04/02/2023
What is the focus of our life? Is there something or someone that fascinates us beyond anyone, or anything we have ever known? Is it something of this world, or God and Jesus? Are we spiritually directed in our journey through life, or do worldly things fascinate us in our walk? Sometimes we are fascinated by the world but change our direction upon hearing the gospel, yet then again there are times when we are bullheaded and so misguided that we look towards the world without turning. Sometimes we are allowed to go our own stubborn way while at other times God or Jesus will physically take our faces in Their hands and turn us towards Them as They speak powerfully to us like Jesus did to Saul (Paul),
.
“But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that this is very Christ.”
Acts 9:22 KJV
Paul was knocked down, blinded, told what he must do, had his vision restored when he agreed that Jesus was the Messiah, and then dedicated his life to Him. Only then did he begin to learn and grow in Christ. Has this happened to us, or perhaps a better question is whether this HAD to happen to us? All these things that occurred to Saul did so before his name was changed from Saul to Paul.
“But Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him”
Acts 13:9 ESV
So when we look at our spiritual lives, where do we stand? Have we just been blinded to the world and convicted by Christ, or are we somewhere further on in the progression of faith? I search daily to insure that I am traveling in the right direction; I believe that I have already been blinded to the world, told what I must do, had my vision of the world restored (albeit changed), and am now in the process of growing and acting in accordance with my mission of faith... but this way always has two directions... forward and back. Which way did yesterday take me, and will today bring me closer to Jesus?
“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,”
1 Timothy 4:1
There is nothing that can separate us from Jesus and the love of God accept ourselves. There is a scripture that details all those things that cannot separate us, and some believe it to say "once saved always saved," but will we accept our salvation? There is one name missing from this list... ours.
“For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38-39 KJV
God may love us always, but will we love Him? Jesus has become the sacrifice that allows us to come before God in righteousness and purity, but it is our choice whether or not to accept Him as our lamb, and to remain in Him. Oswald Chambers warns us of straying with these words...
"Never allow anything to deflect you from insight into Jesus Christ. It is the test of whether you are spiritual or not. To be unspiritual means that other things have a growing fascination for you." - Oswald Chambers
So it is up to us. We are not robots or puppets, and the choice of which direction we will walk on our road of faith, or for that matter, whether we will go down that road at all, is up to us. But, once we decide to walk this road, are we fascinated enough by Jesus? Are we consumed by the love of God? Or, are we blindly led to Damascus where we go about our lives with a minimal experience of faith?
When I was a young boy, I had a fascination with astronomy. I studied our solar system and became absorbed in learning all I could about it. There was one book in particular that detailed the size of every celestial body, and distances from the sun of each planet in our solar system. At that time I could quote all of those distances and sizes to you. I knew the composition of every planet, its diameter and circumference, and whether it could possibly support life. I could name every moon around every planet, and all the known features of our solar system. I couldn't get enough... this is the fascination that Paul had for his faith in Jesus. He couldn't get enough. He chose Jesus as his savior, and never separated himself from the love of God and His Word.
Unfortunately, I lost my knowledge of our solar system and the universe. It is hard to say when that happened, because it occurred so slowly, but nonetheless, I can't quote you any of those distances or sizes today. I didn't make a conscious decision to stop studying or remembering... I just lost my fascination with it over time. If we are not diligent in our studies of God's Word, and remain focused on our faith every day, then this could very well happen to our walk with Jesus and our love of God. We won't turn suddenly away, but just drift apart until one day we will no longer see them. When that happens, the journey to reunite with them may be nearly as daunting as it was in the beginning when we were first led to believe.
If we find we have drifted away we must make a choice, but first we have to determine where we truly are in our faith. Have we been walking back and forth along the same stretch of road while calling this our journey of faith? Are we wearing out one short section of the way as we became satisfied with remaining there? Or, perhaps we have lost our way totally and are now drifting back towards where we were before we first believed? I pray that we are diligently watching each step we take and listening for the voice of Jesus as He calls us ever onward? But, only we can determine this, so where are we today?
Each morning begins a new day, and like a shepherd who rises and decides where he will graze his flock, we must decide where we will take our faith. Where will we best be fed? Is it up the mountain? Through the valley? Beside the still waters? Into the forest? Into a bordering pasture? Or will we remain where we are for another day? The choice is ours, but if we listen to Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and study the Word, then we will most certainly make the right choice. Unlike many who choose to remain stagnant, or to listen to the world for guidance, we must maintain our fascination in Jesus and remain firm in our unwavering love of God. Then perhaps, like Saul, we will receive a new name from God and travel ever onward towards eternity with Him.
Prayer:
Father, you are the greatest love in my life. My fascination for you and your Son Jesus is all encompassing, and my most overwhelming fear is that I might become complacent and remain in a place without hearing your voice call me on. Shout to me Lord, never let me miss your commands, or trail so far behind that I lose sight of your flock. Keep me in your presence in the evening as we recline on the hillside above the others, recounting the wonders of our day's journey together. Let me always be pleasing in your sight and in all things help me to be obedient to your command and attentive to your whistle. May my passion for you lead me ever closer to your side, and may every lesson you teach, and my daily walk with Jesus, remain my fascination and obsession throughout time and eternity.
Rich Forbes