Scripture
Our verse for today comes from Matthew 11:20, ” Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. “
Background
I wonder where you might be on this journey of spiritual renewal and revival? It certainly is not a straight line or a direct path that leads every day to closer union with our Lord. The sin in our lives, some of which we aren’t even aware of, veers us off course or knocks us back in the opposite direction on a seemingly regular basis, so that we must reassert our commitment to pursuing Him daily. And some days that is not as easy as others. I have found that as I walk closer with Jesus, as He shares Himself with me and fills up more and more of my time and my mind with His kingdom business, that I become in awe, even overwhelmed, with how much there is to do. This world, and my heart specifically, are so far from what He intends them to be, that I almost don’t know where to begin. But one thing that I am learning is that God didn’t send His Son to die on a cross for our sins so that we could just go to church. He didn’t give us His Holy Word to instruct us on how to spend our Sunday mornings. He doesn’t fill our hearts with His Holy Spirit so we can give Him a few hours of our week and a couple dollars as worship and gratitude.
He is so off the charts bigger than this, and I fear that we are worshipping a God that we barely know. Or worse, we worship a God who might barely know us. Now perhaps you are like me and are struggling with what needs to change, and what’s real versus what’s temporary emotions. Maybe like me, you wrestle with how sincere you are about all you are learning and believing, or you feel guilt about following through with some things and letting others go by the wayside. But this is just our frail, earthen vessel trying to cope with an infinite God. We’ve got to realize that walking by faith is simple, but not easy. It’s secure, but not always safe. It’s God, in us. Read that again. The unsafe life of Jesus enabled God almighty to somehow live within me. If that’s true, how can I not live and look like Him?
Charge
As we seek Him today, let’s look at today as a day of worship. Ask God what He wants you to do today, and take that step of faith that is pleasing to our Father.
