Does God Miss You?

Most of us are familiar with Revelation 3:20, where Jesus said...

"Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person and they with me." 

It's most often quoted in reference to an unbeliever opening the door to let Christ into their life, but what if that's not what Jesus was talking about?

If we read the verse in context, it's being written to a group of believers who have allowed their relationship with the Lord to become lukewarm. I imagine that involves seldom taking time to spend with Him in prayer and worship or seldom consulting Him for help or direction for their day.

Perhaps what Jesus is really saying is, "Hey, it's been a while and I miss you. Open the door and I'll come in and we can spend a little time together, maybe share a meal. You can tell me what's on your mind and heart and I can tell you what's on mine. I'd like to help you with anything that's bothering you if you will just open the door. Whadda ya say? Can we talk?"

How long has it been since you sat with the Lord and just had a good, long chat?

-------------------------------------------------------
If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it with your friends using the Facebook, Twitter and other share buttons below. Thanks!

Don't Take the Bait

"Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly." 2 Timothy 1:16

Several times in the past week or so, I've had people post comments to me online that seem to be aimed at starting a conflict. 

My first impulse was to fire off a response that would have only added fuel to the flame. Fortunately, the Lord (and a couple of friends) gave me the good advice to not respond. I didn't, but I have to admit, to a lot of soul searching and  mental sparing with the people who made the comments.

I thought of brilliantly scathing remarks I could have made, convincing arguments to refute their claims, ways that they had acted inappropriately, but each time, the Lord reminded me that those responses would just make things worse.

The soul-searching was the worst and the best thing that came out of all this, because it gave me time to reflect, time to examine my own behavior in the past, time to repent and ask God to change those things in me that need to change. To make me a better person and a better reflection of Him.

This morning in my devotional time, I read 2 Timothy 2:16 that tells us to avoid godless chatter and those who indulge in it. I thought about those comments that tempted me to engage in what would have been a futile argument - godless chatter.

Then I read a little further...

"Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful." 2 Timothy 2:23-24 

At that point, I felt justified in ignoring the comments...until I read that last little bit of verse 24..."be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful."  Is ignoring kind? Did I miss an opportunity to teach because I was resentful?

I read on...

"Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will." 2 Timothy 25-26

"...trap of the devil?"

And then it hit me. The devil was up to his old tricks. New scheme. Same goal - to get me riled up, tempt me to respond in self-defense and anger, stir up dissension with someone I care for, get me to act in a way that's unbecoming for a child of God.

How grateful I am for good friends who give good advice and for the Holy Spirit pulling me back from an immediate and improper response, because I now recognize those comments as bait - not from the person who made them - but from the devil, who loves to play one believer against the other so that it will destroy unity in the family of God.

Friends, let's remember this...

"My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires." James 1:19-20

...and don't take the bait of Satan!

-------------------------------------------------------
If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it with your friends using the Facebook, Twitter and other share buttons below. Thanks!

Perfectly Broken to Shine

"For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ. But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us." 2 Corinthians 4:6-7

Jars of clay...that doesn't seem like a very safe place to store treasure, now, does it?

Jars of clay are common and fragile, often cracked or leaky, but then, if the treasure stored within is the light that comes with knowing Christ, perhaps jars of clay are the perfect vessel. We are imperfect, marred by scars from past mistakes on our part and broken by hurts inflicted by the careless handling of others, who are, themselves, imperfect vessels. Still, the light of Christ is able to shine through those broken places in us to a world that is hurting to say, "Look, Christ loves imperfect, broken people just as they are. He will fill them with His light so that it can shine as a beacon to those who need Him."

So we have this power in us. What power? The power to encourage, bless and heal the broken and hurting by allowing His light - the light of the knowledge of God's glory through salvation in Jesus Christ to not only shine in our own lives, but to spill out of us into their lives.

How will you allow God to shine through you today?



-------------------------------------------------------

If you enjoyed this post, please feel free to share it with your friends using the Facebook, Twitter and other share buttons below. Thanks!