The Seekers Journey

Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the reign of King Herod. About that time some wise men from eastern lands arrived in Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star as it rose, and we have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2 (NLT)

I suppose the journey of the wise men wasn't anything like today. If we were going to travel to see something and we didn't know where it was, we would look it up on the internet and figure out the fastest way to get there. The wise men couldn't do that.

They started out following a star...and they kept following it until they got to the town of Bethlehem. I imagine each day they needed to reassess their location, they needed to check their movements and make sure they were headed in the right direction. And even as they arrived at Bethlehem, they still weren't sure where in Bethlehem he was so they had to ask around, getting directions, searching for the information they needed.

What caused them to take on this journey? They were convinced that they needed to find this baby. This was their number one job. They put their all into this effort.

Funny, things haven't changed much in this regard. This is what we are supposed to do to.  We are supposed to be seekers of God. Just like the wise men, that is our role. Jeremiah 29:13 says "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (NIV) With all of your heart.

Are you willing to put your all into finding this God, this Jesus that will change your world? If the wise men did it haphazardly, they would never have found him. Same is true for us today.  We can't just half-way look for him. If we do, we won't truly find him. We'll only find a reflection of what we are comfortable with....which is so much less than he is.

Where are your journeys taking you? Are you on a mission to find Jesus? Are you willing to give it your all?

With You All The Way

The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). Isaiah 7:14 (NLT)

God with us. He came right smack dab in the middle of our messy world. That's where Jesus decided to show up.

Jesus wasn't just a God that was for us. Being for something isn't the same thing as being with it. I can be for our troops but until I show up with our troops, fighting on the front line, well, I'm just an observer. Jesus was not just an observer. He was an active participant.

He still is. Jesus is still here, in the thick of it. He is still right smack dab in the middle of our messy lives. He is still active. He is still participating. And this Christmas season, I praise Him for that!

And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Matthew 1:21 (NLT)

We Don't Have a Clue

And that every tongue should confess ...... Philippians 2:11 (KJV)

I keep thinking about this text. What is it every tongue should confess? Should every tongue confess that God is Love? Should every tongue confess that Jesus came, died and was resurrected so we would live forever? Should we confess that this applies to all of us, not just folks who look and act like us?

Should our tongues confess that no matter what Jesus loves you; that he died for you? No Matter What. And when should our tongues confess this?  Will it be only when he comes again? Shouldn't our tongues be confessing this NOW?

So often we see this text as something that will happen in the future but if it isn't happening now, it won't happen in the future. We are not likely to suddenly change our behavior and become more Christ-like just before Jesus comes. We have to know him now. We have to be able to confess who he is today. Today.

Can you? Do you know who he truly is? I don't. For the most part we don't have a clue who Jesus really is because he is too much for us to handle. There is no way I will ever fully understand Jesus but, it is my life's journey to find out.  How about you?

A Minute In It - Your Confessions

A minute in God's word will change your life. Take a minute to read the passage below. Then, ask yourself the questions at the bottom of the post. 

That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.   Philippians 2:10-11 (NKJV)

If someone were to ask you what you thought of Jesus, what would you say?
As you imagine seeing him, is your first inclination to bow?
Would you confess that he is Lord of your life? Is he in charge of everything?
What else would you confess about him? What do you know about him?
Are you in love with him?

The Revival Inside Me

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:14-16 (KJV)

We just finished the Thanksgiving holiday....anyone spend time with family?  Anyone spend too much time with family? We spent a lot of time with family over the last couple of weeks and sometimes, "I wasn't pretty."  Yes, you read that correctly.

One thing I noticed as I spent more time with family, I started reverting back to my old "family" habits. You know what those are. Those are the habits you learned as a child in your specific family that you worked your whole life to change and as soon as you get back around family there they are.  Things pop out of your mouth and thoughts pop into your head that you would never say in a different group of people.  My habits were not pretty. Some you could see on the outside, some you could not (thank God), like my judgemental thoughts.

Last week I posted about things you take for granted and one of the things I didn't list but should have was my Bible. Toward the end of the holiday, I was having my worship and reading my Bible and God brought today's text to my attention. The King James Version says "Study to show thyself approved." Notice that word....thyself. As I read and prayed God revealed to me that my behavior was something I should take notice of.  And he brought to mind some of the things I said and how I was behaving and he reminded me that this is not who I am. 

My heart broke. I don't know why we (I) do this - revert back to old behaviors when we get around old surroundings but I am asking God to change that in me. And then he brought this text "I live in the dust; revive me by your Word." Psalm 119:25 (NLT)

Yes, Lord. Revive me by your Word. Teach me to be more like you and less like me. Continue to change who I am into who you want me to be.  Amen

There Are Better Things Coming

And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. Revelation 21:4 (KJV)

Last week I posted that we lost a family member.  The day we buried him, another family member passed away. I said to my husband "This is too much death." That statement doesn't make sense does it?  Death is always "too much". It's a reminder that this world can sometimes be very difficult. It reminds us that there are tears and pain and heartache. 

It also reminds us that this life we live is not the end of the story. It is temporary. This is not our home. Our home will be a place with no more tears; no more pain. Our home will be a place where Jesus is and because he is, we will be as well. 

What do we do in the meantime? We live like he did - being truth and grace in all that we do (John 1:14). Loving everyone we meet unconditionally. Offering comfort and acceptance in all circumstances. We draw close to him every single day so we come away slightly transformed, even if ever so slightly, so that we look just a little more like him.  Then, we share that sliver (because let's face it - we don't always reflect him well) that we received with the world and in that tiny moment, Jesus will shine and the world will be a better place.

Appreciating What We Take For Granted

Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)

Maybe another way of being thankful is to not take something for granted. I can sit and think of things I am thankful for but if I think of things I take for granted, an entirely new list of things pops into my head...especially lately.

Here is a list of things I may take for granted and I shouldn't.  As I reflected on these things, I realized I am also extremely grateful for them.

Breathing
That my digestive system works
My Memory
My husband
That I have a job
That I can pay the bills
Changing Seasons (which means the Earth is spinning as it should)
A place to go when I am overwhelmed, Jesus
The Love of Family and Friends
The Ability To Give Thanks

What about you?  What do you take for granted that is a gift from God?

Happy Thanksgiving! May God pour out his Spirit on our hearts, our homes and our World.

The Best Kind Of Full

Your unfailing love is better than life itself;
    how I praise you!
I will praise you as long as I live,
    lifting up my hands to you in prayer.
You satisfy me more than the richest feast.
    I will praise you with songs of joy.
Psalm 63:3-5 (NLT)

Last week we lost someone very close to us. He went to sleep and is resting in Jesus' arms. It was a very stressful, hard to get through, emotional, overwhelming week.  We will lay him to rest this week. I hope you don't mind if I share some of the things I pondered and heard in my prayers this week.

This morning, as it dawns on me that it's Thanksgiving (and trust me, I am just processing this), I realize we still, in spite of life's hardships, have a lot for which to be thankful.

Most importantly is God's unfailing love. As these few weeks have passed, God has been present. Each morning when I got up and turned to him for comfort, he said exactly the right things. He knew just what I needed to hear in that moment for that day. I told a friend of mine that he was shouting this week so I wouldn't miss his voice in the midst of the noise.

David also celebrated this love. He said two things in the verses above that caught my eye this morning. Your unfailing love is better than life itself. How appropriate.  When we know someone who has lost their life or when we face losing ours (which we will at some point), that is not the end of it. The end of it is when we get to spend time with Jesus and feast forever.

The other line was You satisfy me more than the richest feast. As we are preparing to fill up and in a lot of cases, over indulge, we will still not be truly satisfied. We'll be full. We'll be stuffed but in a few hours, the hunger will return and we will not be complete.  Only one thing brings us that complete satisfaction. A relationship with Jesus. We can come back to the table over and over and over again.  We can ask for seconds and thirds and four hundreds. The food never dries up and we are fed each time to complete satisfaction.  The satisfaction lingers long past the meal.

Friend, as you celebrate all you are thankful for this year, my prayer is that you will celebrate your relationship with Jesus. His unfailing love is forever satiating.