So you haven't heard from me in a while. Jesus, I believe in you and I want to pursue you with everything I have but I just can't seem to get it together. I can't seem to find who I am before I talk to you in the way I feel you would want me to. I know that I asked for you to live in my heart. I asked for you to be my saviour. But I never fully gave my life to you. I wanted to have my music, my life. I wanted it to be about what I need. I wanted this and that and so many other things that I felt could get me closer to what I needed. I wanted to do drugs and sink my life into a whole. I wanted so much to crawl out of this darkness but I felt helpless to it. I wanted to increase my wealth and buy and brand new car with everything in it that I could want. I wanted what I wanted - BUT THEN I REALIZED....it's not about what I want - it's about what YOU want for me to have. What you want for my life. What you want, is someone completely ready to be a follower of you. To be a true disciple. What YOU wanted is a person that would lay down there material possessions just for a moment with you. (Luke 18:22) What YOU wanted was someone who wasn't afraid to share the Gospel of you and share all you had done in their life. (Matthew 28:19) What YOU wanted was someone to LOVE...not for selfish reasons, But to LOVE for your reasons. (Matthew 5:44)To care a deep care for all the people of this world because YOU did. What YOU wanted was My eyes to see everyone in this world not as a color but as a family - Created in your father's image. (Genesis 1:27) What YOU want from me is someone who wants you to be the leader in their life. (John 14:6) Someone who is ready to walk the path that YOU have laid out before them. What YOU want is me. (Luke 15:10) You want me, which is why you took everything that I WANTED to the cross with you to say I LOVE YOU. You WANT me to be the guy in your story who chose to share. You WANT me to tell everyone the story of how you loved us more than we could ever imagine.
The above talk with Jesus was supposed to demonstrate how we sometimes sit and talk to God. How we sometimes try to justify what we want...how we sometimes feel like we should have what it is that we want. But it's all about what Jesus wants for us. I know when He came to be man, he fought for us.
John 3:16 Says: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
I know that Your conversation with God went something like this:
Jesus says: So Dad, I know your having a hard time with the people down there...but I know they love you. They just have a hard time showing it. Send me, I'll go and bring them redemption and salvation and show them a Grace they could never imagine.
God: Are you sure Son? They won't receive you, as you will be one of their own - they will reject you, they will have you murdered and put to death and there will be no way to escape this. I know you love them as do I, but are you sure. (While hiding tears)
Jesus: I LOVE THEM, that's all I need. I know that my love will show them a new way to be. I know that I can help them. Allow me to teach them and get them from their wicked ways. Father, this is my choice. Will you honor it.
(Now Emotionally Crying turned with back to Jesus) -
God: Of course, but really, I need you to understand they will crucify you! I don't think I WANT THAT....
Jesus placing his hand on God's back says - Dad, it's ok...This is the only way to show them how much WE love them!!!
Romans 5:8 Tells us "But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
Jesus knew before he came to us that he was going to be rejected and persecuted and Hung on a cross to die...YET he still came to show us How much he loved us! He still came to love us, to be who we needed on an everyday basis, to seek and live for, to call upon in our times of need. Jesus was not sent to condemn us but to bring us to light in our darkness. How about this story:
Some men: Why are you here teacher? You say you are sent by God, but you sit in the presence of these people.
Jesus: Well I would much rather be here than with a bunch of hypocrites. You say you live for God yet you turn away the very people seeking to find him. Let me put it this way - The doctor doesn't come to heal the well, He comes for the sick. (Matthew 9: 11-13)
Man I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall during this conversation. The people calling him out must have just swallowed their tongues...that would have been AWESOME. I mean Jesus flat out calls them out and tells them what they need to do. This is what He has done for us. We need to stop criticizing people because they are different or have something about them that we don't agree with. Jesus loves them as should we. If we just strived to be more like Jesus, what a world we would have. WE CANNOT BE PERFECT but in his Grace we will always be forgiven. When you think to yourself that my sins cannot be forgiven or that you have done to many things to be forgiven, or that maybe you just aren't good enough. Read the story of Peter and how he denied Christ. He was called out three times for knowing Jesus and all three times he said NO...I do not know that man! (Matthew 26:69-75) The angel called Peter by name. Jesus knew Peter was scared and denied knowing Him and in this JESUS STILL FORGAVE HIM. (Mark 16:7)
NO SIN IS UNFORGIVABLE No matter what you read or see on TV...no matter what a CHURCH that's not a CHURCH claims GOD HATES...
NEWSFLASH -
HE DOESN'T HATE...
HE ONLY LOVES...
WOULD SOMEONE WHO HATES BEEN ABLE TO SEND HIS SON TO EARTH WHEN HE KNEW HE WAS GOING TO DIE!
NO, THAT'S AN UNDENIABLE, UNFATHOMABLE LOVE...NEVER ENDING...NEVER HATING...LOVE!
JESUS LOVES YOU AND SO DO I
