"Arise and Eat."

Can you tell I've had a bad month? How, because I haven't written a post for a whole month.  Well, we all have excuses for not doing things. They are usually pretty good excuses too, like falling down the stairs or getting sick.  But when it comes right down to the nitty gritty, we all do what we want to do.  In my case I didn't feel like writing something spiritual on my blog because I felt BLAH!  I think it goes in cycles with me: on a roll and doing well, become distracted with daily troubles, get discouraged by attack of the enemy, fall into the doldrums where everything can wait, then depressed where nothing is actually bad, but everything is seen that way. Go figure.

So, what is one of the first thing that slips when you are doing well?  Bible reading or devotions.  I love the children's song that says, "Neglect your Bible, forget to pray and you'll shrink, shrink, shrink, BUT read your Bible, pray everyday and you'll grow, grow, grow."  So simple.  Why is it so hard?  well, I know for one thing, the enemy wants to keep Christians from being effective.  Also, I think that many of our generation lack discipline and structure; I know I do.  However, how do we overcome?  How do we, as Christians, get past ourselves and get to the Lord?  I'll tell you my own experience.

I am going along, day by day, unmotivated and miserable, knowing that I am not right.  I pray that the Lord would help me to get over myself and to forgive me for my failures and sin.  He helps me when I pray.  Well, duh, I say to myself.  When I don't read the Word for myself, the Lord lovingly gives it to me in church.  You know that chastening thing He does.  I am so grateful that the Lord chastens us so softly and gently!  The message was about Elijah and when he was having a pity party under the juniper tree. Sometimes the big evergreen tree beside our house looks a lot like a juniper tree!  When we get our eyes off of the Lord God and onto ourselves it is always depressing!  After the Lord let Elijah rest, He sent a angel to him with some breakfast and said, "Arise and eat."  So, I left thanking the Lord for showing me that, yes, He has dealt with people like me before.  I was encouraged, but unbeknowst to me, I still didn't get it.  Until I woke up this morning at 3:30 am with an upset stomach.  As I was in the thinking room, I was thinking of writing on this blog and it hit me,

"Arise and Eat!"

Oh, right, now I get it!  Get up and read my Bible!  Arise and feast on the Bread of Heaven.  So simple.  Sometimes I make things harder than they really are.