LIWD :: day 4 :: Tightly Bound

Ruth came to the God of Israel after years of living in darkness, but He gladly received her service even though she was a Moabite foreigner.  She bound herself to the service of the Lord, interweaving her service with Him like the braiding of a heavy rope.  Isaiah 56.5-7 refers to a foreigner binding himself (or herself) to the Lord and His willingly receiving their "diligent" service: "And foreigners who bind themselves to the Lord to serve Him...these I will bring to My holy mountain...".

Are you tightly bound to the Lord, serving Him diligently, or has your relationship and service been unraveling over the years as you continue to be single and not married?  Has resentment and self-pity unraveled what used to be a tightly woven labor for the Lord?  You must be sensitive to the things and situations that distract you from redeeming your free time.  "Whatever might blur the vision God had given [Elisabeth Elliot] of His work, whatever could distract or decieve or tempt others to seek anything but the Lord Jesus Himself she tried to eliminate."

Are you tightly bound to the Lord, serving Him diligently...?

I would love to say that I always diligently serve the Lord. That I never feel resentment for what I may feel is wrong in my life. But that would be lying. I try to serve the Lord, my God with all my heart, all my soul and all my mind. I desire to do as such, but sometimes I stray. Sometimes the world gets to me. Sometimes satan sneaks his way in. That's why I am so thankful for the awesome support team I have in my life. I have these amazing friends who don't let me pity myself when things don't go my way. Friends who remind me of how sovereign of a God He truly is. Friends who radiate His light when I feel as though I'm in the dark.

The best I can do, is keep Him close to me. By reading my bible daily, praying constantly, surrounding myself with other believers and allowing myself to be vulnerable to Him completely, I can bound myself to the Lord. I just need to remember that Gods plan may not always line up with my own plans, but His are better. I may not understand where He's going with this, but that's okay...He does. Trust in Him and He will lead you.