Hear for Yourself

"They said to the woman,

'We no longer believe just because of what you said;

now we have heard for ourselves,

and we know that this man really is

the Savior of the world.'"

John 4:42

I remember watching the children's television show Reading Rainbow when my daughters were younger.  Host Levar Burton would introduce child guests who recommended books to the audience with the familiar line, "But you don't have to take my word for it."

It's always good to have a reference of some kind when trying to decide whether or not to take a risk and purchase a new product, read a book, or make an investment.  I am inherently suspicious, so I don't swallow every line that I'm fed.

It is the same with me and Jesus.  I can have all the references in the world, hearing testimony after testimony of how He changed peoples' lives, but until I, "Taste and see that the Lord is good" (Psalm 34:8) I will never truly believe for myself.  My faith with be counterfeit as I rely only on what I've heard from others, not on what He's done for me personally.  

If I want to grow my faith in Jesus Christ I must hear from Him for myself.

Personal

My four daughters grew up in a Christian home.  Their mother and father were both believers and committed to following Him.  The girls heard about the Good News of Jesus Christ from the time they were first able to walk, and they attended church on a regular basis where that message was reinforced.  Because they grew up in a such home, it would have been easy for them to assume they were "in" with God.  

As they matured and grew, though, all four of them went through their own personal experience in which they accepted Jesus Christ as their own personal Savior.  They each had to reach the point of individual realization of their own sinfulness and their need for salvation.  Since they knew from where their help came, they turned to what they knew: Jesus.  

Each of my daughters knew the Bible stories backward and forward, they had knowledge and understanding of why Jesus died on the cross, they believed God existed and that He loved them.  But they needed to begin their own personal relationship with Him and get to know Him for themselves.  Up until then, their faith was only made up of folklore and tradition.  Today, each one of them can say that Jesus is their lifeline.

I can't just rely on the relationship others' have with Jesus and piggy-back my way into the kingdom of God.  Instead, I need to make Him my own Savior, and begin to experience life with Him by my side.

In order to hear from Jesus for myself, I need to make Him my own personal Lord and Savior.

Unique

Middle School is a difficult time in a young person's life.  It is when most kids go through puberty and a period of searching for their identity.  Considering the fact that schools tend to place this age group together in one school, it's no wonder Jr High, as we used to call it, is rife with fads and clicks.  Kids want to fit in with someone and try to mimic those whom they admire.  For this reason, walking into most middle schools is like walking into a clone factory: Most children look the same.

Changing my hair, clothes and behavior may be enough to get me into a certain group as a pubescent youth, but fitting in with God's family is a bit different.  If I want to find my place in the Body of Christ, I will need to learn to accept myself and others as God has individually formed us.

With all of the millions of people ever created, its hard to believe that each of us is a one-of-a-kind masterpiece.  It is true, though: I have a different combination of gifts, talents and personality that makes me distinct from everyone else.  

For this reason, I can't expect my relationship with Jesus to be the same as everyone else's.  Some interweave their devotional time throughout the day, while others stick to a morning time to set them on the right path.  A number of believers may be led to take a job in an industry known for its godlessness, while some work in a Christian-friendly environment.  A few can glean a message from Him virtually anywhere, even in secular music, while others are tempted to fall away by listening to anything other than gospel music.  

Since my connection with Jesus is as individual as I am, I must be careful not to mimic others faith, or judge those whose life does not look like mine.  Instead, I am to stay true to what God is calling me to do for my own life and, unless He convicts me to rebuke a brother or sister, leave all judgement to God.  He is the Father of us all and following Him will never lead me into sin.

In order to hear from Jesus myself, I need to cultivate my own unique relationship with Him.

Characteristic

I can recognize the handiwork of a friend because she has her own flavor.  One friend gives good advice, while another never stops by without a little something to share with me.  Others know how to make me laugh, while some get to the heart of the matter.  Each person has their own characteristic style of walking with Christ.

As I grow in my relationship with Him, I start to develop my own unique and personal story.  This testimony is constantly changing and evolving as I see more of His handiwork in my life.  When I tell others what God is doing for me, it will look different than what I hear from them.

This is one of the mysteries of God.  How can He be so big as to create all things, yet so small as to connect intimately and individually with each of His children?  As I walk with Him in this life He has given me, I will begin to learn more and more about Him.  Every new revelation will awaken in me a sense of awe at the greatness of my God.

