trbccoffeebreak

“Let your heart, therefore, be wholly true to the Lord your God, walking in His statues and keeping His commandments.” I Kings 8: 61 (NIV)

Fave thing about Fall for me is baking. Love me some pumpkin muffins, zucchini bread, and apple butter smothered on warm toast sprinkled with cinnamon. Nothing better than cozy food on rainy, chilly days. Sweetest thing is I can substitute the “not so good for me” ingredients with healthy ones and still enjoy the flavors of Fall. Top it all off with your fave latte and it’s got unbelievable written all over it.

Substitutions in life well that’s kind of a different story. A broken down car on a dark country road will welcome an alternative part that gets us moving until a permanent fix can occur. It’s not what we really wanted, but it will work in a crunch. When a sports team goes up against their competition, you can guarantee their first string will be hitting the playing field – no time for substitutions. And the girl whose heart is broken by the love of her life has no intention of settling for less.

Easy to see why substitutions work great in recipes, but they don’t always work well in life. Why? Because replacements simply take the place of an original. They leave us wanting the “real thing” despite their resemblance to what we desired. Replacements rarely evoke the same passion and usually we get discontented real quick.

Love these sweet words from I Kings reminding us that there is no substitution – no replacement for the one whose heart is wholly devoted to her God. King Solomon challenged the Children of Israel to remain faithful and walk in obedience to God’s Words. Settling for less would prove dangerous and unwise for this wandering group of people and the same is true today. It’s so easy to allow other things to dominate our time. Convenient to excuse away truth and compromise convictions. Tempting to pick and chose what parts of His truth we embrace. Much simpler to follow after our own desires because it serves us well in a crunch.

Dividing our hearts –spreading our love for many things – appears balanced. But God longs for those who will be completely devoted to Him. Moving in sync with God’s rhythms and not our own positions us for a life well lived. It removes the tendency to settle for less, easy and desirable. Loving God, walking in His footsteps and obeying His voice is so ever good for us. Can’t go wrong with this winning combination.

“Father, You desire all of us not just the parts we chose to surrender. Cultivate deep within us a desire to obey Your voice and love you deeply with all our heart, soul and mind.”

For His Glory

Janet Martin
TRBC Women’s Life