The way of Jesus cannot be imposed or mapped — it requires an active participation in following Jesus as he leads us through sometimes strange and unfamiliar territory, in circumstances that become clear only in the hesitations and questionings, in the pauses and reflections where we engage in prayerful conversation with one another and with Him.
Giving our hearts to unworthy things can become like drinking from a tainted water source that is corrupt and will make us sick. Our hearts are ground zero for our lives, and we must be intentional vigilant, and wholly devoted, if we want to know and be known by God.
Are you focusing on your circumstances, or are you focusing on the One who is greater than any circumstances in your life? Get to know Jesus. Find out who He is, and let Him be the loudest voice in your life.
A soul… acts toward the Spirit of God as toward a watchmaker who will fix our watch. We put a watch in his hands because we know he will not force it, and we put our souls in God’s hands because we know that if he inspects them regularly they will work as they should.
My spirit is God’s home. His unconditional love dwells in me. I have already received all of God’s love that I am ever going to receive. God’s grace and mercy live at home in me. The fruit of the Spirit is at home in me. The power of God that created the universe lives inside me. His Spirit now lives in my spirit, and in Him there is no darkness at all. His love thinks no evil, and that love is resident in my spirit. Think about it; how can anything I do improve on that!
It is not just that we exist and God has always existed, it is also that God necessarily exists in an infinitely better, stronger, more excellent way. The difference between God’s being and ours is more than the difference between the sun and a candle, more than the difference between the ocean and a raindrop… God’s being is qualitatively different.
Jesus remains the absolute point of everything. He is the one our eyes fasten on, the one our heart longs for and the one who is worth losing everything to gain. That eternal perspective, that intimacy with Him, that hunger and longing, that romance and that realization that He is everything we could ever need, is the constant answer to every assault from the devil. We laugh in the face of adversity, knowing that we have a perfect Saviour who brings a joy that few ever truly experience. We cannot function without that joy. It is the driving force that both sustains and nourishes us. It is indeed our constant strength. When we lack answers, His joy lifts us above the questions and positions us in a place of perfect peace. We remain childlike because we trust Him with every fibre of our being. We play at the feet of the One who is love. We dare not stray into our own intellect but pursue the wisdom that simply says ‘Yes Jesus.’ As we drown in the tidal waves of His love, we find a footing that is solid, secure and beautiful.
Jesus is not merely useful; He’s ultimately beautiful. When I see Jesus as merely useful, it’s tempting to want to make Him move my world. When I see He’s beautiful, it’s the heart that’s moved, and this begins to change my world. When Jesus is only useful, He’s a gadget or pill to make life better. But when Jesus is seen as truly beautiful, He’s a joy that makes us live better… love better.
When the Father chose a people for himself, deciding to adopt them as his own children, he was motivated by love alone. Hence, what he did was a result not of sheer determination but of supreme delight.