Bishop Wills’ Life Journal Entry for October 31, 2007: “Worldly Concerns”

October 31, 2007
Worldly Concerns

S: Mark 8:3
But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.

O: When Peter rebukes Jesus for saying he will die and then be raised again, Jesus is clear about his role. He belongs to God only. He is not here just to lead a joyful group of followers to heaven, but rather to teach them about denying themselves and following his teachings and life no matter what the cost. They have yet to really love God with all their hearts. They have only earthly concerns right now.

A: This morning as I sit here, I am filled with so many earthly concerns and feel stretched and out of balance. As much as I want to love God completely, I feel tired and unconnected to be able to lead either Conference well. My earthly concerns about people and the functioning of both Conferences rob me of being able to really spend time with God and learning to love God with all my heart.

Even as I sit here this morning with the Lord, my mind is flooded with many concerns and how to meet the many needs which are before me.

I think what this is teaching me is to let God and others come along side of me to help in ways I cannot right now. Right now I must be concerned only with the concerns of God. I want to feel the power and leading of the Holy Spirit so that my heart will be as soft as it can be so I can be a vessel of God’s love to those around me and to those who I have not yet met.

The disciples worried too much about bread and not enough about what Jesus was teaching them. He fed to big groups of 4,000 or more with only a tiny bit of food. The disciples get in the boat and they worry about not having any bread when the “bread of life” is right there with them.

I think the Lord is saying to me this morning, if I spend time letting Jesus touch my heart, then the human concerns will work out by following Jesus completely.

P: Father I ask for you only to guide my life. Help me today focus on you and to let go of worldly things which take more of my heart than I give to you.
Love,
Dick

Y: I will seek to be led by the Holy Spirit today and to trust God’s love in my heart to guide my path today.