Who is in charge of your life? Do your friendships reflect it? Do you train your childern by your actions or words?

I have spent my life in some form of relationship with the Lord.  I was born a child of God, as we all are, but not all of us know it.  We are in the cradle of his love from conception until accountability.  Some of us never have a time of lapse so are a child of God our whole lives.  I am not sure I can say that because I think there was a time when I knew I was a sinner and was accountable for it before I sought his Grace,  I repented my sins, prayed for his forgiveness on my knees with tears streaming down my face.  The happiness at being saved by his Grace flowing from my heart and eyes.  I received the Holy Spirit to guide me and showed the world of my acceptance of his gift by being Baptized in to Christ our Lord Jesus. I was never one to really talk about my salvation, especially the dearly special moment of it that I kind of like to keep special just for me and the Lord. I have tried to tell others about the Lord and winning souls but I am not sure I have ever done it quite right.  I don't really feel comfortable telling of my day of salvation and maybe some have gotten the idea that I was ashamed of it, or didn't account it with the value I do, but I always wanted it for me.  I have tried to read the Bible but for some years of my life I was not as faithful to the reading of the Word as I should have been.  I have said before I was a carnal Christian and fell so far below what God wanted of me that I feel a guilt that is hard to let go.  The Lord has forgiven and forgotten but I just can't let the shame go sometimes. 

I have tried to make the second half century of my life more about the Lord and a whole lot less about me.  I read my Bible, even the parts that I find boring and used to see as useless, you know like the kid in class who wanted to know why he needed to know fractions to work at a mill?  Well for the most part the mills are gone now and somewhere he is wishing he knew his fractions.  I do wish that I had read my Bible more often and sought intimacy in my relationship with the Lord Jesus in my youth.  I recently read a book where the author described intimacy with Christ like this.  She said that with any intimate relationship or marriage you have to spend time together talking and getting to know one another before you can have a fruitful relationship.  I can't say that I had ever thought of my relationship with Christ as being like a marriage. I know as Christians we are the bride of Christ but I never really connected the here relationships with the heavenly or spiritual relationship we are to have with the Lord before. I knew that to have a true marriage I needed to intimate with my husband on many levels too be fruitful but do I need that kind of intimacy with the Lord to be a fruitful?  I knew in a heart beat the author was so right and I had never thought of it just that way.  We do need to have moments where we whisper, share secrets and talk things over with the Lord.  We need to share our dreams, our days and our lives with the Lord continuously.  We can only become more like him if we really really know him intimately to our souls.   I now read my Bible seeking to know him more and more, you know like you seek to know more about your spouse, or child, the other intimate beings in your life.  I know my spouse loves to hear when I find he has done something for me how much I appreciate him, how much I love him and want to be with him.  Does our relationship with Christ deserve any less than our praises or much much more?  Christ has done so much more for us than our earthly loves and spouse could ever do for us so we need to praise him so much much more.  We need to think about him in all we do, we need to think of all we do in this life in regard to how it will bring us closer to God and how it correlates with our eternal life.  Will our life here be a praise to God, will it bring him shame or ridicule? do we fall short of what he wants for us daily?, and does he love us anyway.  Yes, he does but I should try and do better everyday.  I know when I hurt Poppie or bring shame on him I know he loves me anyway but I really try hard to do better so why should I not try harder with my relationship with God daily.  I just never thought of it like that before did or do you?

Do the friends I keep in my life detract from my relationship with God, no, but I am not sure that I can say that about my whole life.  Should our friends be a praise to God?  Should we take that in to consideration when we chose our friendships?  Should we train our children by telling them how to life or by showing them the right way to live?  Do they see their path to God in our lives or are they clueless about who God really is and wonder why we go to church in the first places?  Do I have a responsibility to give them the knowledge of the Gospel and how wonderful a life  in and with God in it can be?  Do I do all I can to be fruitful and lead them to God, knowing they have found their salvation in God and will have life eternal?  Is that one of the most wonderful moments of my life?  Right up there with the day of my salvation, is the day of my children's salvation, and then the day I meant Poppie, the day I married, the day each of my children were born and the day my grands were born and all is down hill from there...... Life is about priorities, where does God stand in your life?  Is he your all, if not you need to find out how to make him the most important things that ever was in your life.  He will give all the rest to you but you have to ask him for what you want and the most important thing you can ever ask him is for forgiveness, and know that Jesus is his son who died and arose for you,  he will give you salvation and all the rest as he does love you and wants the best for you..... tomorrow.