God does not talk just to talk

Today I attended an out of town church for the first time in a while. I was expecting to be super inspired and uplifted and left feeling a little disappointed. I often times find myself comparing churches to the church I attend in Austin and they just don't seem to measure up.

Today's message was about the elderly and how we are called biblicly to care for the elder. At first thought, I don't have many elderly people in my life that I interact with frequently and thus the message did not hit home. But as I was driving back to Austin a few hours later it really became clear how selfish my mindset was in all of this and how I was failing to see His big picture.

I frequently find myself "judging" church because it does not fit my immediate needs or what I think I need. When it does not jump out and speak directly to my heart in the most obvious ways I often make an excuse, check out mentally, and wait for the next week. But today I realized that God is in control and that He has certain messages and words He wants us to hear, whether we like it or not. We are all part of His grander plan and we must work to remove the selfish thoughts from our mind and center our focus on Him and His call.

Yeah, I don't have a lot of elderly around me every day but could that be because I have not been caring for the elderly like He expects? Maybe that is the exact reason God lead me to that church today. I am sure there are elderly out there that could use my help.

We are constantly wanting God to be on our terms, to meet our expectations and needs. We want Him to tell us exactly what we want to hear and get upset or turn away when He tells us something completely different. We want God to be convenient in our lives and we want our petty problems to be the most important thing in the world. When we aren't jolted out of our seat on Sunday we quickly lose focus and tune out. How disrespectful can we be that when God does not "entertain us", we turn?

The point of this message is not to encourage you to help the elderly (although this is a great thing) but to understand that God is in full control whether we want Him to be or not. Having faith and trusting in Him is the hardest part about walking in Christ and it is so easy for us to close our ears and hear only what we want, when we want. But when God speaks we must listen. If we really give it some thought we realize that the times that God's words are spoken and do not seem relevant, are actually the times we need to go back for a second look. I don't think God talks to us, just to talk. He has something He wants us to hear. An old teacher from middle school used to say "A hint to the wise is sufficient".

"Be very careful, then, how you live--not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is~Ephesians 5:15-17."

#listen
-EC