Corona Devo 1429

My mom loved listening to Neil Diamond, and so, by default, all of us kids did too.  She knew every word to most of his songs, and so did we. 

Long before I could understand the full meaning (and sadness) of the song, “You Don’t Bring Me Flowers Anymore”, I enjoyed to listening to Neil and Barbara Streisand croon back and forth to each other: 

You don’t bring me flowers…

You don’t sing me love longs…

We hardly talk anymore when you come through the door at the end of the day…

I remember when… you couldn’t wait to love me, used to hate to leave me……

 

Where there was once the spark and flame and fire of love…they had allowed it to grow cold. 

It’s very sad.

~~

I thought of Neil and Barbara’s duet today when I read the Bible.

 

We can’t allow that to happen to our love for God.  And He will never allow that to happen to His love for us...but…

He sees us when we get so busy that we schedule-over and edge-out our time with Him.

He misses us when we choose other things, people, and idols over Him.

He is hurt when we forget the joy of our first-love for Him and when we neglect to remember the honor that He is due.

 

And He is due our honor.  The holy God that we serve deserves the offerings of our hearts and the sacrifices of our spirits.  He has given His Son to ensure our today and our forever-tomorrow with Him.

But…when was the last time we acknowledged all that He has given-to-us/had-mercy-on-us-for/blessed-us-with?

 

We don’t bring Him flowers anymore.

We don’t sing Him love songs anymore.

We hardly talk to Him anymore when we come through the door at the end of the day…

He remembers when...we couldn't wait to love Him and when we used used to hate to leave Him…

 

And in a duet with us, our Lord croons His Word into our ear today:

  

“But, dear family of Jacob, you refuse to ask for my help.
    You have grown tired of me, O Israel!
(23) You have not brought me sheep or goats for burnt offerings.
    You have not honored me with sacrifices,
though I have not burdened and wearied you
    with requests for grain offerings and frankincense.
(24)You have not brought me fragrant calamus
    or pleased me with the fat from sacrifices.
Instead, you have burdened me with your sins
    and wearied me with your faults.  


(25) “I—yes, I alone—will blot out your sins for my own sake and will never think of them again.  ~Isaiah 43:22-28


~~~

 

Sometimes, we (in our faith and service to God) are like Neil and Barbara in their song.  Where there was once the spark and flame and fire of our love-for-the-Lord, we can allow the ebb-and-flow of life, emotions, distractions, and sin to allow our love for God to grow cold. 


It’s very sad.


And--not acknowledging, living-for, pursuing, and honoring God eventually brings a sadness into our lives.  We cannot be fully whole without Him, and we're not fully-fulfilled without actively honoring Him (bringing Him glory).  


We were created to do so.  Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—(7) everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.”  ~Isaiah 43:6-7

 


And so, may we sing a new song to the Lord today.  Not one of "remembering when" we honored Him, but a song of our fresh-commitment to love and honor Him, with our hearts, our lives and our offerings and sacrifices today.


He is worthy!


Bring the Lord (proverbial) flowers today!

Sing Him a love song today.  

Talk to Him when we wake up, when we come through the door at the end of the day, and when we lay our head down at night (and every moment in between).

Remember today of when we first came to know the Lord, and when we couldn't wait to love Him... When we used to hate to leave Him...


Let's rekindle our love for the Lord today.  



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zm4XAwNoR-A 

 

Blessings,

sarah

https://sarahsundy04.blogspot.com 

 

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