Where the rubber meets the road...

I so enjoy worshipping at my church...and I got to do it with hubby this week.  In our Connect Group we started a study in Psalm... Psalm 1...a short Psalm...but it had a lot to say.  To me anyway.  :)  Let me first say this...I do not have a theology degree...nor do I claim to be as knowledgeable as Billy Graham...this is just my understanding of what I learned.  To save you the time of looking it up...

Psalm 1 (NIV)

¹ Blessed is the one
who does not walk in step with the wicked
or stand in the way that sinners take
or sit in the company of mockers,
² but whose delight is in the law of the Lord,
and who meditates on his law day and night.
³ That person is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season
and whose leaf does not wither—
whatever they do prospers.

⁴ Not so the wicked!
They are like chaff
that the wind blows away.
⁵ Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment,
nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.

⁶ For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous,
but the way of the wicked leads to destruction.

My delight, as a believer, should be in the law of the Lord.  I should be like a firmly planted tree.  I should not seek counsel from non-believers...or walk in their ways.  It is not wise to think that I am stronger than sin...and that I can be around it and not be tempted by it.  I loved what Pastor said Sunday.  It isn't that sin isn't fun.  Sin is fun at first...it comes back to hurt you later.

In class we talked about the two paths that you have in life to choose from...life and death.  I loved our teacher's description of the two paths and how he feels like there are some little trails that connect the two...and how sometimes we catch ourselves on those little trails over to the other path...but as a christian we need to get back to our path.  Okay...I am sure he said it much better than that...in fact I know he did.  :)  You may catch yourself on one of those little trails...watching a show you know you shouldn't, saying things that you shouldn't, etc...and then run back over to your path.  It is easier to stay on your path if you have others around you on the same path.  If all of your friends are running on another path...you will find yourself there more and more often.
 
Everything that I did this weekend was pointing me into the same direction...or path you could say.   What kind of life am I living on my path?  A rundown of my weekend if you will:
Friday watched Blue like Jazz - not sure how I feel about this one just yet.  Except that the last 5 minutes were the deal getter for me.  Donald Miller apologizing for trying to be something he wasn't and run from God.
Saturday watched Fireproof (doing Love Dare with my online group of firefighter wives).
Sunday had this amazing teaching x 2....first God is Bigger sermon from Pastor Bruce and then our Connect Group lesson starting in Psalms.
Sunday after church watched "What If"...man if that isn't God telling you to be careful which path you choose.   Excellent movie on Netflix by the way.  It is about a man who made a choice to leave his girl...but promised to come back...and never did.  Years later...God jerks a knot in his tail...and shows him where he would have been if he had stayed. 

After church on Sunday hubby and I were talking over lunch and I just felt like God was telling me in all of this, the sermon, teaching, and my movie choices that it isn't just about choosing the right path but it is about what you do on the path as well.  I need to be willing to walk the walk and talk the talk if I am on that path.  There are several things that came to mind as examples of this.
*Do you know how many kids are in foster care?  Too many!  John Mark told us on Adoption Sunday one year that there are enough families in churches in WNC that could rid the need for foster care here.  Wow!  That embarrasses me really!  I know not everyone is called to adopt...but man what a statement that would make. 
*What about the number of volunteers it takes to operate the church on any given Sunday or Wednesday.  Lord help us...we should be turning away volunteers...but we aren't.  That my friends is how you walk the walk!  Park cars, spend an hour teaching kids about Jesus, teach a CG, send out the emails for your CG, and the list goes on and on.  That life path you have chosen...man what a heavy responsibility.  But wow!  Would you have it any other way?  I shouldn't feel like you are obligated to serve the Lord and your church...and I don't really...you should feel obligated for yourself.  As if He hasn't done enough for you...for me...for all of us.
*How about what we watch on TV.  I'm guilty!  Cut my TV off a few months ago...too much garbage.  No I am not better than anyone else...it was simply a choice that we made together as a family.  Now don't get me wrong we have an antenna that picks up some local channels so we can catch the news...so we still have a long way to go.  With husband's job I don't feel comfortable being completely disconnected yet....and I'm guilty of the garbage.

Where the rubber meets the road.  Well that is what God was telling me on Sunday.  Hey girl...this path you are on...this is where the rubber meets the road...where your walk and your talk line up.  So as much as I am talking to you(if anyone is reading this)...I am talking to myself.