Deuteronomy 6, Isaiah 43

Teresa Phillips

Several days ago I was at the gym, huffing and puffing away on the treadmill. I have to say I detest going to the gym, but it does give me time to think in the midst of a busy schedule. So I was thinking about how busy I was. I was thinking, how do I manage to fit this all in? Work, study, church, family, gym, youth group, music, piano teaching, friends, relationship with God...then I had to stop myself for a little self-examination. My relationship with God is a compartment of my life? I doubt it! An age old truth that I had momentarily forgotten had been realised to me again. God should be the absolute centre of everything we do; it should encompass all our activity; everything in our lives should be driven and shaped by the God who died that we might have life in the first place. Deuteronomy 6:5 says; 'Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.' (NIV) Be one person, with one outlook that shapes your whole life as one attitude of worship to God.

When I was 18 I applied to a university in Yorkshire but was unhappy there. I transferred to a university closer to home and as a result I was a few weeks late onto the course. Everybody had already made friendship groups and, being a day student, I found it very difficult to make friends and ended up being a bit of a billy no-mates. Not quite knowing what to do with myself, I turned to God and learnt something new. My relationship with Him went to a new level. God became my best friend, my constant companion. I shared every moment of the day with Him. He was there, standing right next to me, and there were days when I spoke to no-one all day, yet I knew God was with me and developed a constant stream of prayer. It helped me to walk with God at a whole new level.

It is our aim as Christians that God is our core; the very essence of our being. Pray and ask God to help you to make him the basis of your identity. Commit yourself to Him entirely, so that when people see you, they see Jesus. Reach a level where your heart is one that is after God's own heart.

So in summary, we need to make God:

1. The Centre of everything we do
2. Our Constant companion
3. Our Core, our identity, our very being.

I was recently reading a passage in Isaiah 43, a favourite of mine in hard times. In The Message, it says this: 'Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you. I've called your name. You're mine. When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you. When you're in rough waters, you will not go down. When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end- because I am God, your personal God, the Holy of Israel, your Saviour.'

Wow! I encourage you to read those words again. No really; go on! Now, in whatever context you know God, whether you've ever stepped foot in church, uttered a prayer or not, I urge you as I urge myself to keep making these choices: make God the centre of everything you do, your constant companion and your core. You will belong to Him, you will be His. And when the rough waters come, no matter how strong, you will not go down.