Living in the Spirit
September 11, 2018
Scripture Reading: Proverbs 1:20-33
Then they will call upon me, but I will not answer;
they will seek me diligently, but will not find me.
Because they hated knowledge
and did not choose the fear of the Lord,
would have none of my counsel,
and despised all my reproof,
therefore they shall eat the fruit of their way
and be sated with their own devices.
For waywardness kills the simple,
and the complacency of fools destroys them;
but those who listen to me will be secure
and will live at ease, without dread of disaster.’ –Proverbs 1:28-33
We do pay the consequences of our own actions. We are capable of learning from our own mistakes. We can even learn from the mistakes of others and the success of quality mentors. I know I learned more about management from the good manager of the restaurant for which I worked in high school and college then I learned from all the management classes I had in college and graduate school even though those classes were also helpful. Applied learning proves itself. I also learned a whole lot about supervision of staff from observation and experience with some administrators who shall we say had not yet perfected the art of management.
How do we listen to the Lord? How do we extract from the Word, both the written word and the Word that is Christ the applied learning that we need to live fruitfully? How do we listen for God’s guidance in all we do and say even think?
While we all know it is easy to pick up bad habits; just repeat them enough and they become a part of us. The same applies in creating the good habits of routinely communing with God which can and will write that action as a habit on our hearts. I think building the simple habit of examining our day each evening with God allows God and entrance point to reshape us into the whole being God desires for us.
Prayer: God, strengthen my intentionality to develop fully my communion with you. Amen.