"Real Power" -2

"Fill their faces with shame; that they may seek thy name, O LORD." (Psalms 83:16) Beyond all of this, there is something new and glorious; this is what we must look towards, there is no turning back. If you can see yourself there, it makes the journey so much more pleasant and takes a whole heck of a lot of worry out of your otherwise worrisome life. I know Jesus said for us to take no thought over this and that, but let's be honest, when the bill is due and you don't have the money, you can't help but give it a little thought. I tend to think that we complicate things more than we should by the lifestyle we make for ourselves. Too much stuff to take care of, and too many toys to pay off; all of it makes our lives more complicated, and the more complicated our life is, the less time we spend with the Lord. Having said that, I also believe that should have some fun; don't ask me why, but there are three things I can do by myself and still have fun doing: golf, bike riding, and snowboarding. I don't know how to explain it, but those three things always seem better done by myself. Not that I don't enjoy doing them with friends and relatives, because I do; but I always have to adjust my skill level or performance to their level or performance, which just gets frustrating; and bring frustrated is not fun. Don't ask me why I even brought that up, except I woke up to a dream about trying to go on a bike ride with three friends, all of which had a different route they wanted to take; all of which had something to do before going on the ride. By the time we actually started the ride, I was already done riding. Between gathering items needed, like helmets, gloves, and even shoes, when it came time to actually start the ride, I was done and no longer interested. Is it something worth sharing? I think so. Our relationship with the Lord has got to be personal! I might not be able to properly express things the way that I should, but this one thing I know, relationships matter! My relationship with God is not based upon how well I do this or that, but it is based upon the fact that He loves me and He wants to spend time with me. Think about what I am trying to say, because it matters how we prioritize our time with God and with those that we love...
"Now I sing a song for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He plowed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter. Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes? Now let me tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will tear down its hedges and let it be destroyed. I will break down its walls and let the animals trample it. I will make it a wild place where the vines are not pruned and the ground is not hoed, a place overgrown with briers and thorns. I will command the clouds to drop no rain on it. The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the LORD of Heaven's Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence." (Isaiah 5:1-7) NLT