This attitude of astonishment and respect for God is addressed by Oswald Chambers.  He said, "Faith is the inborn capacity to see God behind everything, the wonder that keeps you an eternal child.  Wonder is the very essence of life.  Beware always of losing the wonder, and the first thing that stops wonder is religious conviction.  Whenever you give a trite testimony, the wonder is gone.  The evidence of salvation is that the sense of wonder is developing."

It is easy for me to go on auto-pilot and discontinue my real and personal everyday walk with a living God.  Instead, I can turn this relationship into tradition and religion; doing ritualistic things that have worked in the past, copying what others are doing, going through the motions.  At this point, God ceases to be up-close and personal and has become far away and aloof.

Carrying a characteristic testimony that is fresh and new each day will come when I'm always connected to the One who is my Source of power, life and adventure!

In order to hear Jesus for myself, I need to develop my own distinguishable testimony through my exclusive experiences with a living God.

There are countless books written on how to develop a deeper faith in God.  This is not a great mystery, however, as the solution lies in my personal relationship with Jesus, my unique experiences with Him and how this all builds into my own characteristic testimony as I tell others of the wonder of God.  Don't, however, take my word for it: Find out for yourself and begin the adventure of a lifetime!

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I will keep my connection with God through faith in Jesus Christ fresh and new.

How do I fall back on dry, old religion instead of keeping my relationship with God at the forefront of my consciousness?

When am I copying what others do instead of blazing my own path and following God in my own way?

In Spirit and Truth

"Yet a time is coming and has now come

when worshipers will worship

the Father in spirit and truth,

for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

God is spirit, 

and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."

John 4:23-24

The weight of the obligation weighed heavily upon her as she went through her day.  It was Wednesday and everyone expected her to attend services tonight, but she was tired.  The stress of the day felt like gravity had just increased it's force, pushing her down toward earth.  What she really desired to do was go home and rest, taking some time to reflect on all the good that God was doing in her life in order to refocus her mind.  (Philippians 4:8)  The guilt of letting her friends down, however, drove her toward church as she ended her day.  Her heart was weary and the joy was gone.

I don't know about you, but I tend to put pressure on myself to do things that I think others expect me to do.  It could be to teach Sunday School, participate in every church function, or show up each Sunday morning with a smile on my face.  Other times I think church is the only place where I can serve God and show Him how much I love Him.  The thing is, my spiritual act of worship is not what happens within the four walls of the building where my congregation meets.  My spiritual act of worship is in offering myself as a living sacrifice. 

Here's what Paul teaches about worship as translated in The Message. "So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life--your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, walking-around life--and place it before God as an offering.  Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.  Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking.  Instead, fix your attention on God.  You'll be changed from the inside out.  Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it.  Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." (Romans 12:1-2)

If I want to worship God as Jesus said, in spirit and truth, I must leave behind the idea that worship takes place in a certain place.  Instead, I can think of everything I do as an opportunity to praise and glorify God.  In order to do this, though, I will need to change the way I think.

Wholeheartedly

Recently I watched one of our cats, Midnight, "stalking" a gecko through the sliding glass door.  He was thoroughly engrossed in his mission, letting nothing distract him.  In contrast, Kale, our orange Tabby is pretty skittish due to his roots as a wild, street cat.  When he spots a bird or bug on the other side of the window, his interest is heightened, but he is always aware of his surroundings.  Kale never completely gives himself over to the hunt because he's always watching his back: His fear hampers his ability to hunt as he was created to do.

Fear does the same thing for me: It holds me back from completely embracing the mission God has for my life.  When I think What if I fail?  or What will people think? or Why would anyone listen to me? then I am letting fear rule me.  Accepting God's calling on my life means I will drop the fear and doubt, turn toward my Father and let Him give me a new perspective.

His point of view will let me see myself  the way He sees me.   Instead of thinking I'm entitled to talk down about myself, I will understand that as a part of God's creation, I am valued and precious.  Consequently, to show respect for God I must esteem myself.  Once I accept myself the way I am, I am free to worship God without reservation in the way I live my life.

Where once I went through the motions of dispensing a positive word to a friend in distress, I will find God's truth flowing from my mouth in love.   Where I used to do just what I needed to do to fulfill the requirements of my job, I will adopt a new-found zeal for excellence in all I do.  Where I used to let my feelings dictate my attitude, I will find my focus on God to override any negative mind-set.

To worship God in spirit and truth, I must let go of fear and embrace the life that God has graciously given to me.

