Day 311

It's been a hectic few months going to Korea, moving out etc etc...and I noticed that my intimate, personal time with God has been lacking as a result. I may have gotten too busy for myself and lost a little focus but I thank God for providing me with some devotionals and good company that sharpens me and helps me reflect on my shortcomings as His servant. If anyone still reads this, please keep me accountable as I'm closing in on my goal of reading the bible in a year. Weird that it's flown by like this but I know that I've grown so much this year and the Word is in me more than ever.

Luke 16-18

The Parable of the Persistent Widow found in chapter 18 really hit me.

¹Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. ²He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. ³And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.'

⁴"For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, 'Even though I don't fear God or care about men, ⁵yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won't eventually wear me out with her coming!' "

⁶And the Lord said, "Listen to what the unjust judge says. ⁷And will not God bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to him day and night? Will he keep putting them off? ⁸I tell you, he will see that they get justice, and quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?"

This text encourages me to pray and not give up just as Jesus had intended it to do. I have tasted how powerful prayer has been in my life and how quickly God answers, but just a few distractions here and there have hindered my prayer life. One verse that portrays the detriment that distractions has to me is Galatians 5:9 "a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough." Am I going to let a few distractions derail the power of prayer in my life?

If anything, in the last month, I've learned what it means to guard my heart more. Without intentional intimate time and prayer to God, I've seen how sinful and needy I am of God's grace. I see glimpses of my old life knocking at my door and it is a harsh wake up call to how powerful sin is. In the end though, I'm reminded of the cross and the hope and restoration it gives me. I pray that I would keep praying, that I would persevere, and that His love would continue to be the thing that gives me purpose in my life.