Some exciting things have been happening around the Blakey home! As you can see, Blakeyblog has a whole new re-design with thanks to Brad Smith from Godsong Music.

Tyler is almost seven months old now and learned to crawl last week. He had been getting around pretty fast “scooching” but now he can get up on hands and knees. We also introduced him to his first solid food-rice cereal-and he loves it. It’s such a joy to watch him grow!

This morning I read a quote by Charles Spurgeon that has been heavy on my heart the rest of the day:

“There should be no one with whom we converse so much as with Jesus. To abide in him only, this is true love; but to commune with the world, to find sufficient solace in our carnal comforts, to prefer even the society of our fellow Christians to secret intercourse with him, this is grievous to our jealous Lord. He would fain have us abide in him, and enjoy constant fellowship with himself; and many of the trials which he sends us are for the purpose of weaning our hearts from the creature, and fixing them more closely upon himself.”

What a weighty statement. Each sentence convicted me–most of the time I do converse with many people more than I talk with the Lord. It seems easy to find pleasure in fellowship, comforts, or entertainment–rather than abiding in the sweet presence of the Lord. For this next sentence I’ll admit I l had to look up what “fain” meant. I assumed it meant “rather” or “prefer to”, but I did look it up just to make sure. The Lord loves us so faithfully to discipline us to bring us back to Him, but I don’t always see it that way.

The part of this statement that really dug into me says, “…this is grievous to our jealous Lord.” I was sobered to consider how flippantly I can sometimes treat my time, words, thoughts, and opportunities. I once was lost but now I’m found. Once was blind but now I see. Why? Because I found my way or learned to see? No. The only reason I am not wasting away in bondage to sin is because of the wonderful love of the Lord and His immeasurable sacrifice for me. Why do I so easily “forget” what He has done and who He is and grieve Him?

I think that sometimes I focus on what God has done for me. I think of His death on my behalf, His forgiveness time and time again, His mercy renewed each day, and how He rains down blessings into my life. These all seem like good things to be conscious of, but consider with me that we often get caught up in what God can do for me. We enjoy basking in the blessings, but do we talk with Him more than anyone else, do we never get enough of pouring over His words, do we enjoy seeking Him first–because He alone deserves it?

I was gripped today by this realization that I need to “wean my heart” off of me and what I’m distracted by, so that I can fix my gaze on the Lord to love Him as He wants me to. He is jealous for us when we so easily give our hearts away to our little idols of self, worries and cares, other people, appearance, comfort and pleasure. Let’s not be unfaithful to our Savior. Let’s love Him how He has commanded us to–”…with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)