Just wanted to throw this out there. I have been reading The Cross Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney. It is really good! It has reminded me of what's truly important. I get so caught up in the day to day stuff, the things I need to accomplish and searching for new answers (from Godly books) to frustrations that I have. But it seems everything I have put my hand to lately has been surrounded with the same message lately, "Just be focused on your relationship with God first." "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligenly to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up." Deuteronomy 6:5-7. I am so worried about teaching my children God's word but I am being reminded that I can only teach others what is impressed upon my own heart. I will only teach them what my heart is being filled up with (And if I teach them things I am not personally doing, they will see through the hypocrisy). Will my words be filled with Christ's love if I am neglecting to spend time with Him? What about my actions? How will they know what He is like? I will write some of the things that have really stirred me up:
"Perhaps the purpose of this book is to restate the obvious, yet oft-neglected, truth of the gospel, to bring it before you one more time. On the other hand, maybe you're thinking, "I already know this truth- I've known it for years." That's good, but let me ask you this:
Is your life cross centered? The symptoms that arise from not being cross centered are easy to spot. Do any of these describe you?
You often lack joy.
You're not consistently growing in spiritual maturity.
Your love for God lacks passion.
You're always looking for some new technique, some "new truth" or new experience that will pull all the pieces of your faith together."
"You need to rediscover the truth that first saved you. The key to joy, to growth, to passion isn't hiding from you. It's right before your eyes. It's the gospel."
"It's important to ask honestly what we're currently building our lives around. Before we can talk about how to live a cross centered life, we have to identify what our life is centered on right now. We're all living lives centered on something. But is it the right thing? So think about this for a moment. What is the main thing in your life? Let me put it another way. What are you most passionate about? What do you think about when you can think about whatever you want? What do you love to talk about? What defines you?"
"Or maybe your main thing is something that's clearly others centered. Maybe it's your ministry, your family. Maybe it's homeschooling, or a cause like the prolife movement. Good things, all, but not the one thing God says should be the most important-the matter of first importance. "I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you," Paul wrote. "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins" (1 Corinthians 15:1, 3). First importance. The Bible tells us that, while there are many different callings and many possible areas of service in the kingdom of God, one transcedent truth should define our lives. One simple truth should motivate our work and affect every part of who we are. Christ died for our sins. If there's anything in life we should be passionate about, it's the gospel. And I don't mean passionate only about sharing it with others. I mean passionate in thinking about it, dwelling on it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the world. Only one thing can be of first importance to each of us. And only the gospel ought to be."
Okay, I know that's a lot but for anyone who stuck with it, I'm also reading Instructing a Child's Heart as well (by Tedd Tripp, author of Shepherding a Child's Heart & his wife) and it is awesome!
"Perhaps the purpose of this book is to restate the obvious, yet oft-neglected, truth of the gospel, to bring it before you one more time. On the other hand, maybe you're thinking, "I already know this truth- I've known it for years." That's good, but let me ask you this:
Is your life cross centered? The symptoms that arise from not being cross centered are easy to spot. Do any of these describe you?
You often lack joy.
You're not consistently growing in spiritual maturity.
Your love for God lacks passion.
You're always looking for some new technique, some "new truth" or new experience that will pull all the pieces of your faith together."
"You need to rediscover the truth that first saved you. The key to joy, to growth, to passion isn't hiding from you. It's right before your eyes. It's the gospel."
"It's important to ask honestly what we're currently building our lives around. Before we can talk about how to live a cross centered life, we have to identify what our life is centered on right now. We're all living lives centered on something. But is it the right thing? So think about this for a moment. What is the main thing in your life? Let me put it another way. What are you most passionate about? What do you think about when you can think about whatever you want? What do you love to talk about? What defines you?"
"Or maybe your main thing is something that's clearly others centered. Maybe it's your ministry, your family. Maybe it's homeschooling, or a cause like the prolife movement. Good things, all, but not the one thing God says should be the most important-the matter of first importance. "I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you," Paul wrote. "For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins" (1 Corinthians 15:1, 3). First importance. The Bible tells us that, while there are many different callings and many possible areas of service in the kingdom of God, one transcedent truth should define our lives. One simple truth should motivate our work and affect every part of who we are. Christ died for our sins. If there's anything in life we should be passionate about, it's the gospel. And I don't mean passionate only about sharing it with others. I mean passionate in thinking about it, dwelling on it, rejoicing in it, allowing it to color the way we look at the world. Only one thing can be of first importance to each of us. And only the gospel ought to be."
Okay, I know that's a lot but for anyone who stuck with it, I'm also reading Instructing a Child's Heart as well (by Tedd Tripp, author of Shepherding a Child's Heart & his wife) and it is awesome!
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