365 Days with God - Day 10

I'm giving myself a challenge. Read the Bible each day for a whole year, following the ESV Study Guide 1-year plan. Each day, I will post whatever God has revealed to me in His Word, and how it is changing me. A friend of mine once said that nothing has changed her life as much as reading the bible each day - and I'm excited for how this will change me. Join me on an adventure into the heart of God - and day by day, we can learn more about who He is and what that means to us!

- Andy Catts

Day 10, December 30, 2013

Readings: Psalm 9, Genesis 9:20-29, Genesis 10:1-32, 1 Chronicles 10, Luke 6:1-49

Technology has brought us an unprecedented level of personal communication. Call, text, tweet, email and more. If you're connected, there are infinite ways to get your word across. As a result, there are nearly an infinite number of people willing to share their views. Willing to share their advice, on every subject under the sun.

Some are good, some are not. Who will you listen to? More importantly, whose advice will you act on? For it's not the listening that is the danger, it's the action. If we act on bad advice, if we base our well being or the well being of others on something that is not solid, we are responsible for putting our faith and trust in something that cannot stand.

This also applies to actions we take based on something that we value. Too many things, which are good, become ultimate things. And so we take action on our ultimate things. We put our job, family, security, prestige and time above all else - and ultimately, it fails us. Our job doesn't satisfy, our family makes mistakes, we lose our savings, someone else gets the glory, and we never have enough time.

God calls us to something different. And it's really important. More important than anything else. And the beauty of it is, it's meant to be the ultimate thing. It's the only thing that can handle our dependence and deliver, 100% of the time. It's God. He's the ultimate - and He's calling us to serve Him in that way. Two passages stuck out to me today:

So Saul died for his breach of faith. He broke faith with the LORD in that he did not keep the command of the LORD, and also consulted a medium, seeking guidance. He did not seek guidance from the LORD. Therefore the LORD put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse. (1st Chronicles 10:13-14)

"Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and do not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." (Luke 6:46-49)

Jesus is the ultimate thing, the Lord we are called to follow. When storms come and break against him, he will not falter. If I asked you to name ways right now that the things you value could fail - you could easily name 5 or more weak spots. Jesus has none. My job has many. My family has many. My security has many. Jesus has none. He is the one I need to rely on, depend upon, call on for guidance. My actions should rely entirely upon him. Not because of the wrath that he would bring to bear upon me if I didn't. But because he is the only deserving, only capable, only reliable source.