How to...

Have you ever gone through a day in which you feel like you have no idea what you are supposed to do? I sit in class sometimes and wonder who figured out how much our brains could learn at one time and retain. We come to school and we are expected to take many classes and study and learn tons of new facts and then we are tested over them to see if we remember them. It takes time to learn things especially facts, at least for me it does. All I hear from people is "I need to study" and I think what are we supposed to study? I mean when you think about it, what good does it do to read a book or just read over notes many times if we are not actually learning and committing things to memory? Sometimes I feel like that in Christ and I wonder what I am supposed to be doing or how I am supposed to move on. A lot of times it is really just an unwillingness to do something new and to train myself how to do something better. We learn through repetition and committing things to memory and that is one way we can grow in Christ. The other way we can grow in Christ as far as learning is to let him speak to us and receive the gifts that he has for us. Sometimes we feel like we are not efficient or what we do is not sufficient but in reality we need to ask for wisdom and guidance everyday. Then, when we hear something from him or we receive a gift from him, we have to use it over and over so that we can become proficient and use the gifts and wisdom in the way that it was intended to be used.

When the disciples were around Jesus one time, they asked him a question and told him they wanted to learn something new. To most of us in our day in age we think nothing of it, but back then they wanted to go deeper in their relationship and understanding. In Luke 11:1 we see the disciples ask God how to pray as it is said, "One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." The Lord goes on to give them the standard prayer which is known as the Lord's prayer. These disciples wanted a better understanding and they wanted to see what God had in store for them. They were not afraid of him laughing at them and they were not ashamed that they did not want to pray, they wanted to go deeper and they wanted to be the best followers they could be. I mean they were disciples so they did devote their whole lives to following him and becoming like him as much as was possible so that was part of it, but is that not the very thing we have been called to do? We are supposed to be christlike and follow in his footsteps and doing everything he has commanded us to do. This does not only apply to prayer but it can apply to many things such as speaking in tongues, speaking to a friend about Christ, doing a daily devotional, or even living a life pleasing to him. I think we take for granted everything we "know" in life and we do not fully understand everything that we can be if we just had a mind willing to learn and grow. The Bible is literally our how to for life and is readily available whenever we are willing to learn. I have learned that over recent months and I am a fool for not figuring it out sooner. I am not going to lie, my prayer life is still young and I need to pray this every night that God will teach me how to pray fervently and seek him. It is one of the best things I could know how to do and I do not want to pass up this opportunity to grow.

I have had a pretty good week, I have not slept much but God is showing me just how I need to be me and people will accept that. He has worked in amazing ways and he is doing new things each day that continue to just baffle me. I hope you all had an amazing day and I pray that you continue to seek him and dive deeper into his word. I continue to pray for all of you and I am definitely seeing the benefits of that.

God Bless,

Joseph Robinson