Distracted by the Dust

"Hear, Israel, and be careful to obey

so that it may go well with you

and that you may increase greatly in a land

flowing with milk and honey,

just as the LORD,

the God of your ancestors, promised you.

  Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.

 Love the LORD your God with all your heart

and with all your soul

and with all your strength.

These commandments that I give you today

are to be on your hearts."

Deuteronomy 6:3-6

The dust would be enough to get me.  The dry, gritty dirt everywhere. . . in my cooking pots, in my clothing, in my bedding, in my food, in my eyes.  The relentless hot wind blowing the stuff around, making cleaning an exercise in futility.  It would get under my skin after awhile.

The Israelites lived in tents under these kind of conditions as they received the above commandment from the Lord who brought them out of slavery in Egypt.  I can understand the constant relapse by the Israelites into an attitude of ingratitude and grumbling.  It happens to me all the time.

I complain about my hard life, how I'm busy from before the sun comes up until well after the day is done.  I am disappointed in the balance in my checking account compared to the pile of bills laying before me, waiting to be paid.  I gripe about my lack of imagination when it comes to preparing meals, I'm just tired of the same old thing.  I whine about not getting enough sleep.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not whining out loud.  All this bad attitude can be found in my heart. 

So, I can relate to the plight of the Israelites.  As easy as it is to criticize them and judge them, in reality I would behave in the same manner if I were in their shoes. 

God has chosen me to be one of His own; an adopted part of the nation of Israel by faith in Jesus Christ.  And as His child, He has called me to obey Him.  Not out of duty or fear, but out of love for Him.  But most of the time my heart has not love for Him. Rather, I am distracted by all the "dust."

Love God with All my Heart

Shakespeare coined the phrase, "In my heart of heart," for Hamlet, to mean in my heart's core, or in the most tender part of my heart.  As the seat of my emotions, the heart is a vulnerable place.  It is easy to harden my heart in order to protect it's susceptibility to injury. 

God calls me to love Him with all my heart, even with the most tender part.  If I were to completely let down my guard with God, my grumbling would be gone and I would experience contentment no matter where He placed me, or what circumstance I find myself because I would understand that He is all I need. 

My heart needs God.  He created my heart to love Him.  When I take God lightly, treating Him as a genie or a vending machine, only going to Him with things I want and need,  I jeopardize my heart.  Proverbs 28:14 reminds me that, " Blessed is the one who always trembles before God, but whoever hardens their heart falls into trouble."

Loving God with all my heart means trusting Him with the deepest part of me.



 Loving God with all my Soul

When I think of my soul, I think of the part of me that makes me who I am.  It is the part of me that will live eternally with Jesus.  My soul is the real me.

Loving God with all of me is hard.  I hold back many areas which I am not ready to surrender.  I am afraid if I love Him with abandon, He may ask me to do something which I am not comfortable doing.   Far be it from me to get out of my comfort zone!

Loving God with my soul means putting His plan, His will, His commandments above myself and desiring only that which is important to Him. 

People are important to God.  He created us in His image, and as image bearers, we are of the most value out of all His creation.  To be honest, I don't treat all of His most treasured as cherished.  Instead, I tend to treat others as a means to an end. 

If I'm on the phone with a foreign tech support agent who can't understand the technical issue I am having with my computer, it is easy for me to treat him disrespectfully out of frustration.  Or when I'm late for an appointment and another driver cuts me off, slowing down my forward progress and putting my life at stake, I may not harbour loving feelings toward that person.

Loving all of God's image bearers means that I am placing God at the forefront of my life as my Lord instead of placing myself in that position. 

Loving God with all my soul means treating others with love.

Loving God with all my Mind

My mind is constantly working; analyzing data, formulating strategies, reviewing endless lists, not to mention solving problems.  It is hard to quiet my mind. 

I could harness this analytical capacity and use it to study God and His Word, getting to know Him better.  While I believe there is great value in this exercise, I think there is a better way to love God with all my mind.

God says, "Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations,  I will be exalted in the earth." (Psalm 46:10)  When I quiet my mind and focus my thoughts on God, I am reminded that He is supreme.  He is above all things.  He is the highest.

When I calm my thoughts, all things are put back into perspective and God rises to the pinnacle of my priorities.  He is Lord.

Loving God with all my mind means stilling my thoughts and knowing the magnitude of God.

I am easily distracted by all the difficulties of life, but God calls me to love Him.  By trusting Him with my heart of heart, loving all His image bearers, and quieting my mind, I can love Him with all my heart, soul and mind.

