I was in the kitchen, just making myself a mug of tea. It was a rainy afternoon in May, and I had grand plans to sit under our canopy outside with my hot tea, listening to the rain, and attempt to read Ivanhoe.
But as I was making my tea, I was softly singing the song 'Motions' by Matthew West, and I started to wonder... 'where did I go wrong?' 'What does it mean to go through the motions?'
I started to remember other people saying the same thing, about going through the motions. And for a minute, after remembering how I was never able to get a response to my question of 'what do I do?', I thought: 'oh, well, I'll be the one to actually lay it all out for people who had the same questions I did.'
People always told me, 'oh, you have to be in His word, and spend time with God, and follow Him.' Confused, younger me would then ask, 'but HOW?' I wanted an instruction manual. I wanted specific steps, but then - right after I thought that I could fix that problem for everyone else - I realized that what I was wanting wasn't a relationship with God, it was a religious checklist.
And one thing I had heard a lot growing up, was to not treat your Bible reading and time with God as a thing to just check off our to-do list.
So then, I'm drawn back to my original question/problem. 'How do I not just go through the motions?'
Well, after further thought, I realized that the steps had already been given to us. They were already written down for us to follow.
I know I just said that it shouldn't be a religious checklist, but God, as THE ultimate and ONLY GOD, gave us a list. He tells us how to behave, and how not to behave. He gives us an instruction manual on how He wants us to live, and how He wants us to be walking with Him.
So here is my answer to this...
The motions are just reading the Bible, like you're supposed to. Going to church, like you're supposed to. Tithing, like you're supposed to. Just doing the things that you are supposed to do as a Christian, but that's just the motions. That's just doing the things.
NOT going through the motions, would be to not just reading your Bible, but to be learning from it. Not just praying and thanking God for your day, but listening to Him. Not just going to church, but encouraging others, and learning as iron sharpening iron.
Also, along with the thoughts of following God and the way that He has laid out for us, here comes a SUPER big announcement that I'm really excited to share with y'all!
I wrote a book! This is a small devotional type book called 'Walking the Way'. It talks about all that I have personally experienced about walking in the path that God has laid out for each and every one of us specifically.
At the moment, it is with my proofreader, and I'm really excited to hear what she has to say about it, and fix anything she points out. I don't know for sure when it will be done, but I decided that I can't keep this secret in any longer. :D
The cover, also, is still in progress, but I will definitely be sharing that with you as soon as it is done!
I hope something in this post may have inspired you to look at your walk with God, and see if you're just going through the motions, or if you truly are living for Him, and have a relationship with Him.
Stay safe!
~Jessie
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