Tuesday, July 22, 2014
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It had been a while since my wife and I had been able to have a vacation. In fact, it even took a few all-nighters to get us to a point where we could leave responsibly. But we did! It was a bit unusual for a vacation, because almost always there had been at least one of the three kids with us. But our daughter was married, our oldest son was involved in full-time ministry, and our youngest son was in college. It became a vacation like the pre-children days a very long time ago. See, for most of our year, the needs of our children shaped our daily schedules and the needs of many people. And most of our vacations we had to factor in what the kids would enjoy. We planned a lot of vacation days around them, as you probably have as a parent.
But suddenly we were waking up in the morning with just each other. It was great to ask just my wife, "What would you like to do today?" Every meal, every conversation, every choice, every activity-just us. And before everyone else, even our precious children, that's how it was. It was just us. We came back to the voices and needs of a lot of people again, but I want to live with that same bottom line, keeping my core relationship always at the center. But for a very special time, there were only two people in the whole world.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Just the Two of Us."
Our word for today from the Word of God comes from Isaiah 50:4. "The Sovereign Lord has given me an instructed tongue to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning; wakens my ear to listen like one being taught." Now, look, you may or may not be a morning person; you might even hate morning people. But this is the way to begin each new day; the Lord getting you up for another day He has made; morning by morning Him waking you up.
And then speaking to your heart in those untouched, unspoiled moments, His preparation for what only He knows is going to be coming that day. The verse makes me think about Mary. It says that she sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what He said. Now, there was a lot of hustle and bustle around her. Her sister, Martha, was getting everything ready for dinner. But for those moments, there were only two people in the world. Mary could say, "Jesus and me."
See, that's how God wants you to begin every day; spending focused, one-on-one, exclusive time with Him, remembering again who you are supposed to be living for. It's kind of like a short, spiritual vacation like I took with my wife, where for that short time there were only two people in the whole world. With that number one relationship clarified; the one with Jesus, your priorities are straight. You're ready to "seek first the kingdom of God." You can face the day's demands without wandering off course.
Jesus knows exactly what you need to know each new morning. He knows what temptations you're going to be hitting, what surprises good or bad, what people you're going to be with, what questions you're going to need the answers for. He knows what pressures are going to be squeezing you, and He wants to get you ready for all that. But you do have to reserve time as it says here to "listen like one being taught" morning by morning.
Are you doing that? He wants to whisper words in your heart, usually through the book He wrote. And as you listen to music about Him, you read verses about Him, you pour out your heart to Him, you are filling up on Jesus before facing the rest of the world.
It made such a difference for me to be with my wife alone; to remember how much she means to me, to hear no voice but hers. I need that with my Savior each new day and so do you. Life's bottom line needs daily reinforcement. It ultimately comes down to just two people-Jesus and you.