B90 Week 12

Wow! I can't believe we're already into the Acts of the Apostles! This has been a great week of reading through (in a timely manner, no less!) the Gospels.

One of the themes that I kept being convicted by was Jesus' harsh words concerning riches and his concern for the poor. Even the "kingdom of heaven" parable from Matthew 22:2-14 reminded me of how easy it is to get caught up in the riches of this life, storing up our treasures on earth, if you will. Here Jesus is referring to those who were "invited to come" but they were too busy going to their fields or to their business to pay attention to the one who had invited them to the banquet. So he 'took care of business,' and invited all the 'nobodies' to come. I was struck by the things that distracted the ones who had been invited initially were the things that distract me so often. To compound my conviction, my husband and I visited a mall this weekend, looking for a certain pair of shoes that will hopefully help me with my aching feet. However, I spent the time there trying not to get physically ill at the worthless, vain consumerism that drives us all.

I'm not getting on a soapbox here, because, heck, I was looking for new shoes! However, I know that if my memory hadn't been refreshed by these verses, that my "want-o-meter" would have been turned completely on just by being in certain stores like REI or even the Build-a-bear where they have a new Star Wars Bear (how cute it was!). I think I was kept from temptation simply by being in the Word!

How about you? Has anything you've read this week been a reminder/conviction to you of something going on in your life? Leave a comment here or check in with Amy over at Mom's Toolbox. We're almost done! Plans are in the works to start anew in January 2011.