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I can quiet my mind and know that the Lord is my God.

In what way do I let annoyances and irritations distract me from loving God?

How do I shield my heart of heart from God?

What's in a Name?

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,"

Matthew 6:9

"Let them praise the name of the LORD,
   for his name alone is exalted;"

Psalm 148:13 



"What's in a name? that which we call a rose,  By any other name would smell as sweet;" * 

Many of you probably recognize this poetic line from Shakespeare's play Romeo and Juliet.  Juliet was saying that Romeo, born under another name, would still be the one with which she was madly in love.  To Juliet, who Romeo was seemed more important than what he was called.

This is not the case with God.  Even His name is special, set apart and to be revered.   The Lord is very concerned about His name, as demonstrated in the restraint He showed toward His disobedient and rebellious people.  "For my own name’s sake I delay my wrath; (Isaiah 48:9)  God's name is of the utmost importance. 

David knew the significance of preserving the name of the Lord.  He said, "For the sake of your name, O LORD, forgive my iniquity, though it is great." (Psalm 25:11)  David's main concern was for people to link God's name with His qualities: grace, mercy, love, justice, righteousness, holiness, etc.  This was more important to David than his own welfare.

Jesus demonstrated the reverence He held for His Father's name, in what He said after predicting His death to His disciples.  " 'Father, glorify your name!' Then a voice came from heaven, 'I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.' " (John 12:8) God's response speaks to the purpose for all of creation: To lift up the Name of the Creator and sovereign Lord.

How do I treat the name of my God in the way I use it in everyday life?  Do I purposefully act in a way that will bring glory and honor to His name?  Is the integrity of His name even something that crosses my mind?

 Respect

It is easy to fall into a familiar, casual relationship with God.  I have heard people refer to Him as "The Big Guy Upstairs," or to say that, "He's my main man,"  thinking that in their laid-back manner they are showing their love for Him, kind of like a friend.  But God himself never demonstrated that kind of lack of respect for His name, rather He expected a reverence for not just Him, but also His very name. 

It is quite common to casually use God's name in amazement or irritability, almost like a swear word, as in, "Oh my God!"  As my Savior and Creator, the Author of my faith and the Giver of all good things, He deserves so much more than this.  I must guard against falling into the practice of casually uttering His name as if it were common.  The name of God is not common, it is holy, and should be set aside for use in only ways that will make Him look good and show reverence.

It reminds me of my dishes.  I have a set of heirloom china that is only used on special occasions.  I do not use it every day, and when I do bring it out, I treat it more carefully than I do my other dishes.  This is similar to how my attitude should be toward the name of the Lord.  I need to be careful and only use it in ways that will bring glory and honor to Him.

As a bearer of God's image, I need to be mindful of where I go, what I do and how I think.

Honor and Glory

In the Japanese culture, the honor of the family is very important.   Schools, careers and mates are chosen in such a way to reflect well upon the family.  It is the highest goal in society to create a sense of respect and admiration for one's own family name.  

In the same way, I can make it my highest goal to honor and glorify the name of the Lord.  Every decision I make, every step I take, every word I utter, could be with the thought that I can lift up the name of the Lord in these actions! In this way, I will live out the admonition of the apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:31, "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."

Integrity

God is perfect, good and just.  He does not need my help as a PR person to give Him a better reputation in the world.  After all, Jesus clearly warned us that we would be hated for following Him.  The world is the enemy of God because of sin.  I cannot make anyone hold respect and honor for God, only He can change a heart.

What I can do is be constantly concerned for the integrity of the Lord's name in my thought life.  Just as we are exhorted in Philippians 4:8, ". . . whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things,"  I need to be purposeful in what I think about. 

My thoughts easily go to thoughts of worry about the future, finances or friendships.  I can also spend a lot of time thinking about what I'm going to do that day, or I often dwell on past conversations, rehashing them to death, beating myself up for stupid things I said.  

But are these thoughts showing reverence for God, or a complete disregard for Him?  It's easy to say, "Well, we can't think about God 24/7!" but I can focus my thoughts on things that bring glory to His name.

Even though Shakespeare didn't think a name was all that important, God does.  And I can show this same regard in the respectful way I use His name, in how my actions bring honor to His name, and in what I choose to think about.

As I begin this day, I pray that I will honor God's name in the way I speak, act and think.

How do I fritter away my time thinking about trivial things when I could be meditating on God's glorious name?

Where do I have no business going as a bearer of God's image, thus treating His name as common?

* From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, 1600