My Calender |
*It leaves no room for me to spend the time with Him. (The daily quiet time that I desperately want to spend with Him.) *It also leaves little room for Him to work through my life. (If I am rushing to and fro, I may not hear the Holy Spirit tell me to do something for someone else.) *It leaves little quiet space in my life for me to hear from Him as I desire. (It is too loud in my life to hear the quiet, still voice of God.) Yes, filling the calender as I have is not a point of bragging rights for me at all! Even if the things on my calendar are pretty great events.
Events that include mission trips, camps, kids activities, bible studies, volunteering, foster care, church events, appointments, etc. All good things. Still, none of which I can take any credit for. Jesus is the only thing good in me.
I must do all things with Him and I can do nothing without Him.
He is the source of my strength and life. I would not have a life to fill it if not for Him. So, no, I take no pride in my calendar looking as it does. It is just proof of the abundant provisions and blessings He has given.
And just as He gave 1 day's worth of manna to the Isrealites each morning in the desert, He will, today, give just what we need to get through the day. Not a gram more or less that we need or can handle. And whenever it feels like it might not be the right amount, He wants us to turn to Him for strength.
We can proclaim His name for strength by saying, "Praise the Lord! Praise theLord! Praise the Lord!", "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus!" or "Blessed be the name of the Lord!". In this way we are proclaiming His name with our voice and heart to invite Him into our lives. God gave the name of Jesus power and distinction so Christians may call upon that name at any time.
Praise and worship invites God into our immediate circumstances.
There is no one I want to experience life's circumstances with than the Life-Giver Himself! I will proclaim His name in this good and bad times. In the overwhelmed and white-space times. In the fulfilled and broken times. In the busy and lonely times. Any time, really.
Take some time today and look up "the name of Jesus" in your study Bible or a Bible web site and see what God's Word has to say about His name. Big Daddy Weave lyrics to The Only Name say it well, too:
There will be one name that I proclaim!
Jesus! Jesus! Jesus, just that name!