I’m thinking all along I really wasn’t thinking. Correction. I really wasn’t listening.
Today the words I heard from God were… “in me”. “Lord, is that you?”, I said. “Yes.” “In me?”…. “Lord, what does that mean?” Let me give you a bit of past information. Back when Ryan McDivitt and I were working through the book, “Walking with God” by John Eldredge (which I highly recommend by the way) there is a daily prayer that John prays every day. It’s the first thing he does. And I’ve noticed that quite a few times he says in his prayer… in you. For instance, He’ll say something to the effect of… “Restore me in you.” And he utters that phrase many times. And I know now that I have been missing what He’s been trying to tell me.
Ryan has shared with me a few months back that he had words “In you” and then he shared what that meant to him. And I’m convinced that God was trying to get through to me through Ryan at that time. And I wasn’t listening….
So today, I was listening to Casting Crowns in my office. (Who happens to be my favorite Christian artist) And the song “The Alter and the Door” comes on. I’m singing to it and I get to a certain part… and it hits me. What in the world… God, How long have you been trying to communicate this to me?
So here is something I struggle with for sure. I want do everything on my own. I don’t feel worthy enough to have God touch me. I don’t want Him to waste time on me. I feel like He has more important things to do. But, I can’t. I know I can’t. I’m not strong enough for I’ve seen the miserable failures that I’ve produced out of trying to be “strong enough”. And that leads me to think that pride is stepping in the way.
So here is the part of the song that struck me today. “Tryin so hard. Stop tryin so hard. Just let you be who you are. Lord who you are IN ME. Jesus I’m tryin so hard. Stop tryin so hard. Just let you be who you are, Lord who you are IN ME!”
And so, I know I have another agreement to break. God, I’m sorry that I thought I could handle this on my own. It’s not what you intended. I want you to be who you are IN ME. You aren’t outside of me roaming off in some far off galaxy. You reside right inside this heart of mine. God, let me hold to that truth and never let go.
I’ve had some struggles that I had for years and there is no wonder I was failing. It’s because I wanted to do it on my own and I forgot that God was in me and there to help. Picture with me if you will the Chronicles of Narnia. When it comes to the battle at the end… Who is there? Who comes to the rescue? It’s Aslan… right? And the same is with God… He came to my rescue just when I needed Him.
We watched this at our church (Westlake Community) a while back and it brought me to tears. The things we do when we walk away from God, yet he is still there to protect us from the enemy! Just thought I would share this with everyone.
Have you ever asked yourself the question… Why did Jesus come here to earth? The answer might be easier than you think. I’m going to share a verse with you which I think explains it all. And it’s probably the most well known verse in the Bible. I’m talking about none other than John 3:16.
John 3:16 reads, “For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
There is no doubt in my mind that the reason He came was because of God’s love for us. It wasn’t to put on a show. It wasn’t to have Jesus kick dirt in the face of the Pharisees. It was for one reason and one reason only. God loves you so much that He wants to mend you. He wants to heal you. He loves you so much that He gave His Son for you. Now parents, I know you’ll catch on to this. I want you to think of giving up the life of your own son or daughter. It’s not a pleasent thought to any of us. Imagine the hurt, pain, and suffering that you would feel from that loss. And that’s when we realize what God did for us. He has given us so much more than we can give back.
One night I was sitting down and reading this verse and it hit me. What in the world does it mean to have life, and have it abundantly? I figure life can be defined in so many ways and so I sat down and looked these words up to find out more.
Abundantly according to strongs comes from the greek word (perissos). Meaning much more or beyond, abounds all the more, excessive, further. I also notice this was the only use of this word in the entire New Testament. That always stands out as something important to me. If God only pointed it out once there might be something He wants you to pick up on. Not only that but He didn’t have to mention it again. I’m always telling Kaitlyn that she should do things the first time I tell her. I’m thinking God is talking to me in the same way here.
I’m not going to mention life because the word basically meant just that and nothing more.
Now, regarding the abundance God has given us. I think so many times we live our lives out in a world that is just blah. Why? Because I don’t think we hold onto that God wants so much more for you. We get in this rut and end up living like A+B=C Live a good life, follow the rules, and God will take care of the rest. And I’d say this verse doesn’t hint to that at all. God wants to give you so much more. He wants to give you much more, abounding all the more… He wants to be excessive. He wants to go further. Question is, Will you let Him?
I’ve moved! I just decided it was time for something new. So the deal is, I’ve moved my blog over to wordpress. It will take me a bit to get this up and running the way I want. I’d say within the next week I’ll have it all up and running again.
I’ve missed doing this. I’ve shared for two reasons. One, for people to learn more about Jesus Christ and all that I believe Him to stand for. Two, for accountability. When I’m blogging I’m sharing what I’m dealing with at that moment in time. It’s normally pretty relevant to what I’m learning in life and what my Lord and Savior is teaching me each day.
So, welcome… sit back, relax and enjoy! Please feel free to leave a comment at any time! It’s appreciated.
