Friendship & Worship

I've been thinking alot about friendship lately and what it means to have a strong friendship. I just got to have 4 great days, spending time with one of my best friends and future roomie and it was just so easy. Friendship shouldn't have to be hard or forced. It just works. Sure you have to work at a friendship, but it's so nice when 2 people just click ya know? It's nice knowing that you have someone who is there for you no matter what, who knows and understands you, someone who can be honest with you. The thing that's tricky however, is not running to them before you've run to your Savior. It's so important that Christ remains our center and the first one we go to - the one who knows us way better than anyone else. Sometimes I find myself going to someone else when I'm sad or hurt or even really happy just cause I want a verbal response from someone. But God delights in us coming to Him! He delights in the fact that we want to spend time with him - that's amazing.

I'm preparing a bible study tomorrow - week 3 of our middle school girls' study and I decided on the topic of worship. We think so much today that worship simply means singing songs on Sunday morning. We even call it "worship" on Sunday... and yes, singing is a piece of it, but it's just that; a piece. it's not the definition of worship. Worship is living our lives in a way that is pleasing to God. Worship is surrendering all that we are to Him. Worship is saying, "God there are people and things in my life that I love, but Lord, if ANY of them take the place of my love for YOU, take it from me! For NOTHING deserves my love more than You!"

Wow.

I know I am so guilty of putting things/people above my love for God. And yet even though I do that, even though my priorities can be so messed up, God continuously loves and forgives.

It's really incredible in the fact that each time I've prayed for a topic in this weekly Bible study, God has given me something that as I'm literally speaking to these girls, the words coming out of my mouth are exactly what I myself need to hear.

Week 1: Trusting God - my dad doesn't have a job. WOW. talk about needing to trust God to provide for my family!!

Week 2: Prayer - I lack in this area so much and I desperately want to change that. My friend Leah told me this summer, "If we go through a whole day without talking to God, it's like saying, 'God, I can do this day with out you."

Yikes.

And week 3: Worship - remembering that my whole life needs to be an act of worship to my Father.

God is so great and is constantly teaching me. It's amazing to have a Father who knows me more than a friend or parent, who loves me more than anyone else ever could. And even though He knows me THAT well, He still desires my time, my prayers, my life.

What an awesome God.