April 20-23

Well...a computer crash, an out of town Joyce Meyer conf and getting sick all add up to getting behind. Luckily the reading is not deep. But that certainly does not mean it is not important. I've been thinking a lot about David. He must have had thousands of kingly duties to attend to and things to worry about. But he chose for his focus to be God. Even though he made serious mistakes, when he realized, he got right back at it. And just think- because of his faithfullness, we can be comforted as people have been for thousands of years by these beautful Psalms. Don't skim them.....or if you do skim some, find one part that really speaks to you and read it over and over and over and think about it.

At the Joyce Meyer conference, she talked about really knowing God. If you wait to really know God until a time in your life when you are desperate, you will miss out on a lot of happiness. I know that I didn't get serious about knowing God until about 3 years ago. I pruned out almost everything in life but God. I went on an 'elimination diet' (remember like with allergies,they have you quit eating everything and then start adding things one by one). I did this because of a family crisis that I didn't think we would get through any other way. Now the crisis is over and I have gotten to know God so well that I have completely lost my 'appetite' for everything else. I can't say that I have no entertainment in my life- I do. But on this side of it I can now see how most americans LIVE for entertainment- sports, TV, movies, recreation...it is their LIFE. Nothing wrong with any of it if you do it for the Lord. Many in these areas use this as their platform to witness and get to know people. But it can't be you LIFE. God has to be you LIFE. 

I had the feeling at the conference that a lot of people were taking note, listening and maybe even trying to figure out how to give God a "bigger part" of their life. You won't ever really, really get it until God IS your LIFE. Really listen to the words of the Psalms.......God was David's LIFE!!

As a side note, I wondered what the harp was like that David played. It seems to be agreed that it was not really a harp, but lyre. Here is a picture.