1 part identifying which God you are going to love with all your heart.
3 parts Surrender
= a Life pleasing to God.
Sound easy? I don't think so. Last week I said 2 parts surrender - your past and your future. Today - there is a third surrender. What else is there you ask? What doesn't fit in the past or the future? How about - YOUR substitutes. What? What substitutes.
You know what I mean - all those things you have that you keep putting in the place of God - or in the way of your following him.
Let's make a short list of what those substitutes could be:
your job
your cash flow
your heritage
your home
your addiction - (food, drugs, alcohol, etc....)
your church (yes)
You can make this list as long as you want. But the fact of the matter is there is an endless number of possiblitites. Anything you can put the word "your" or "my" in front of can become a substitute for the real thing. It is the dilemma of the rich young ruler. Hungry for more real food we reach for anthing we can get to our mouth - to our soul - but if we have too much to choose from we will never surrender - anything of real value.
Here is the reality: no matter who we say we worship - we really worship what we believe deep down gives us life. How do we know? How do we know what we are really worshiping? Here are places to look:
Where do you spend your time?
Your money?
What do you feel you can't live without?
Where do you turn when you are frustrated or empty?
If you are thirsty for the water of life - you have to go to the ever-living spring. (Jeremiah 2:10-13) And you have to surrender everything that gets in the way.
Keep taking the steps!
Pastor David
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