Welcome Friends
I am always grateful for your time of joining me on my journey
of growth and maturity in the Lord.
As I grow and learn, I pray for you as well
If you are a fan of the tv series The Chosen,
then you are very familiar with this scene from Season 2, Episode 3
Heads up-it is 6 minutes long, I could have made it shorter,
but I wanted to share the full scene to capture the full emotion of it.
In this episode,
Jesus spends a long day healing people, while the disciples gather around a campfire, sharing their personal stories and engaging in discussions.
Tensions rise, particularly between Simon Peter and Matthew, leading to an argument. As their disagreement intensifies,
Jesus returns to the camp exhausted from His day’s work and silently heads to His tent.
His weary appearance and unspoken demeanor leave the disciples feeling ashamed of their argumentative behavior.
**please note this is not an actual scene of bible but the bible does talk about in scripture
moments when Jesus sought solitude due to physical or emotional fatigue
moments when the disciples were humbled, rebuked, or felt convicted after Jesus’ actions or words
This scene left me in tears with a deep conviction in my own heart.
Remembering the past and all the petty arguments I had been involved in.
Remembering Jesus on the cross and what He had sacrificed for me.
I felt just as the discipled did, my head hung in deep shame
As believers in the Lord, this is not an example of who we are called to be.
In no way, shape or form am I not supposed to act this act, I have no excuse
and it is not honoring or pleasing to the Lord.
Romans 1:21-for even though they knew God, they did not honor Him
I was a fool— stumbling and falling more often than I’d like to admit
God gave me the truth and I shut it off,
As a believer, I have a conscience-I know the morals of right and wrong.
I’ve missed the mark countless times over the years
This past week, I have been having issues with my laptop going to sleep when I would walk away for a few moments,
even though it is set to not sleep until the lid is closed.
This reminded of my past and how I was living.
I was not actively seeking God and I would go into sleep mode, then wake up, back into sleep mode, then wake up
Just Like my laptop needed adjustments to stay awake, I realized my heart needed adjustments as well
and set to always stay awake.
This brings me back to the disciples sitting around the campfire arguing and then stop
arguing as soon as they see Jesus.
Why are we sitting around the campfire like the disciples arguing and not
encouraging and building one another us?
Romans 1:12- is a verse of a letter written by Apostle Paul to all those in Rome who love God the Father
and the Lord Jesus Christ. Paul could not wait to return to them and longed to see them again.
He wanted to be with them and be encouraged together by their faith and his faith together.
We all long for that deep, unconditional love and encouragement when we’re together
We can’t achieve that kind of a relationship by drifting in and out of sleep mode.
We need to keep our laptop aka our hearts wide awake, constantly connected to the Lord
It’s about growing and maturing in Him every single day.
It’s about the Holy Spirit stirring up our hearts, convicting us, and transforming our life.
Stay alert, stay present, and allow God to shape you into the person He created you to be
It’s not too late to wake up and reconnect with God.
He’s always ready to meet you where you are.
God desires a relationship where we’re engaged with Him daily, not sleeping on and off.
I wanted more than just a surface level relationship with Him
I desired a deeper more intimate walk with Him
It is no one’s job but my own to achieve this
I invite each of us today to take a moment and reflect on the state of our hearts.
Are they fully awake and tuned to God, or do they need an adjustment?
How is your walk with the Lord right now?
Are you seeking Him intentionally every day, inviting Him into your choices and decisions?
Do you ask Him to reveal areas where you need to grow,
trusting His guidance to change your direction and shape your life?
Do you pray daily for hearts open to His conviction,
knowing it’s through that refining process that we mature and become who He calls us to be
How are your relationship?
Through my own refining process- growing and maturing in walk with the Lord
I have no desire to have relationships where we sit around our campfire and engage
in a manner that dishonors the Lord. It is shameful
Jesus suffered a horrible death for me and how did I show my honor to Him?
I am done with that life.
I thank the Lord that He change the setting of my heart but only after I truly humbled
before Him
Let’s follow Paul’s example and long to be together with one another
to share our faith and encourage one another and build His kingdom.
Change starts first within ourselves.
or we can choose to follow the example of the disciples on –the chosen series
Sit around the campfire pointing fingers and blaming the other person
and not care that are actions dishonoring the Lord
1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up,
just as in fact you are doing.”
Heaven Father,
Thank you for my new life with a new heart.
I pray for those who have accepted You as their Lord and Savior
but just have a surface level relationship with You as I once had.
I pray that You wake them up and see that there is more to life
than sitting around a campfire arguing over petty things
as we are called to be so much more.
Jesus did not suffer a horrible death so we could live our own life
anyway we please to live.
I pray for the Holy Spirit to convict not only my own heart but others as well
each and every day to bring our sins to the surface so we can have
the opportunity to change our direction and change our path
to a life that honors You.
In Jesus’ name I pray
Amen
Join me today and let’s start by changing ourselves first so we can change
the world around us.
https://echosofmyfootsteps.com
