Put it Away!
Teaching my kids to do things (especially in being self-reliant) is like herding cats: they’re independent, they don’t listen, and they all want to go their own way and do their own things. This is never more apparent than when they are told to clean the room all four share together. They start with the best intentions (even fight over who’s not working versus who’s distracted by who’s not working), but usually end up getting distracted by toys, each other, games they’re making, or who’s annoying who. What should take, at most, 30 minutes, can take all day. They start off with the best intentions, but finishing loses its priority. When they get distracted, I often have to yell “Put that away! I told you to clean it up, not play with it!”
How often are we all like this? If we’re to consider the intentions of our hearts, we all want to do good, we all want to do right, many of us desire to be closer to God, but we get distracted by little things, and miss the boat! To bring this to a Spiritual sense, how often do we intend to get in to God’s word, and pursue our relationship with Him, but let the distractions pull us away? Intentions don’t amount to anything if they’re not followed through with. In following Jesus, we either have to put up or shut up. There’s no “follow Jesus in this part of my life, and use this part for myself.” Wasn’t that the sin of Ananias and Sapphira when they tried proclaiming they gave all to God, and kept some for themselves? (By the way, it wasn’t a sin to hold back anything for themselves, it was a sin to lie to God and His people that they gave it all!)
What is keeping you from that fullness with God? Put it away. What is distracting you constantly every time you try and sit down with the Lord? Put it away. Do you set aside time to be with the Lord, or is He merely a part of your plans? Put that away too. There is nothing more important in life than your relationship with God. If something is getting in the middle of that, put it away, and watch how the Lord seems closer!
1 Corinthians 10:6-22
Now these things took place as examples for us, that we might not desire evil as they did. Do not be idolaters as some of them were; as it is written, “The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.” We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in a single day. We must not put Christ to the test, as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible people; judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not a participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread. Consider the people of Israel: are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? What do I imply then? That food offered to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Shall we provoke the Lord to jealousy? Are we stronger than he?
