No Substitute

Sometimes we can look at the outside of a person – or the outside of oruselves and think we’re doing okay, when in fact we’re acting a bit loveless. My heart in posting this ISNT so that we feel condemened or inferior or inqdeuqte but that we remember what the main thing is as christians – loving God.

• reading books about the Bible/God is no substitute for reading the Bible
• talking about God is no substitute for talking to God
• having friends who go deep in God is no substitute for going deep in God yourself
• planning lots of fasting days and huge chunks of set-aside prayer time etcetc… but always intending yet never actually doing… is no substitute for being faithful with a little (Matthew 25:21)
• being able to quote a whole bunch of verses off the top of your head is no substitute for having them written on your heart (Proverbs 7:3)
• knowing facts about God is no substitute for intimate knowledge of the Person of God
• speed-reading your way through lots of chapters is no substitute for long and loving meditation
• having numerous commentaries sitting on your bookshelf is no substitute for actively pursuing the knowledge of God
• listening to a worship CD is no substitute for actually worshipping the Lord physically being in a prayer meeting is no substitute for actually praying… just your heart crying out to the Lord…
• hearing the word of God is no substitute for putting it into practice (Ezekiel 33:31)
• sacrifice is no substitute for obedience (1 Samuel 15:22)
• having His name ever on my lips is no substitute for having Him close to my heart (Jeremiah 12:2)
• “having it all together” on the outside is no substitute for a heart of truth, humility and righteousness (Matthew 23:27)
• being able to put Daniel 9 in a nice little timeline is no substitute for a heart that is truly prepared for the End Times
• having the role of a lead worshipper is no substitute for encountering the Lord in worship
• a big ministry is no substitute for personal fellowship with the Lord… where it’s just you and Him alone…
• a quick ‘thanks God’ when everything seems to be going well is no substitute for truly living with a grateful heart in all seasons and situations

saying all this ^^ is no substitute for actually living it

Kudos to Helen @ Helen Has A Blog for this post that i found incredibly challenging in a good way.