I am fascinated when God shows Himself or something that I could never see on my own. It's awesome to experience even when all around me chaos seems to win the day.
We often get into familiar ruts of life, see this, and know that will happen. Do this and this will be the result. Touch a button and soon you are performing what used to seem to be magic, sending a message via text to another person. The magic wears off and we droll on through the day not thinking about what's behind things.
Oh that just happened, or this is going on, but we lack being impressed by it.
There's a saying that familiarity breeds contempt. We often get bored by what we do and go through that the miraculous just isn't seen for what it is.
I often go back to the words of Jesus when He said we need to come to Him as a child. A child never loses the sense of wonder. A child trusts implicitly. A child believes unquestionably. A child is moldable. A child can be taught new things because all things are new to them.
Why do you think Satan chooses to heavily invest in the twisting and perverting the teaching of children?
If he can manipulate a generation or so he can build an army of adults that will do his bidding. Look around you. Look at our public schools. It's already happened.
But going back to the thoughts of today. It was pointed out in a devotional this morning about smooth sailing Christians and those whose lives seem to have been very rough. In the lived of those who had it rough, they will see more of God's character and truth than those who had it smooth. Moses wouldn't have known all he did about the Lord had he not had the rough road he traveled. Joseph wouldn't have developed into the man of God he did had he not been down his rough road too. Samson wouldn't have cried out to God with a sincere heart until he was brought to his knees in troubles.
We can and do pray for each day. For the strength to make it through. For peace. For health. All good things, but where would Psalms 23 be? If we are His workmanship, it means disturbing, painful, often difficult times in our lives to make is more Christ-like. Put yourself in the place of that used, worn pot in the sink. You have to make it look like new. At a minimum you need something abrasive to clean it. You have to scrape. You have to introduce heat of the water to aid the soap. None of which is pleasant to the pan!!! Yet after time and effort the result is something wonderful. A tool useful to the Master.
As our character is shown God's character, we learn what we should be like. A Disciple followed the path of his Master. Where he went you went. He went through dangerous situations, so did you. He climbed mountains, guess where you were going.
Children learn about their parents in the same way. They see, they do. Not always a good idea in some cases but the truth is there. We should be looking to God with anticipation, not in regret, when it comes to learning from Him. Maybe regret isn't exactly the word. But in a state of depression. Like it is someone who we really, if we are honest, don't want to be around. Because we THINK we know what will be expected of us.
Truth is that's a lie.
The more time you spend with Jesus the more joy you will find. Things you once declared as important to you, you wonder why they were important at all. Your behavior changes. You can't help but mimic all the good and right things you see in Jesus. You test the waters and find out the little steps of faith are getting you somewhere. All the sudden you look back on your life and see that you have been walking on the water and didn't know it.
Ask Jesus to show you more. Ask Him to reveal truth to you. Then...LOOK for the answers. We pray but don't look for the answer because we think we know what the answer should be. So we miss it.
Look at what Jesus is saying to you.
Expect a rough road and be glad for it so that you see more of God in your life.
It's an interesting fact about Howard Hughes. The man had absolutely anything anyone could want when he wanted it. Yet he was one of the most miserable men when he died alone.
So having a smooth life with no trouble at all doesn't make you better at all. It is quite the opposite. With everything you remove yourself from everyone else.
The prayers are throughout Scripture.
Pray for God to show you more of Him.
Then expect Him to do just that!
No comments:
Post a Comment