Sincerely

Have you ever said you would help someone, but when the time came to fulfill your promise, your heart was just not in it?  This has happened to me many times.  It seems that I was more concerned with appearing helpful than in actually being helpful.

I may be able to bluff my way through life in relation to other people, but I can't fool God.  He knows when I'm genuine and when I'm playing games.  He knows when I'm authentically hurting and when i'm putting on a front that all is well despite the pain inside.  He knows when I truly don't have time to do something and when I'm just making excuses because I'm afraid to try.

To give my life as an act of worship, I must drop the show and begin to apply honesty in my dealings with God.  He knows everything about me: my bizarre thoughts, my weird ways, my quirky practices and my deepest fears.  There is nothing I could reveal to God that would surprise Him.  He is before me and behind me.  There is no place I can go to hide from God.  He knows me intimately.  (Psalm 139)

Given that He is so familiar with all my ways, attempting to hide things from Him or put up pretenses before Him is an exercise in futility: It can't be done.  It's kind of like trying to hide in a glass house.

In the same way that I feel betrayed when my husband tries to hide something from me, my relationship with God is stunted when I pretend with Him.  He desires that I share my innermost thoughts, no matter how bad, hurtful or destructive they may seem to me.  God can handle my honesty, and there's no better way to strengthen my relationship with Him.

To worship God in spirit and truth, I must drop the act and trust God enough to let Him see the real me.

Always

I have been watching the life of a woman who is going through every mother's worst nightmare:  Her 15-year-old daughter was abducted from her own bedroom and disappeared without a trace.  The captor is in jail, refusing to talk, and the mother is desperate to find her only child.  After 10 weeks, she still searches.

During one of the darkest times anyone could imagine, you would think her thoughts would be consumed with her daughter and what she might be enduring.  Instead, this woman's faith leads her to praise God, thanking Him for His steadfast love, His ever-present power, His overwhelming mercy.  She gives Him all the glory for her ability to get up each day and move forward.  

This amazing woman of God reminds me of Job, who after losing his entire family and all his wealth in one day said, "The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD." (Job 1:21b KJV)

If they can praise God even under such horrible circumstances, can I not thank Him even if I can't pay my bills?  If they can praise God in the midst of darkness, can I not adore Him even when I feel down and out?  If they can praise God while they suffer, can I not honor Him when tomorrow looms as an unknown chasm?  

Nineteenth Century writer and speaker Hannah Whitall Smith said, "Nothing can separate you from His love, absolutely nothing. . . God is enough for time, and God is enough for eternity.  God is enough!"  If He is all I need, then nothing in this life is able to conquer me.  The only way I suffer defeat is when I give myself over to the suffering, the misery or the hurts.  When hard times come it is necessary for me to willfully and purposefully keep my focus on the One who is my all in all and to resist falling victim to my circumstances.

To worship God is spirit and truth, I must turn my attention away from what is difficult and toward Who is sufficient.

Church is not the only place that I can worship God.  When I feel its my duty to go to church, or when I think I must in order to have a blessed life, I can instead learn to worship Him in spirit and truth.  This means, wherever I go and whatever I do I can accept whatever God gives me, practice honesty in my relationship with Him, and always focus on the good God is doing all around me.  When I adopt these customs, my life will be a living sacrifice to the One I love.

As I begin this day it is my prayer that I can cease to think of worship as a ritual or duty that I must do as a Christian.

How do I keep God out of my head by pretending my thoughts line up with His?

When can I do a better job of sharing my fears, hurts and disappointments with my Father?  

Enticing Love

"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good.

His love endures forever."

Psalm 136:1

There is a light beside my backdoor that seems to attract every bug in the county.  Opening that door at night is hazardous: moths and flying insects of every kind hover around, drawn toward the light.  In the morning, the evidence of their get-together is seen by the carcasses of those who came too close to the glow or by those unfortunate ones who smashed themselves against the siding of the house.  

Just as insects are attracted to light, I am drawn toward God's long-term, unconditional, healing, powerful love.  The difference is, God's love will not hurt me.  Instead, it will heal me, bring me peace, complete my soul and give courage to my heart.  Love is what I've been looking for all of my life.

God's love has a way of giving my life meaning and purpose.  Twentieth Century pastor and author A.W. Tozer said that, "God loves us for ourselves.  He values our love more than He values galaxies of new created worlds."  To love God and to be loved by Him is the desire of the human heart.  When I give my life to Him, His love is manifested in many different ways.  

