How much grace have we each received through Jesus Christ? How much will we eventually receive before He finally says “that should be enough!”? The answer is that we will never receive enough because it is one of those spiritual blessings that flows, along with living water to cover our sins, and it isn’t determined by our capacity to receive it, but Christ’s ability to give it.
From the moment we first believe, when Jesus comes to dwell in us, we receive a new and abundant ability to love, but for it to reach its full capacity we must nurture our faith, and gain day by day a greater understanding of the heart of Christ. As we know Him better, and He increases in us, so does the fullness of God. In this way we are blessed, and those around us come to experience God’s love for them… some realizing it for the very first time.
Do we feel like men and women born in the wrong spiritual time? Do we feel more akin to the first Christians who followed behind Jesus than with modern man? Sometimes we look around ourselves and see what is happening in the world, and Church, and our hearts ache exceedingly for His return; we long for His coming, and a renewal of faith around the world. Well we are not alone in feeling this way because Paul felt just as many of us do… born out of due time!
As Christians we often ask God about our calling. We ask about what it is, how we can remain in obedience to Him in it, and in our daily prayers we ask what the Lord would have us do today. Our individually tailored calling, and His will for us are coupled tightly together, and both have one thing in common… they involve winning, and working with, souls for His kingdom. We might be called to be pastors, build cathedrals, or simply to witness to the poor, but however grand, or meager, God will place us in His service.
Sadness and happiness can dictate how we feel and move through life, both physically and spiritually. Our approach to the throne of God when we are happy, and feeling loved, is one of celebration and joy, but if we are distraught, and made sad by our sinfulness… not feeling loved by God, or loving Him as we should, then we hang our head, and find ourselves reluctant to come into His presence. How do we recognize this, and overcome it?
How do we respond when Jesus asks us if we love Him? Do we simply answer yes without a second thought, or are we grieved that He would have to ask us this at all? Jesus knows us, and He already knows the answer to this question before He asks, so what is the point of it? His point is to reveal to us the degree to which we love Him. How many times must He ask us before we think deeply about our answer, and respond to Him from our heart? Perhaps we don’t grieve at all, and if this is the case then doesn’t that tell us a great deal about our faith as well?
Jesus gave us a new commandment; that we are to love one another, and we are not simply to love them as one man loves another, but with a divine love, an agape love. Jesus tells us this when He says “just as I have loved you.” Are we capable of this? We know that this is how we love God, and how He loves us, but can we step into His shoes and love another human being as we are loved by Him? Can we step out of our world and love each other in an entirely new and wonderful way?
Do we say that we love the Lord our God, and His Son Jesus Christ? Do we speak of our faith, and of loving others, and feel righteous because of it? Do we know and profess the commandments of God, and Jesus? Well saying these things, and knowing these things, is not enough, because we will be judged by the deeds in love, and faith that we perform, and the truth that is made evident by these, our actions. Are we simply sayers of love, and faith, or doers?
It is far easier to love God who always loves us so perfectly, and who is good to us in every way, than it is to love those around us. Are we able to love one another as He loves us? Can we accept the world’s fallen creatures that we call brothers and sisters, and love them enough that we will get into the cesspool of life, hold them to us, and honestly care about their wellbeing and salvation? Can we look past their imperfection, and ignore the stench of sin on them as we not only forgive them from afar, but embrace them, and lead them step by step into a righteous relationship with God? Can we love each other as Jesus is loves us?
Three times in short succession the Apostle John records the words of Jesus as He tells us what it means to love Him, and what He will do for us if we truly obey His commandments. There are other biblical references to loving God, and Jesus Christ, but these three references promise us that the Holy Spirit will be given to us, Jesus will manifest Himself in us, and that God will allow us to come to Him, and make our home with Him… all of these incredible blessings if we will love Jesus, and obey His commandments. Do we love Him in this way? Are we obedient as we should be?
When we are in prayer, and asking for something in the name of Jesus, how do we feel at that moment, what are we asking for, and are we asking so that we will bear more fruit for Him? Is what we are asking for in the name of Jesus meant to glorify God? So often our prayers are selfish in nature, and meant to do nothing more than satisfy our own immediate wants, but are our wants aligned with God’s wants; with His will, and His desire?
As Christians we have sworn ourselves to Jesus, and we have picked up our cross to follow Him. We pray as He has taught us, and love Our Father alongside Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, so why is it that when we seek Him in prayer that we sometimes feel like we hear our words returning to us as an echo that has been offered up into a hollow and cavernous room? Our prayers reflect where our heart is, it is also true that when our mind wanders we can’t find God, and in those times our soul wanders, and isn’t listening for His voice, but to the world that has captured us… even if for that instant.
Have we set a certain hour, or hours, of prayer aside for ourselves each day? Of course we are told to pray throughout the day without ceasing, but have we designated special times of prayer when we can be alone with God, and speak with Him quietly, secretly, and without interruption? Many Christian denominations have designated certain times as being times of prayer, and the Bible refers to 3:00 in the afternoon as such an hour for the apostles, but are there times that are more suitable for you; times when God doesn’t compete for your attention?
If we want our relationship with the Lord to become more than just a casual one in which we make an appointment with him once each morning, or evening, then we must pray without ceasing. If we want to feel His presence at all times then we need to be in constant conversation with Him. If we want to call Him Father, then we should recognize Jesus as our Savior, and Brother, but we should also engage them both in unending, and sometimes casual, chatter as every good family does. How openly, and lovingly, do we approach our Heavenly Father?
Is there a particular sin or temptation that you struggle with, and that sometimes makes you feel helpless? Do you feel weak in its presence, and each time you think that you have finally conquered it, it rises up to knock you down again? Well, as Christians we are not meant to ride a rollercoaster of sin, forgiveness, grace, and then sin again. No, In Christ we have received His complete dominance over all sin, if we will only claim it by faith. As Christians we know that sin is always waiting in the wings, but if we focus on Christ and the abundant grace He provides us, then our peripheral vision will narrow with each passing day until at last we will be free of temptation, and see our sin no more.