"Really Stupid"

"And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their souls." (Psalms 106:15)

 For some reason this verse is highlighted in my Bible; which would put that right around the mid-ninety's, when I actually carried a highlighter in my Bible. I am thinking that this is probably one of the most sad verses about our stupidity that I have read in quite a while; it is sad, because it speaks directly into my heart about some of the stupid choices I have made, choosing success in business over ministry and serving the Lord. Not always, but it seemed to have been a pattern, almost like some sort of a revolving door; surrendering to God, serving Him with passion, getting more business, feeling successful, and then serving myself over God. It is not like I had ever planned for it to be that way, it just evolves into some sort of monster that simply consumes what is most important. Really, what is most important? Providing for and caring your family, or neglecting your business to serve the Lord? You see, that is the what the world shows us! That is how things are viewed in the here and now; the, "I need to bury my father," kind of mentality, which is all about the flesh. There are souls at risk of being lost or neglected, and yet we still find ourselves starving the soul and feeding the flesh. To pinpoint this particular matter, I would say it was the quails; that particular time when the children of Israel complained about the manna God was providing for them, six days a week, with double time on the sixth. They became nasty in their attitude towards God, as if God just wanted them to settle for something basic and unexciting; as if what He was giving them became despised in their hearts and minds. You know that phrase, "Be careful what you wish for," well, that is pretty much the issue here; He gave them flesh, they ate and ate, and many of them suffered and even died as a result. You know, there just might have been one phase of that revolving door that I left out, the part about God asking for more. It falls right in between serving Him with passion, and getting more business. There are some things that bless our lives that are not from God, especially those that cause us to become more worldly. Besides, this is a perfect picture of a normal Christian life, one where God's word is simply not enough, especially when the word starts being restrictive and demanding. There is nothing God wants more than to bless our lives to the very fullest, but the blessings He wants to pour out are the ones that fatten our souls, not our flesh...

"He will judge everyone according to what they have done. He will give eternal life to those who keep on doing good, seeking after the glory and honor and immortality that God offers. But he will pour out his anger and wrath on those who life for themselves, who refuse to obey the truth and instead live lives of wickedness. There will be trouble and calamity for everyone who keeps on doing what is evil -for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. But there will be glory and honor and peace from God for all who do good -for the Jew first and also for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism." (Romans 2:6-11) NLT