This morning I was spending some time with the Lord, and he reminded me of who He is. He is the author and perfecter of our faith. He is the Almighty God, creator of the universe and the planet we so often take for granted. The truth is that without God’s work in a person’s life there is absolutely no reasonable explanation for why someone would want to follow Jesus. I wonder sometimes though, whether people have an accurate picture of who Jesus is. Do they know who Jesus Christ is, or do they have a mixed up image of some random caucasian man with long brown hair and a beard who wears a white robe and poses perfectly with his hands pointing to the sky as though he’s praying. Yes, Jesus prayed, but I believe that Jesus prayer posture was more likely than not on his hands and knees, weeping without restraint because of the pain and hurt and loss that people cause each other for their own personal gain. Things that people do because they want to fill a need that they can’t quite express. The need for intimacy with God; to know Him and to be known by Him.
This morning God reminded me that He sees all the things that we do, all the things that we say, all the things that we think. He knows all that. He knows the sins that we hide from each other and quite often are afraid to bring to him. He knows it all, yet he is willing to accept us as BLAMELESS, when we believe in His son Jesus. God has revealed Himself to us through Jesus. God became flesh and lived on earth with us in Jesus. When we have faith in Him, and His sacrifice, which covered the penalty for our sins. This willingness is proof of a God who not only is powerful beyond imagining, but a God who is personal beyond reason. He loves with an extravagant love that covers our wrongs if we put our faith in Him. This same God tells us in His word that we are not good enough on our own to be saved. We NEED Jesus. God’s word tells us that Jesus is “the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE.” A relationship with Jesus is what we all long for in the deepest parts of our being. The intimacy that we can have with God through His son Jesus is something that we often try to replace with things that promise much, but deliver little. Jesus is what we long for. A word from God that will quench our thirsty souls. Jesus has provided freedom from the things that we find ourselves bound to. He has given us a way to be right with God and to find life.
If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. – Romans 10:9-10
The truth is that we need to turn from the things that we’ve been seeking to fill the need for intimacy with God, and be intentional about getting to know him. Maybe you have a friend that you used to be close with and now see less and less. Friendships like that are a reality, but the truth is the closeness you feel diminishes over time. If you use to be close to God and now feel far from Him, I want to encourage you to get close to Him again. He is never far from us. We often separate ourselves from Him. He is ready for you to come back to Him, maybe He got me to write this post just for you. His love is extravagant toward each one of us.
Prayer for the day: God, show me the things that I’ve let come between you and I. Help me to see you for who you really are. Thank you for sending Jesus to provide a way for us to come to you and have a right relationship with you again. Thank you for your forgiveness. By your love, help me to do what I know to be right.