Sunday, July 5, 2015

Wisest Guide, Trusted Friend


It’s frequently said that the church isn’t a building, it is people. That’s true.  The church is a body of believers, not an architectural and geographical place with a street address. 

In the same way, Christianity isn’t a set of pillared mandates, and truth isn’t a concept to align with.  He’s a person. 

If your belief in Jesus doesn’t have the elements of a conversation, pause the routine you may find yourself in and visit Him newly.  If your faith has become a non-stop stream of prayers where you speak, but there’s little listening going on for what His response may be, sit with Him freshly and let Him have a voice to your heart.  If you are stuck on a rat race of endless ministry projects, but haven’t checked in with the Shepherd in a while about this work He’s supposed to be leading, step off the path and take a slower-paced walk with Him again. 

Christianity is a home, not a manufacturing plant.  It is a table, not a fast food drive through lane.  It is talk with the wisest friend, not a multi-tabbed Google search for all the answers we can come up with, or a library filled with endless rows of books we have to dig through for answers.  I am not saying it doesn’t take effort and sacrifice and difficult choices sometimes, but if our heart and mind is set on production, we are poised to forget Who has called us to walk up the mountain and may be using Him only as a reference point, but no longer the day-to-day guide He longs to be.  Our eyes may have gotten too focused on the peak of the mountain we are trying to get to and totally miss that the journey is also meant to be the lessons He has for us all along the way there.   

We can’t walk in step with Him if we have our whole list of beliefs written in the guide book in our pocket, but don’t reference it as we journey, because, inevitably, the path He has for us will take unexpected twists and turns.  It is never a highway from point A to point B.  And He didn’t intend it to be. 

He loves you.  He longs for your company.  He has all kinds of adventures and discoveries for you to find, and crucial life-saving work for you to do.  You get to join a mission of saving lives, while having your own transformed in the process.  But it never gets to the point where we can do it if we stop walking with Him at our side, conversation now silent because we’ve got it figured out.   He loves to let us in on the magnificence of His Lordship, invited along on the adventure of a King.  We don’t find all that richness by grabbing the steering wheel.

Never forget that He has called you friend.  



No comments: