Since I've been away from writing for several months my mind is all over the place with ideas of how to nail this one down. I'm not going to be methodical in laying this one out, just going to let it rip. What I'm about to share comes from my own experience. The focal point of this post is a story shared by my Pastor this passed Sunday. It had such a powerful effect on me and has changed my perspective in how I view my relationship with God. It's not so much knowledge that I have lacked it's the surreal experience of knowing and abiding in the Lord.
We sing the song, "It's all about you, it's all about you Jesus." And it may be on Sunday, sometimes...But usually the song goes, "It's all about me, it's all about me Jesus." How often are we really praising and thanking Him? Especially when things aren't going so well or we're in a dry season. We want to get in our worship, hear the Word, and ask God to bless our plans. When trouble comes we may pray, speak the Word, or apply the blood. Or we may spend so much time in prayer, read the Word daily, go through our rituals just so everything is kosher when trouble starts to attack our plans. I'm not trying to offend anyone, unconsciously I catch myself doing this. The blood isn't to be applied, the rituals don't protect, it's all about abiding in Him all the time.
The Pastor's question went like this, "If you were sitting in front of Jesus; eye to eye, toe to toe, knee to knee, what would He say to you?" Visualize that for a moment, what would He say? Honestly? If you know who He is and what His character is like this should rock you to the core. Let me share just two scriptures. From Isaiah 42, "He will not shout or raise His voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle." We should all be familiar with the passage in Matthew 11 that says, "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
The Pastor's question went like this, "If you were sitting in front of Jesus; eye to eye, toe to toe, knee to knee, what would He say to you?" Visualize that for a moment, what would He say? Honestly? If you know who He is and what His character is like this should rock you to the core. Let me share just two scriptures. From Isaiah 42, "He will not shout or raise His voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle." We should all be familiar with the passage in Matthew 11 that says, "Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
I believe the Lord would look at me and say, "What are you doing? Let me explain the gospel to you and what I've done for you." Can you imagine that? "You're trying so hard and getting nowhere. I have poured out my compassion on you, saved you, created you with a purpose in mind. It's not about you, the sin is gone, abide in me, and you will be everything I created you to be." If that happened to me I'm not sure I would ever get up from my chair. You talk about being overwhelmed, and overwhelmed with compassion at that. That's amazing to me.
Every time you pray do it eye to eye, toe to toe, knee to knee with the Lord. That's an encounter. "Abide in Me." That's what He says to do. It's easy and light. Get a new grip, sit down in the chair, and let Him mold your heart. It's a tough, fast world out there. We weren't created to destroy ourselves or to simply enjoy life to the maximum. We were created to worship the Creator. We were created with a specific purpose in mind. Lay aside the sin that entangles, walk in the Light, be pure, and take on the heart of a servant. Seek His will, stay in the Word, abide don't apply, and sit in the chair.
