Remember as a kid going to the nearest 'Christian Book Shop' and browsing the accessories section for bouncy balls pencils and keyrings that said "WWJD"? Or at CEF* camp during the summer when the tuc shop came out buying matching PUSH bracelets to your new- found best friend who you'd never see again until 6 years later when you awkwardly encounter each other at a different Christian event? Remember scrawling FROG all over your kids’ bible? Those were the days.
It's funny how cool those bracelets were but looking back, did they ever have much meaning for you? How often did you actually look at your arm and say "Yes. Absolutely. Jesus would definitely give the Big Issue lady 50p." Mhhmm...
The reality is, Fully Rely On God is more than just a childish slogan adopted to make money on rubbers and pens.
The reason I bring this up is because we can become so comfortable sitting in church pews or listening online sermons that we begin to look to our leaders- ministers, pastors, priests to feed us when in fact we are called to meet with the Father for ourselves. He wants us to be in total reliance on Him alone, for Him to give us our daily bread. (Note I am not discrediting God's calling on these people, merely stating they are not your gateway to God’s presence)- That means coming to Him without waiting for someone else to lead us there. In Song of Solomon 2 v 4 the Bride says "He brought me to his banqueting house." Jesus calls us with his own mouth and guides us with His own hand; He supplies the feast in His own presence but the servants are just that- servant.
We can begin to lean on earthly things. We expect church to sustain us from one meeting to the next and get distant when we "don't get what we need" from a particular service. We rely on friends for support and to hold us up when really, deep down we know that people can hurt us and let us down. Don't get me wrong; godly friends are necessary in our walk here but they do not replace Jesus love and support in your everyday life. We lean into our offering to God as sustenance. We feel like our worship brings us closer to God, and so our worship becomes our reliance. We give up friends, habits, music, film in hope that our sacrifice will please God and get us in the good books.
But we do not rely on what we do and give for God to be who HE is. He already is, and is everything we could ever want and need.
Go and read Psalm 18. Right now. GO. I'll wait...
Man.. powerful stuff David is saying here. I remember reading this after a close friend of mine passed away and praying the first few verses. "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. MY God is my rock in whom I take refuge." Because we begin to understand that in all of our short comings- in all of my weaknesses and mistakes and the times I've let people (and mores God) down, He is the only one who remains Faithful. Yesterday, today and tomorrow the same. Never changing, never failing, never receding. Always there with love and grace. Psalm 28 says "The Lord is the strength of his people." Not that the Lord gives strength to His people, but that He Himself is our strength. He desires everything we have, because when we try and keep a little bit of us in there, it grows into pride and we begin once again to imagine it's us on the throne and that God is the back- up; that extra Nitros boost like in Need For Speed. Surrender is the hardest part of Salvation. We want the gifts of God to pour out on us but when we have to give up control every day it's definitely a challenge.
He wants your life and your trust. Don't give it to yourself or anyone else. Lean not on what you know or who you know but go to the Father himself daily to eat from His table. Look to heaven for sustenance, not earthly things.
It's funny how cool those bracelets were but looking back, did they ever have much meaning for you? How often did you actually look at your arm and say "Yes. Absolutely. Jesus would definitely give the Big Issue lady 50p." Mhhmm...
The reality is, Fully Rely On God is more than just a childish slogan adopted to make money on rubbers and pens.
The reason I bring this up is because we can become so comfortable sitting in church pews or listening online sermons that we begin to look to our leaders- ministers, pastors, priests to feed us when in fact we are called to meet with the Father for ourselves. He wants us to be in total reliance on Him alone, for Him to give us our daily bread. (Note I am not discrediting God's calling on these people, merely stating they are not your gateway to God’s presence)- That means coming to Him without waiting for someone else to lead us there. In Song of Solomon 2 v 4 the Bride says "He brought me to his banqueting house." Jesus calls us with his own mouth and guides us with His own hand; He supplies the feast in His own presence but the servants are just that- servant.
We can begin to lean on earthly things. We expect church to sustain us from one meeting to the next and get distant when we "don't get what we need" from a particular service. We rely on friends for support and to hold us up when really, deep down we know that people can hurt us and let us down. Don't get me wrong; godly friends are necessary in our walk here but they do not replace Jesus love and support in your everyday life. We lean into our offering to God as sustenance. We feel like our worship brings us closer to God, and so our worship becomes our reliance. We give up friends, habits, music, film in hope that our sacrifice will please God and get us in the good books.
But we do not rely on what we do and give for God to be who HE is. He already is, and is everything we could ever want and need.
Go and read Psalm 18. Right now. GO. I'll wait...
Man.. powerful stuff David is saying here. I remember reading this after a close friend of mine passed away and praying the first few verses. "The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer. MY God is my rock in whom I take refuge." Because we begin to understand that in all of our short comings- in all of my weaknesses and mistakes and the times I've let people (and mores God) down, He is the only one who remains Faithful. Yesterday, today and tomorrow the same. Never changing, never failing, never receding. Always there with love and grace. Psalm 28 says "The Lord is the strength of his people." Not that the Lord gives strength to His people, but that He Himself is our strength. He desires everything we have, because when we try and keep a little bit of us in there, it grows into pride and we begin once again to imagine it's us on the throne and that God is the back- up; that extra Nitros boost like in Need For Speed. Surrender is the hardest part of Salvation. We want the gifts of God to pour out on us but when we have to give up control every day it's definitely a challenge.
He wants your life and your trust. Don't give it to yourself or anyone else. Lean not on what you know or who you know but go to the Father himself daily to eat from His table. Look to heaven for sustenance, not earthly things.