A lot to think about this week; a lot of reflecting on things I do and those I don’t do enough. I’ve been reading Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, a little required reading for school that has led me to think about my own spiritual discipline – or lack there of – perhaps more than I’d like. In the book Foster explains the only way to truly experience spiritual growth is to adopt and apply spiritual disciplines; things like prayer, study, fasting, meditation, service, submission etc. These all sound great, and I hope to adopt a few, if not all of them by the time I finish the book; but I have to be honest with myself. These are all things I know I’ve needed for quite some time. Why do I believe a book will suddenly lead me to turn off the TV? Why do I believe a book will lift me off the couch for a time of prayer or study? It’s not the not knowing that has kept me from these things. It’s not the not caring either, I know I care. Perhaps it’s the not understanding, not understanding how much God loves us and wants from us.
Then again, maybe I’m just selfish.
It all makes me think about the Ten Commandments. I often overlook the ten commandments because – for the most part – they seem so simple to follow. Don’t murder. Ok, yeah…I got that one. Remember the Sabbath. Got that. Don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t make idols. Check, Check, Check. Don’t have any other gods before Me. Ch…eck? Maybe not. Shall I assume what the Lord feels is a god? I suppose anything that takes precedence over time spent with Him would qualify. So if I fail to spend time in prayer tonight because I decided to watch American Idol, I mean Lost – definitely Lost, does that mean TV has become a god above God? I hate to admit it, but probably so.
I don’t believe God feels TV shows are the devil, but if I place it above time spent with the Lord it must be considered a god above Him. Same with the gym, sports, anything else I decide to do instead of spending time in prayer or study. And the funny thing is, it’s not like taking ten to twenty minutes to pray and seek the Lord is going to take up my whole night and leave me with no time for anything else. But alas, sometimes it’s the thing I never get to. The thing I think about before I go to bed and wish I had more time in the day to do…the thing I need to re-prioritize, so I can maybe – just maybe – check that one off the list as well.