Come Unto Me

Child Abuse. Terrorism.  Bankruptcy.  Broken Marriages. Cancer.  The world is wrecked and sin has brought death and destruction to God's perfect creation.  Things are not as they were meant to be.  Consequently, man suffers.  

Lying.  Pornography.  Gossip.  Slander.  Cheating.   Cursing.   Infidelity.  Addiction.  Fits of Anger.   Compulsive Shopping.  Idolatry.  Sin is everywhere in my life, threatening my relationship with God and others.  The burden of trying to do right is heavy.  I'm tired.

Jesus understands the pressure I face as His follower.  He knows that I mean well and desire to please Him, but my flesh is weak.  I can't do the right thing in my own strength.  He encourages me to rely on Him, saying, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."  (Matthew 11:28) 

No longer am I expected to live up to His standard by trying hard to do my best.  Under grace, God relieves me of that burden as I walk in relationship with Him, depending upon Him to enable me to live in a way that pleases Him.  The burden is removed from my shoulders and placed squarely upon His shoulders.  I then can rest as Jesus fights my battles for me, freeing me to simply receive His love.

As I come to Jesus, I will find rest and my heart will be at peace.

Drink from the Waters

The rat race.  The treadmill.  Jumping through hoops.  Running like a mouse in a wheel.  Working overtime but never achieving fulfillment.  Giving my life to a cause yet feeling empty inside.  Or, as Solomon put it, "Utterly meaningless!  Everything is meaningless."  (Ecclesiastes 1:2)

It's pretty easy to go through life, checking off all the things I think I'm supposed to do, but still feeling utterly unfulfilled, empty and dissatisfied.  There must be more than this!  The world tells me I will find satisfaction in a successful career, riches, family, and romance, but my heart aches for more.  

To try to chase the emptiness away, I change careers, earn even more money, have more children and find a new man, but nothing helps.  There's still a hole in my heart.

There was a woman who understood this feeling of hopeless worthlessness.  She was ostracized by the townswomen.  No one wanted to be her friend and she was the butt of many jokes, the subject of much gossip, the object of ridicule.  She went through men as some change cars; a new one every few years.  Her isolation was so complete that she found herself going to get water in the hottest part of the day when she knew no one else would be at the well.

It was as she was performing this daily household task that she learned what was missing. She had been looking in the wrong places for her sense of fulfillment.  Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.  Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."  (John 4:13-14)

No longer will life seem pointless.  Instead, everything I do will take on new meaning as I live for God instead of for me. His love draws me to Him as I long for what is missing in my life.  I was created for relationship with my Creator, and as I accept the free gift of salvation God offers through faith in Jesus Christ, my life becomes complete as it was meant to be.  

An abundant life is mine for the taking if only I will follow Jesus and drink from His well. 

Seek and You Will Find

One of the fondest memories of my childhood is when the kids in the neighborhood got together to play reverse Hide and Go Seek.  Instead of everyone hiding, only one person hid and the rest of the players looked for him.  Once a player found him, she quietly and secretly hid with them until only one "seeker" was left.  That person then became the one who hid.    

When I got to be the one who hid, I would find the most out-of-the-way, tricky place to hide where no one could find me.  My objective was to avoid being found.  With God, however, it's different.  He wants to be found.  He doesn't make things difficult or tricky to get to Him.  Instead, He says, "You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)

Even though God is easily found, I am effortlessly thrown off-track.  I may be headed toward Him with every intention of giving Him the top priority in my life when tragedy strikes.  Suddenly, I'm focused on the problem and forget about the Solution. 

Unexpectedly, my health fails and I move away from the Cure.  

Out of the blue, my friends desert me, leaving me all alone.  In my loneliness, I turn away from my One True Friend.

Jesus is the only one I need Seek and I am guaranteed that when I look for Him, I'll find Him. . . and my life will never be the same again.

God is a pursuing God.  His love comes after me, courting me with it's vastness, power and beauty.  I try to resist, but He never gives up.  Out of His great love for me He calls me to come to Him and lay my burdens at His feet, to drink from His fulfilling waters, and that I'm assured of finding Him when I seek Him.  His enticing love brings rest, meaning and focus to my life.  "Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good.  His love endures forever." (Psalm 136:1)

As I begin this day, it is my prayer that I will drink from the waters Jesus is offering instead of trying to find fulfillment elsewhere.

How do forsake my God in the busyness of my life?

When do I stop looking for God?