Key Scripture – “For the sin of this one man, Adam, brought death to many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of forgiveness to many through this other man, Jesus Christ.” – Romans 5:15
Key Thought – “the free gift of Jesus given to us without obligation, without requirements without stipulations, given freely because God’s heart is to bless and delight in his creation.”
In order to awaken our hearts to our real identity, we need to stop and breathe and enter into a new direction. It starts with opening our minds and moves to connecting with that whisper that pursues us. We often think that the latest technological gadget or foreign holiday will make us happy, or that joining a local interest group will make us feel connected or working hard to get the most out of our career will make us more fulfilled. But although these may improve our outlook in the temporary, these are in reality little distractions that stand in the way of connecting with God and finding our real self’s. I am all too aware in my own life of how tempted I am to reach out in times of stress and take comfort in the things easily accessible instead of stopping and listening to the whisper inside.
When we start to listen to the whisper and connect with the voice that pursues us, we come to realise that to be complete, we need to discover the value and acceptance of love demonstrated to us by God.
Most of us live in an earthly reality in which we are increasingly aware of how we look, what we wear and the image we portray. The ever increasing tide of social media pressure has created a realm where we can project an image of ourselves where we can get attention by every possible means. The realty of this is that our lives revolve, and our value is determined by the attention we attract. And this world sees everything in terms of gain or loss, so we endeavour to get as much as we can for me and mine from other people, from life and ultimately from God.
In this earthy reality, we interact with each other with unconscious transactions, to make us feel valued and accepted. Just take a look at ‘Facebook’ with its posts of, “type Amen is you agree with this today” or “Share this if you really care!” When it comes to interaction with those around us we accumulate, status, money, and consumer products in order to make ourselves feel more complete. When it comes to happiness, we try to make the most of all we have in the effort to ensure that we get every last drop of satisfaction we can before it is too late. And when it comes to God, we pray the He gives us what we want so that we don’t have to face the terror of our earthy reality.
Living with this earthly reality means you are forever chasing after something that confirms your value and acceptance, as you cling on to try to guard everything you need. But here is the real conundrum of life; however, much love, money or status you acquire from the world around you, none of it will fill the hole you feel inside. The love, worth, value and acceptance you need are actually found in a different reality.
The awakening of our hearts requires us to listen to the soft whisper inside. Allowing all that God is to connect with our deepest being, to rest in the moment and turn our thoughts inwards and start to see with the eyes of faith. It is here in the field of faith that we take our eyes off ourselves, off the things that consume our thoughts and the possibilities of heaven start to illuminate our darkness. It is a journey of immense proportions, it is an adventure beyond our imaginings, it is one of cosmic possibilities, it is the path that goes from our head to our heart. It is a realignment from an earthy reality to a divine, eternal reality.
In an eternal reality, there is no separation between us and God, or between you and Jesus Christ, there is only the divine overflow of all God is in Jesus Christ in me and everything that exists is now a manifestation of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and we are filled, feed and nurtured by the grace of God. It is here in the grace of God that we find true love, true worth, true value and true acceptance. The real treasure that we seek is that which is freely given and cannot be earned or lost. And this jewel of the eternal reality is the free gift of Jesus given to us without obligation, without requirements without stipulations, given freely because God’s heart is to bless and delight in his creation.
Living in an eternal reality doesn’t mean that we hide ourselves away from everything around us. We don’t need to deny ourselves the pleasures and delights in life nor insolate ourselves from our family and friends. What living in an eternal reality means is that we can enjoy the full height, depth, breath and width of life as it is happening, we can know the power and presence of the love of God, we can demonstrate the grace of God in everything we do and we can face circumstances without fear and without despair.
Far from being mundane and dry, life in the eternal reality is richer and more delightful.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thank you for visiting my blog. Please do not feel you have to comment. I enjoyed writing, listening to God and sharing his toughts. I hope you enjoyed reading, and may God who is able to make all grace, every favour and earthly blessing come to you in abundance, do far above all you can ask or think, according to the power that works within you. Be blessed.