Am I blessed as Jesus said I would be when He taught the Beatitudes? Do I see them as simple precepts for life, or does their spiritual undercurrent shake me? These very easily followed rules for living can improve the life of an unbeliever, or elevate a person of faith to a dramatically higher spiritual plane.
This morning I am reading Psalm 84. This is a love poem/song, and the language is incredible. There is no doubt of the psalmist' love for God as he begins by writing of his longing to be in the presence of God. Do we follow Jesus simply so that we will receive the reward of eternal life? Do we serve Him for some blessing He might bestow on us? Do we fear God because we will be judged unworthy and thrown in a pit of fire? If our answer to any of these questions is yes, then our faith is an illusion, and God’s love for us is truly undeserved.
Where do we look for wisdom? How about righteousness, sanctification, and redemption? Do we find them in church or bible study? Do we seek them out while plodding along a pilgrimage path in some far off country? The answer is that we find them in one place only... Jesus Christ, and He can be found in all of these places.
Are we prepared to walk in the desert? Can we tolerate the feeling of loneliness that will test us there? When there is nothing left in our lives except our thoughts and God, will we find that to be sufficient, and that we are prepared to join Him in this solitary life? Will we accept sanctification in Christ just as His apostles did? These are questions to consider regarding our being alone with God, and the sanctity that results from it.
Have we placed Jesus first and foremost as our teacher? What is the danger in this? Why is it more important that we put Jesus the redeemer before Jesus the teacher?
Are we seeking God? Do we search day and night for Him? Praying? Reading scripture? Well stop for a moment and be still. You don't need to search for Him... He is all around you! When we realize this truth, then all that is left is to get to know Him. To understand and establish a relationship with the almighty, and His Son Jesus.
The gift of salvation through God's grace and our belief in Jesus Christ is totally of God, and has nothing to do with our earning it... but does that relieve us of all personal responsibility?
When I came to know Jesus it was in full submission to Him, but have I served Him over all else in my life? Have I been the servant He expected me to be, or has my commitment to Him become a much sought after convenience on my part? These are my thoughts this morning, and they convict me.
Today I am thinking back to the moment when I confessed Jesus as my savior, and the events that brought me to that place. I am considering the strength of the gospel that I heard and comparing it to all the preaching I have heard since then. What made the message of my youth germinate in me? What have I heard since?
This morning I read of God's provision and gifts to us. I am strengthening myself in the understanding that He is always there, always good, and always hears and answers my prayers. My confidence in these facts forms the basis for my expectation in Him and relieves me of doubt and worry.
How far would I walk to hear the gospel, or to see the grave of a disciple whose hand had been held by Jesus? How many miles would I travel to save the soul of one man or woman who had never heard of our Lord? Would I walk on Pilgrimage over the Pyrenees Mountains and across Spain to Santiago de Compostela? Would I sail across raging seas in a wooden boat to preach the gospel to a single Roman centurion?
I am thinking about what it means to turn the other cheek this morning. Is it a sign of cowardice, bravery, or something else entirely? I think that perhaps it might be the latter. Although it could be construed as a sign of weakness, or that it takes courage to stand firm and not retreat, it also demonstrates great faith to resist being provoked, or enticed to sin.
Does God have to move something, or someone, out of the way before we will see Him? Is our attention focused somewhere other than on Him? Our God is a jealous God... He told us so, which begs the question... why do we taunt Him with our inattention? This is my concentration today. I am asking myself if there are people or things in my life that keeps me from Him.
How mature are we as Christians? Have we moved from that stage in our faith where the focus has shifted from learning who Jesus is, and how to live the life of Christ, to that of actually knowing Him and abiding in Him? Are we fully engaged and surrounded by the will of God and in close relationship with His Son Jesus, or are we still battling within ourselves to wrest control from the sinful man that resides there?
Everything in our lives points to Jesus. The greatest and the least of our experiences lead us to Him. Saints haven't achieved some higher plane of self-realization... they have simply come to the understanding that everything in life reveals God, and Jesus Christ. Then, in all of this, nothing trumps the embodiment of God's will and grace in The Son! In this realization comes a relationship of incredible closeness.