Milk for the Soul

"As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 2 Peter 2: 2-3.

I read this verse yesterday and it has caused me to ponder how I desire God and how I should desire Him. Having a baby definitely puts a whole new light on everything and being able to watch him has given me a new perspective on verses like this one. As I read this verse I began to think about how my little man desires milk and tried to draw some parallels on my walk with God and my desire for the Word. My little man not only desires milk for comfort but also for his very existence. As he feeds off of milk, he grows and develops, it gives him the healthy benefits that he needs and he also receives comfort and warmth from it. When he is hungry there is no holding him back! If he can't get his milk, we know about it! When he eats, he is not distant from me, but rather he talks to me, makes eye contact and snuggles in as close as possible. He enjoys his milk. He knows that his momma is the source of his milk. He desires to stay as close to me as possible and have me with him everywhere he goes. I wonder if this describes my desire for God and His Word. Our babies taste and know that milk is good and hence crave it. Have we tasted of the Lords goodness?

Safety of our Souls

I have been pondering of late the safety of my loved ones. I tend to fear for their physical safety often and find myself praying frequently that God would keep them safe. I was thinking about how my most often uttered prayer for them is their physical safety and I began wondering if this was a properly balanced plee. I decided to first investigate the Psalms out of curiosity on the direction of David's prayers. I noticed that he did pray for physical safety, but his greatest pleas for safety was for the protection of his soul. I know that our prayers are the overflow of our hearts and I began to wonder what this implied David's focus was. I wonder that if I truly believe in my deepest heart that God works all things for good and that He has all my days written than should I be fearing for mine and my loved ones physical safety? Yes, I should use all wisdom and discernment to keep us safe and yes, I should pray for protection, but should I be in constant fear, consistently pleading for safety or should I trust in the almighty and sovereign hand of the God who loves me?

I also began to wonder if it is all in my perspective. If my perspective is eternal than I would consistently realize that the safety of our souls is of the highest importance. If my focus is earthly, I tend to forget what is of the greatest significance.

Perhaps my responsibility in keeping myself and my loved ones safe does not solely lie in our physical safety but rather, I should be putting just as much significance on our eternal safety if not more. If my child is physically safe sitting in front of the TV while I work does it make it alright if I am introducing his little soul to things that do not honor God? We put so much effort and thought into the protection of our bodies that we think as long as we are physically safe we can relax and in doing so we sacrifice our souls and our childrens' by our apathy. From an earthly perspective as long as our children are physically well we have done our duty, but is that truly fulfilling our responsibility from a godly, eternal perspecive? We think if our child is physically safe in a group of kids that we can be free from worry, but do we question what they are learning spiritually in that group? Perhaps my prayers and heart should take a new direction. Perhaps my prayer today should be for safety of body, but also with David I should say, "Deliver me from the workers of iniquity, and save me from bloody men. For, lo, they lie in wait for my soul:" Psalm 59:2-3a

Impulsive Expressions of Love

A few days ago my husband and I were sitting together in our house when out of the blue Mike leaned over, kissed my cheek and told me how grateful he is for me and that he thinks I am a great wife and mother. I got those typical warm tingly feelings that run through your frame when someone you love and respect gives you a compliment that you know came from the heart. I began pondering why that compliment meant so much and I realised that one reason was that it was an impulsive expression of love. I began translating that into my walk with the Lord and I began to wonder how many impulsive expressions of love I send His way. We all have our expected expressions; good-night kisses, hugs when we are hurt, greetings and good-byes. In our walk with the Lord perhaps it would be prayers before bed, daily Bible reading, going to church. I wonder though if these mean as much as a random out of the blue prayer of thanks, a choice to do what's right out of love for Him, singing God a love song. I know that God wants our regular devotion, but what about our adoring affection?

Whether we realize it or not, every decision, every action, every word is an expression of our heart. Every impulsive word or act proves where our hearts affections lie. Are our own selves the recipient of the impulsive expressions of our love? Or is it obvious that God is the object of our adoration and the one occupying the throne of our hearts? I wonder at the end of today who the composition of my heart will be praising.