walks away full of sorrow because he had great wealth and was not willing to give it up to follow Christ. It is so easy for us to become so occupied with physical possessions, money even attaining comfort that we forget God. I definitely don’t want to be like this man, but rather hope I can say truthfully, “Jesus, You are all that I need or even want, You are more than enough for me.”

Provision–There is a verse that says, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation!” (Psalm 68:19) Not only is He our salvation and hope, but each day He grants us forgiveness, mercy and strength. He reveals His will in His Word, hears us when we pray and gives family and friends to stir us up in our love for Him. He doesn’t only provide our spiritual sustenance but also our physical needs with food, shelter, clothes, jobs and transportation. When I am thinking on all the things I’m given, not all the things I selfishly want, it is not hard to see that the Lord does indeed “load us with benefits”. I pray that our whole lives we will be thankful for what we have, be it much or be it little as we live each day to bless the Lord for His overwhelming and undeserved goodness in our lives.

Every blessing You pour out
I’ll turn back to praise

I don’t know where October has gone, but today I looked at my calendar and noticed that there is only one week left in this month. With the changing seasons, it’s been getting darker sooner and stays darker in the morning when I’m up getting ready. Sleep and getting up in the mornings has been a topic of discussion recently. With a trip out of town last weekend, our sleep was limited and with us moving into our new apartment this weekend I am having a week of the same. It seems that all day I wish I could take a rest, just a short “power nap” but when I get home from work it always turns out that there are just too many things to be done and a nap then seems like a waste of time. So I stay up late working away with packing, painting or what not and in the end the amount I actually can shut my eyes simply must suffice.

Bobby and I have been talking some about getting up in the mornings. My sister wrote an entry portraying well, the perspective that many people have on mornings. She talks about alarm clocks and the pain of dragging oneself out into the cold to get ready for the day. Our conversations have been around this idea that some people are “morning people” and some people are “night people” I like to think that there are also “anytime people” because I’m pretty sure I’m one of those. In our home I am most always the first one up. I don’t have an obnoxious alarm clock, I usually feel well rested and alert soon after getting out of bed. Bobby on the other hand sleeps longer than me most days and has a more difficult time moving out of REM and into his normal coherent state. This is most often due to the fact that he stays up too late writing blog entries at Godsongmusic.

It’s funny to me because I remember in college finding the wake-up time torturous. I was always cold, grumpy and “not all there”. But now I kind of enjoy mornings, I open all the shades and listen to some Godsong while I eat my breakfast. I never thought I was a morning person. I certainly wasn’t born falling into one of those typical categories. I simply have adapted myself to getting a better getting up process. Yesterday I had an early doctor’s appointment for which Bobby was having a challenging time getting up for. But when he did, we talked about what things would make getting up easier. Maybe it’s not having such an obnoxious alarm clock, maybe a little sunlight would help or memorizing Psalm119:24. Sometimes I think of the things I’m doing that day…work, lunch with my friend, a book I’m planning to read, phone call I should make, Bible study at night. Thinking through the day’s upcoming events usually helps me know what I can look forward to and plan ahead for things I need to get done. Maybe people don’t like getting up because they dread their job or have a big test they aren’t prepared for or something else they aren’t looking forward too. But it’s easy to see that there are bigger problems there than just dealing with the morning time.

Last night at our high school Bible study Bobby read Lamentations 3:22-23 which addresses something very important that happens every morning: