Sunday…workday or worship day?

Today’s reading is in Nehemiah 13:15
In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food. (Nehemiah 13:15 ESV)

In those days I saw in Judah people treading wine presses on the sabbath…
I know I’m not alone in this. We live today with EVERYTHING at our fingertips. I’m working at the kids’ hockey games, in the car at the stop light, in the midst of getting dinner on the table…I’m working. I set it up this way you know…I always wanted to have a business that would not take away from my kids. S and I worked super hard to keep the kiddos out of day care, and me in the home. But…this is what it has created…as a business owner my business is always there. I get email every day of the week, can edit any time day or night, and have my phone attached to my hip.
I wake up and the first thing i do- before my feet even touch the ground- is check my email. asif something life shattering may have come through in the six hours i was (trying to) rest.
What I’m finding is that-because I can do things at anytime- I DO do things at anytime. I am taking time away from my family and my God because I have no set boundaries for work.
It is so important to take that day off each week, to be in Him. And to be with my family. i have felt myself become increasingly aware of this downfall- and then it got thrown in my face this morning in my reading.
So I’m going to take God’s cue and perhaps even turn my phone off entirely on Sunday’s- just to not have it as a distraction. I need to start working towards setting up boundaries so I can get back to why we worked so hard in the first place to keep my home…FAMILY!

Going Through the Motions

Today’s observation came from Mark 7- here the Pharisees call Jesus out in public…again….and again Jesus looks at them like “duh”. Check it out Mark 7:6-8….

And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written,
“‘This people honors me with their lips,

but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,

teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.” (Mark 7:6-8 ESV)

I’m going to admit something…in doing so I hope I have company in my confession.
Sometimes after having gone to the bathroom- I don’t wash my hands. The sad thing is- I turn on the water as though to wash my hands, sometimes I wet them sometimes I merely stand with my dry hands in the sink. Then I find a towel and proceed to dry my hands. Why do i go throught the pains of all this- why not justnwash my hands right? Trust me when I say I have oft times wondeed this myself. Basically I’m being lazy but I’m too concerned to appear as lazy so I lie instead. I am on a path straight to hell, wouldn’t you agree? I do all this to present the outward appearance that I have indeed been raised with good hygienic practices .
So if I’m shamelessly willing to put forth a falseness that I am always conscientious about hygiene why then would that change when it comes to my being a Christian.
How often do I honor in word and defile in action? I know there is a word for this it’s called hypocrisy (the H word). I don’t like the H word- because in truth we are all hypocrites. When was the last time I told my kids we’d go to the park only to tell them we ran out of time later in the day.. To them that was hypocritical. How bout the time I swore up and down I would not befriend a couple new to our neighborhood because of some small trespass upon first meeting…then they ended up being our greatest neighbors. We are all hypocrites- but am I a hypocrite where it matters most- when it comes to my God? When I find myself praying and studying in secret (turning the water on in the sink) but not sharing with others what I find- that my friends is where I use the towel in this story to proverbially wash my hands of my responsibility of being a hypocrite to my Savior.
I’m going to turn on that water, wash my hands with soap and water, and dry them like I should!
Wish me luck, or better yet hold me accountable 🙂
Ashleigh

Isaac’s Side

 

Genesis 22:8-14 Isaac finds himself atop an altar.

I’ve often wondered about Isaac’s side of the story. Here is a boy that trusts his father implicitly. And asks him in all innocence- Father, where is the offering? And his father says- oh it’s coming…don’t you worry. 
Then he allows his Dad to bind him and place him on the altar. What in the world do think was going through that kids head?! I know the thoughts running thought my head had I been in Isaac’s place….my dads nuts, what am I doing here? What’d I do wrong? But isaac just allowed. What tremendous faith. What is the back story here? What is Isaac’s story? How did this affect his psyche after the fact? Did he distrust? Did he wrestle with his feelings in the depths of the night? Or did God lay it to rest for him? 
Do I trust God with ALL my heart? So much so that I would sacrifice those nearest and dearest to me? Or is that where I draw the proverbial line in the sand?