Tucked Away

How beautiful is this cabin buried in snow and tucked away in a secluded wooded area? I looked at this picture and I immediately found such peace, a quiet seclusion away from the rest of the world. No social media, no phones, television etc. No distractions, just you alone with Jesus.

This would be the perfect scenario, but in reality most of us can't do that. Sometimes we have to create our own hide away. Even if we have to turn off our phones, step away from the internet, the t.v shows, and tuck yourself away in the confides of your own home to be alone with the Lord in prayer, in worship and in His word. We live in a very hateful and prideful world. A world of people who are becoming more self-serving and self - centered everyday. Yes, even in the body of Christ you will find selfish people operating out of a prideful heart. I'm sure I've been that way myself from time to time. There's a whole world filled with hurting, confused and scared people looking to the self professing Christian to shine a light in their dark worlds.

Well I can tell you from personal experience that unless you are diligently seeking the Lord through His word, you will provide very little light to their darkness. We need Jesus! We are in complete darkness without Him. Do you realize how hard it is to go through the act of examining yourself for several days and allowing the Lord to show you things that you say and do that bring Him no Glory? Saying that you believe in God and possibly reciting a few scripture here and there doesn't make you any more of a Christian than me walking into a hospital with a stethoscope in my hand and professing to be a doctor. This is not a statement of judgmental ignorance, it's a fact. It's a fact that I had to had to surrender to myself. The Bible says in John 15 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.....

So, if we are not steadfast in the word of God and bearing the fruits of His Spirit then we must examine our hearts and our intent. Are they self pleasing or are they Christ centered? Should we examine the fruits of our salvation? Absolutely! We are not saved by works, but the Bible clearly says that we are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. So how do we work out our own salvation? We acknowledge that every sin is an offense against Holy God and produces a sincere desire not to offend and grieve Him, but to obey, honor, please, and glorify Him in all things... That statement of "All Things" will absolutely without a doubt cause us to kill our flesh and surrender our own wants to the Father and submit to His will.

So, this takes me back to the word of God. A place that I've lacked finding myself in for the last couple months due to my own struggles. A sincere knowledge of Scripture is absolutely essential for working out your salvation. I can tell you this: Not being in constant prayer, and in the word of God creates a weak you. You burn out quickly, you become emotionally drained and sometimes confused about what you believe. You may even find yourselves slipping into a more sinful lifestyle.

I have a very good friend and her go to word is Persevere. I can't tell you how right she is. We must Persevere through tough times, but I promise you that you will fail each and every time if you are trying to do it in your own strength. I ought to know, I've done it time and time again... and each time I try to be the hero,the good friend,the teacher etc without seeking Christ first, I fail miserably and I find myself questioning everything about myself.

Bad things happen to us all. People are going to fail you, possibly even abandon you, but God says that He will never leave us, nor forsake us. I don't know about you, but I'd rather call upon the name of the Lord and trust His promises than trust the words and promises of another human being.

We are humans and we will fail from time to time. Yes, even your fellow Christian will fail your expectations. How many of us have stopped going to church because someone in the church hurt us or offended us. More often than not we place our hope in man before we place our hope in the Lord.

So today I encourage you to get Tucked Away. Find a place of solitude. A place that you can be alone with Jesus! Let Him be the light to your darkness.

John 8:12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

So if you choose life, then choose to get Tucked Away with Jesus and allow His Light to shine through you. There's a lost world searching for light!

Reviews

[Jenny M]

I like the practical way you in which approached this topic. It's so easy to sound judgemental, but you make it clear that this is something you are wrestling with in your own life, too. This is easy to read, but I felt that there were loads of short sentences and phrases that give the piece a clipped, staccato rhythm. I wonder if it wouldn't benefit from having some longer ones?