STRONG ATTRACTION
September 14, 2018
Prayer: Lord, please make me learn to stay close.
Scripture: Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. James 4:8 NAS
The magnet on the refrigerator strongly held up the beautiful photo of the mountains. Then, it held up the photo and the picture my daughter had drawn of the photo. Then, it held the photo, the picture and a note from my son. Soon, it started sliding down the door of the refrigerator as it tried to hold the photo, the picture, the note, and the list of phone numbers for the sitter.
The more we put between it and the refrigerator the lower it slid down the door until one morning when I went to get milk for my coffee and I found the photo, the picture, the note, the list, a newly added cartoon from the newspaper and the magnet were scattered all over the kitchen floor. What was wrong? Had the magnet lost its magnetism? Had my refrigerator turned into plastic and was no longer attracting the magnet? Of course not, we had simply put too many things between the magnet and the refrigerator.
It did get me thinking however about my attraction to God and His will for me. I thought about the times that I am most focused on Him, feeling so close and connected. Then, I thought about the times I felt distance between us as I slid down a path that I had chosen. I looked at how I had picked up responsibilities and commitments that He had not ordained.
I thought about all the things I agreed to help with that I ended up being in charge of or even the only one who ended up doing the whole project. These things took away a lot of my time and focus from my prayer, Bible study, and ministry. As I put things between God and me I lost the strength of the attraction just like that poor over worked magnet on my refrigerator.
Do any of you feel like that magnet today? Are you clinging to the top of the refrigerator by a prayer or have you already started sinking? Have any of you already hit the floor with things scattered all around you? How does this happen? We did not put all of that stuff under the magnet at once, it accumulated. Can you relate? I never thought one more thing would cause it to come crashing down.
When we add one more thing, and then one more thing, it may not seem like much at the time. But soon we look at our calendars or get that tightness in our chest or catch ourselves getting home later and later, while growing more and more tired.
We skip church, miss prayer meeting, dread coming to work, and begin agonizing over everything we have to get done or are behind on getting done. What is filling the space between you and God and His will for you? Is there something you could eliminate? Are there several things that you could toss out? Is it just time to make sure you do not pick up one more thing? Why is it so difficult for us to say, “No?” My prayer for you is that you would maintain a strong attraction to God.
Copyright Kathy Branzell. Email [email protected]