2 posts tagged “discipline”
reflections from ODB "Showing Up" & the passage for today
The really great thing about the devotions from Our Daily Bread is that it breaks it's meaning down in reference to understanding God, Jesus Christ, how to communicate with him that a child can understand. This morning devotion [Showing Up] hit a cord with me this morning. When you pray you have to do it every day, even when you do not feel like it. You have to keep that line of communication open with God because if you don't you find yourself making excuse after excuse not to pray. If you don't do this then you begin to treat our Lord and Savior like a "genie in a bottle going to him only in emergencies.
That is what I have been doing and I'm being honest with myself. I have allowed myself to think of God's word as a chore and not a pleasure and that is so wrong. What he has done for me I can't begin to measure and at times when reading the devotions and God's word I find myself struggling to read it and sometimes feel myself rushing through Bible and that is not right. It's amazing how I have become so lazy in reference to reading His word because when I am really honest with myself I find so much peace when reading God's word, applying His word but yet many times I do not feel like doing it. There is no excuse for me NOT to do this and from this day forth I have to hold myself accountable for my action. I can't use the excuse of not reading because I'm too busy. As a person told me years ago. You and Bill Gates have the same amount of time in the day (24 hours)...it's what you do with them is what counts".
As the writer in the devotion from today says,
"The writer Nancy Mairs says she attends church in the same spirit she goes to her desk every morning to write, so that if an idea comes she’ll be there to receive it. I approach prayer the same way. I keep on whether it feels like I am profiting or not. I show up in hopes of getting to know God better, perhaps hearing from Him in ways accessible only through solitude."
Today is that day for me. I will go to bed at the proper time, spend time with God, write when I feel like it or not. I have to put things in order because if I want to be my best, if I want to know the will of God for my life, I have to use the tools that have been blessed with because it is so true...if you don't use them, you will lose them.
Be Blessed, Be Safe, &
Have a Wonderful Sunday.
Great podcast to check out today: Thru The Bible Q&A w/J. Vernon McGee
Last night after the 2nd gig I got home around 9:30pm or so and that was pretty good. I waited until the Mrs. got home before I got comfy. Once she got home there was no excuse for me not to go to bed but I stayed up until close to midnight...that's not good for so many reasons.
I need to get into the habit of once I get home from work, I need to hop in the shower then head to bed because next month school will start and I need to really get my head in the game in reference to school and I need no distractions. I have already noted to myself that my internet usage will come to a crawl doing the week. I can go right to sleep with the radio on (I mostly listen to BOTT Radio Network...I like to go to bed with something positive, I can't understand how people can watch the news [except the Weather Channel...love that channel especially with cool jazz music they play from time to time] with all that negativity going in their brain. As long as it's talk radio I'm cool, but if the television is on, that's no good to me.
Even though I have seen a program a ga-zillion times but I still try to watch it. I know I shouldn't but I do it ALL the time. I know I have to tighten this up because I can not have this bad habit because last cluster it was the act of God that I receive a good grade and this year I am NOT going to bring those bad habits because I will have no room to spare. My geek sis Jen gave me a great idea that I should record as many podcasts and released them gradually through the months I am busy [that is why she is my sister from another mother ^-~].
Last night at the second job a couple of things happened to me, one situation that I need improvement on and one situation I found humorous. When cleaning restrooms and since I have been cleaning off and on for over 15 years I have come to realize some people in corporate America is just nasty. What really gets under my goat is that when I'm cleaning the women's restroom...and I have the door propped open (which means "I am cleaning in hear") women still try and come in (and it's not that there are not other restrooms in the building...I'm the the 2nd floor...they can go one floor down and use the restroom) that get's under my skin. What makes it worse is when they try and pretend that they are sorry or use excuses not just take the elevator just ONE floor down and go to that restroom. Two women came in the restroom yesterday and told me I didn't have to leave because they were just going to "freshing up"...I still left. 1. These are women and I am a man, 2. these are women and I am a Black man (I don't have time to be catching a case for nonsense). I am asking God to help me with my attitude when it comes to this because hey, that's going to happen from time to time.
The other funny incident that happen last night was is that cupcakes were left from a meeting so I took one and placed it into the frige where I clean the office. Later in the day I went back in to begin cleaning and one of the employees for the company came in to do some late night work. As I a saw him walk away I noticed something in his hand that looked like a "cup cake". I went to the refrigerator to look and low and behold it was the cup cake I put in the frige...HE TOOK IT! ^_^ ^_^ All I could do was laugh. I guess that was God's way of telling I really didn't need the cup cake after all and to be hones from the looks of him, he really did not need the cup cake (but he has the corner office so I guess he's the head guy). Whatchagonnado?
Overall last night as always was a great night for me because I did not listen to my iPod until close to leaving...that was my alone time with talking and listening to my Heavenly Father. Some nights it's good to hear your own thoughts. Tonight I will try and do better when I get home...get home/hop in the shower/check my music blog/check plurk and twitter/head to bed.
Keep my lifted up in prayer. ^_~
