You know that moment when you really get something - that moment of clarity on something that is really deep.. really important? Wow!! It's like being on a mountain, a cool, crisp breeze blowing in your face... and a Truth hits you like a phone call that says you just won the lottery! We all have Epiphanies once in a while, and we all yearn for them, whether we know it or not. And then, there is theEvery Day.
The Every Day is the entering into the sameness of yesterday. We can trudge along through it and lose our sense of awe and amazement, mostly because we do not see anything to be in awe of or be amazed at. Oh, an Epiphany.. my kingdom for an epiphany!!
Hey, I am not knocking those moments of wonder. I am just saying sometimes we are so busy trying to understand the deep, that we forget the obvious. In less poetic terms: we skip the basics.
Anyone following Jesus Christ, or trying to follow Jesus Christ (much better said) prays. We pray for ourselves, we pray for others. We pray for wisdom and understanding. We pray for direction... "God, should I turn left, or right?" "Father, should I go to school or ministry?" This is good and right. But sometimes we are so busy seeking direction for the future we fail to hear the present call of a follower of Christ - "Be holy, as I am holy." "Do not be angry." "Do not be drunk with wine." "Be gentle and humble." Need I continue????
Here is the Epiphany of the day: Don't forget the basics. The basic call of holiness is what gets us before the Throne of God in the first place. If we ignore the basic commands of God, why should He help us with the deeper things? Do we honestly thing God ignores our "little sins"? Brothers and sisters, I must declare without any reservation: We are called to be holy. Holy means to be set apart for "special" purposes. In the context of faith, set apart to do God's will. That isn't just the big, wonderful things that get written about in a book. It means the mundane, the ordinary, the Every Day. Like the guy who finds the wallet filled with cash and returns it to its owner. The woman who sees the cashier forgot to charge for something and goes back and pays for it. The drivers who do NOT wave the one-fingered salute to someone who cut them off. (Yes, I just said that...)
I am convicted about the Every Day. I love the Epiphany, that's for sure... I am just like you. And I struggle today, and will likely struggle tomorrow. But I have a God who owns the Every Day as much as He owns the Epiphany. His grace and mercy pour over me and wash me clean. His Spirit fills me and gives me eyes to see not only my own sin, but the needs of others, and the will of God.
God is good. All the time. His plan and purposes are good. Seek Hard.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Friday, May 8, 2009
State of Amazement
As I was praying this morning, I kept thanking God for all the things He is doing in my life and around my church. I declared, "God I am so amazed by You and the things You do." Suddenly, it hit me: Why am I not always in a constant state of amazement? I mean think about it - God is always all powerful, all-knowing, all seeing, ever compassionate and full of grace. Why am I only amazed right now, in the midst of some huge things He is doing in my life? (Long stories-- I am in the midst of a few major moves of God - I will present soon... just waiting for the right time...)
Then came the answer: I am not watching close enough. The truth of the matter is God is always doing the impossible; He is always doing something amazing. Too often, I am caught up in my own myopic perspective and I fail to see the myriads of things God is doing around me, through me, and to me. I repented.
Brandon Heath released a song recently... "Give me Your Eyes". In the song he talks of what is really going on underneath. As he walks the street of his town, he struggles to see past the smiles and into the hearts of those he encounters. He asks for the ability to love them, and make a difference in their lives. I dare say that condition of blindness is common, and is from the enemy. My brothers and sisters, this ought not be.
Jesus told the disciples to look at the people - the fields ripe and ready - and He said to pray that there would be the faithful, the workers, to harvest. (Matt 9:35-37) Guys - that's us. God is calling us to open our eyes and see what He is doing around us. There are people dying because they do not know Him. Think about what your life would be like if you did not know Jesus -- and recognize that there are many, many people living like that. I don't know about you, but my heart is breaking right now. If the fields are not harvested, they will die.
So, let's imagine something better: Your eyes are open and you see what God is doing all around you. You see the hurting, the ill, the lonely... and you are filled with compassion. You see God orchestrating "divine appointments" with you and others, and you are amazed. You see how God prepared someone to hear just the right words, and you are amazed. You see someone healed of cancer. And you are amazed. You see someone receive the money they needed just in time, and you are amazed. You see the faithful giving sacrificially of themselves and of their treasures, and you are amazed. You see God doing things that you never could have imagined - God, moving in His people, bringing about the Impossible. And you are amazed.
That's what I want. Yes, today, I am amazed... God has done and is doing some amazing things in my life right now and it is easy to see. What about tomorrow? Will I return to the everyday... the everyday where I only see the physical things, the obvious? Or will I continue to see with the eyes of faith? Will my eyes open wide with amazement as the God of the Universe interacts with me and the lives of those around me?
Father hear my prayer. I need to see with Your eyes. I am not complete, as Your son, unless my eyes are healed so I see what is really going on in and around me. Father I pray that I live in a constant state of amazement as I see You working to save those You love, as You grow the faith in those who love You. I desperately need you to remove the scales from my eyes, and soften my heart, that I might have the compassion to love others as You do. I am Yours. Use me as You will. Amen.
Then came the answer: I am not watching close enough. The truth of the matter is God is always doing the impossible; He is always doing something amazing. Too often, I am caught up in my own myopic perspective and I fail to see the myriads of things God is doing around me, through me, and to me. I repented.
Brandon Heath released a song recently... "Give me Your Eyes". In the song he talks of what is really going on underneath. As he walks the street of his town, he struggles to see past the smiles and into the hearts of those he encounters. He asks for the ability to love them, and make a difference in their lives. I dare say that condition of blindness is common, and is from the enemy. My brothers and sisters, this ought not be.
Jesus told the disciples to look at the people - the fields ripe and ready - and He said to pray that there would be the faithful, the workers, to harvest. (Matt 9:35-37) Guys - that's us. God is calling us to open our eyes and see what He is doing around us. There are people dying because they do not know Him. Think about what your life would be like if you did not know Jesus -- and recognize that there are many, many people living like that. I don't know about you, but my heart is breaking right now. If the fields are not harvested, they will die.
So, let's imagine something better: Your eyes are open and you see what God is doing all around you. You see the hurting, the ill, the lonely... and you are filled with compassion. You see God orchestrating "divine appointments" with you and others, and you are amazed. You see how God prepared someone to hear just the right words, and you are amazed. You see someone healed of cancer. And you are amazed. You see someone receive the money they needed just in time, and you are amazed. You see the faithful giving sacrificially of themselves and of their treasures, and you are amazed. You see God doing things that you never could have imagined - God, moving in His people, bringing about the Impossible. And you are amazed.
That's what I want. Yes, today, I am amazed... God has done and is doing some amazing things in my life right now and it is easy to see. What about tomorrow? Will I return to the everyday... the everyday where I only see the physical things, the obvious? Or will I continue to see with the eyes of faith? Will my eyes open wide with amazement as the God of the Universe interacts with me and the lives of those around me?
Father hear my prayer. I need to see with Your eyes. I am not complete, as Your son, unless my eyes are healed so I see what is really going on in and around me. Father I pray that I live in a constant state of amazement as I see You working to save those You love, as You grow the faith in those who love You. I desperately need you to remove the scales from my eyes, and soften my heart, that I might have the compassion to love others as You do. I am Yours. Use me as You will. Amen.
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