Thursday, August 19, 2010

Do you REALLY want it?!

The other day my sister and I decided to stop at the Cracker Barrel store connected to the resturaunt and just have a look around. I LOVE this store!!! It is filled soooo many fun and interesting things. Its has EVRYTHING from awwwwww that sooooo adorable to OMW what in the world is THAT?!?! LOL Sooooooo as we're browsing around, I somehow find myself by the candy shelves. ( I know shockin RIGHT?!;) As I am lookin I see the COOLEST thing EVER!!! It is this cute little skittle wand, that lights up and flashes in multi-colors and then in the bottom of it you can store your skittles. SOOOOOO CUTE!!! ( I really wanted it for myself!!) Soooo i call my neice over and I am like, "MJ!!! Check this out!!!" So MJ sees it and gets like ALL excited!!! She like does a twirl, claps her hands, bouncing around and like SQEALS with delight!!! 

Then she calls across the little store to my sister, "MOM!!! Can I get this?!?!" (She knows BETTER than to ask Aunt Mary for money!!! HAHAHA!!!) My sister comes over, looks at the price, then proceeds to ask MJ if she REALLY wants it?! She says, YES!!! So my sis is like, "okaaaaay! You have three dollars in your wallet from birthday money, if you want to use THAT money to buy this skittle wand, you can. Thats fine!" MJ just stares at her mom with this totally SHOCKED look on her face, her mouth hanging open! THEN she says, "MY MONEY?!?!?" My sis is like, "YES! If you REALLY want it, you can use YOUR money!" MJ looks at her wallet, then the wand, then her wallet again, and she just puts the skittle wand back on the shelf and walks away...FORGET IT!!! She liked the wand, BUT not quite enough to spend her own money on it. My sister's money...sure!!!! BUT NOT HERS!!! 

I think that sometimes thats how we are about the things of God. There are things in our lives that we long for sooooooooo much! A closer walk with God! To really KNOW him! To be a prayer warrior.To know the word of God. The ability debate scriptures. To be a witness. To be an effective Sunday School teacher. To be able to teach bible studies. To stand for truth. To bring the lost to Christ. To have the annointing of God on our lives. We tell God that we want it...BUT then we're SHOCKED, when it's OUR heart, fully surrendered to God, that we have to pay with.

I practically flew up to the alter the last night of Heritage this past year. I felt the passion, the desire  soooo strong. My heart was soooo heavy. I couldn't stop the tears from flowing and the aching sobs from the bottom of my soul. I FELT IT!!! I REALLY DID! I saw it and oh how I soooo desired it....BUT NOW I am home AND now its time to PAY THE PRICE!!!

Do I want God to use me?! My mamma can't pay the price for me! My pastor can't pay the price for me! My friends can't pay the price for me!!! It's up to ME!!! Do I REALLY want it?! It means getting up early and praying when I don't feel like it! It means staying up later and reading the Bible when all I wanna do is go TO SLEEP!!! It means choosing the Bible over other books. It means getting to church on time for prayer! It means outreach instead of parties. It means loving the unloveable. It means intercession in prayer. There is a price...

We hear about all these things, revial, souls, annointing...BUT do we REALLY want them. We go to conferences and we hear the preacher talk about reaching the lost. We hear the preacher talk about recieving the annointing of God on our life. We hear him talk about being used of God. BUT ARE WE REALLY willing to pay the price to obtain those things?

Are we willing to pay with our time? Are we willing use our gas to pick someone up across town for church? Are we willing to get our things a little messed up? Drive a van load of noisy kids? Getting headaches? Are we willing to MAKE time in our schedules to teach a bible study? Are we willing to get up early and stay up late? To pray until we break through? To memorize scripture? To prepare lessons? To study God's word. It means reaching out, reaching out, reaching out, reaching out. reaching out... To be a student...to be taught. Less time on the phone, texting, instant messaging, emailin, etc...ULITMATELY...it means to choose the the things of God first!

Will we just look at it in delight, do our skittle-wand squeal at the alter, then walk away, SHOCKED, when it's time to pay?! Or will we make up our minds? IT's WORTH IT!!! I know its going to cost me BUT...I'll pay the PRICE!!!

It's early in the morning. AND I do NOT want to get up. I could sleep for another hour...yeah..thats what I think I'll do...but then I remember the tears and I can hear the words of the preacher booming through the microphone, they're saying, DO YOU REALLY WANT IT?!?! Then GET IT YOURSELF!!! AND sooooooo I have to choose...

THINK ABOUT IT!!!