Good morning! This morning I want to give you one reason why it is so important for us to set aside time each day and give our full attention to our Creator.
When I was in college, I was sharing an apartment with a bunch of guys that played the guitar. They would teach me a few things in between classes and slowly, I began to learn to play the guitar. One thing that was tough besides learning the finger placements, was fighting through the pain of pushing down the strings to play the chords properly. Eventually, callouses built up on my fingers which allowed me to play without feeling the string dig into the tips of my fingers. If I stopped playing for a good length of time, the callouses would go away and I would have to go through the pain of building them back up before I could play comfortably.
While this is good for guitar players to build up callouses on their fingers, we as Christians have to be careful spiritually to not build up callouses on our hearts. If we miss a day of spending time with God, we may say, “It’s ok, I’ll do it tomorrow.”
But then, the next day we sleep past our alarm, get busy working late, run the kids around to their music lessons or sports practices, eat a late dinner, and fall asleep on the couch. Before you know it, a second day has passed without spending time with God.
The more time we allow to pass without spending time with God makes it easier for callouses to be built up on our hearts towards sin. If we are not careful, we can begin that slow fade away from God as we let down our guard and allow sin to have a foothold in our lives.
Paul addresses this in his letter to the Ephesians. He tells them that the unbelievers around them have hardened their hearts and lost all sensitivity to indulge every kind of impurity. BUT, they were to live different having learned about the truth that is in Jesus!
“You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.”
Ephesians 4:22-24
The old self is constantly trying to rise up, and if left unguarded, it will be successful. Putting on the new self begins by making the conscious decision to surrender our lives DAILY to God’s authority and live by the truth in His Word.
Paul continued on to provide the Ephesian believers with practical things they could do to help them live righteous and holy lives.
- Speak Truthfully – Ephesians 4:25
- Don’t Be Controlled By Anger – Ephesians 4:26
- Work Hard To Share With Those In Need – Ephesians 4:28
- Build Others Up, Don’t Tear Others Down – Ephesians 4:29
- Forgive One Another – Ephesians 4:32
The same things can be done by us today to live set apart for God. But these things do not come naturally to the world that teaches us to look out for number one, it will take a renewal of our mind by allowing God’s Word to live in us.
Set aside time today with the purpose of transforming the way you think and live by reading God’s Word and letting it penetrate every area of your life. Do not let your heart become calloused to the destructive nature of sin.
Heavenly Father, thank you for all that You have done! Help us to carve out time each day to sit with You and learn from Your truth. Help us to guard our hearts by applying Your Word to our lives each day to BE TRANSFORMED more into Your likeness! Thank You for Your patience with us when we mess up, and Your kindness that continues to draw us closer to You!
Be Transformed 