Purpose Driven?

I started at a new church today and something that Pastor Jon said really caught my attention. He said, "I do things on purpose. I have prayer time and read the Word on purpose." To you that may sound weird or maybe even plain, but to me, those words shook my very being. It didn't hit me later though. I was sitting in my dorm room on my bed that is about 4 feet off the ground writing in my prayer journal. I used to be kind of strange with purposefully reading my Bible or prayer when I didn't feel like it. I thought God might take it as me bringing lip service to Him. "Well God, I don't feel like talking to you and I don't feel like learning about your interests, but I guess I will". I thought God would be offended if I came with this sort of attitude to Him. I thought it showed a lack of love so I stopped going into His presence and reading His Word because I didn't want to feel like that. Today, Pastor Jon's words tore every bit of that rejection fear away from me. I walked into my room, picked up my Bible, and said, "I want to be deliberate. I want to do this on purpose." For once, I finally understood that when we bring ourselves when we don't feel like it, it doesn't show a lack of love. In fact, it is the ACT of love. Love is about giving up yourself, even when you don't feel like it, for someone else. Love is about giving. When you are worn and weary and you can't go on, but yet you still give of your time, that is love and God honors that. All He wants from us is our love, our commitment. Don't be afraid to be purposeful. Be deliberate.