“Now it
came to pass, as He sat at the table with them, that He took bread, blessed and
broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened and they knew Him;
and He vanished from their sight.” – Luke
24:30-31
We live our lives, most often I think, only vaguely aware of the
Spiritual reality that surrounds us. As
I listened to Luke 24 being read during an Easter sermon this past weekend, I
was reminded of that. Two men, keenly aware of what happened to Jesus were
unaware of His presence as they walked the road to Emmaus. But, when Jesus broke the bread – they were
suddenly aware that they were with Jesus.
Can you imagine walking through your day – maybe even talking about
Jesus – but then, suddenly – in the blink of an eye – you are aware that you
are walking with Jesus. Would that
change your conversation, your thoughts, your attitude, even your actions,
knowing that the resurrected Lord – the Son of God was with you.
“And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has
been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all
the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the
Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and
lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’” – Matthew
28:18-20
Most often we focus on the “Go” part of those verses. But, don’t
you find it interesting that Jesus said He will be with us – always. Does that
strike your heart like it does mine? As a born-again Believer, there is not a
deed – a thought – that I do or think where Jesus is not present – walking
beside me. I suppose that the more important question is – do you care? I mean
so what if He is. If we are not devoted to God – loving Him with our whole
hearts, then – even though we know it to be true – it will have little to no
effect on how we live our lives. It is
like me and carbohydrates. I know that if I eat carbs then I will blow up like
a puffer fish. My metabolism is just not what it used to be. Sadly, the
“furnace” is not burning as hot as it once was. There was a day when everything
that went in was consumed by the fire in the furnace. Not so much anymore.
Knowing that and wanting to be healthy, I should stay away from carbs in my
diet. I know that, but if I don’t do it – then I know what they consequences
will be. In the same way – I know what my life is like if I ignore the Lord’s
presence. If I don’t take care to focus on who I am spiritually and how I
should consequently live my life.
The New Testament is replete with admonitions to the churches to do
just that. People have not changed. The challenges for Christians living in a
sin-sick world have not changed. People do not change even though the way they
live and the technology they use to live does.
The heart of man is still prone to wander and seek its own way.
My point is that every life experience will fall into its proper
place when God is in His proper place. When we live as if we believe that
the Lord is with us. A classic question is “Do you believe that what you
believe is really real?” If you do – God will always be first – and if
you don’t – God will often be left in the dust in favor of what is urgent –
what your flesh tells you is important. We are faced with these decisions
every day. But – if we are not spiritually minded – we are bound to
choose poorly. If the Chief End Of Man is indeed to “Glorify God and
Enjoy Him Forever” then God must be first and must be the One who determines
how we respond to life.
“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord
Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you,
making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the
knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that
you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the
glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of
His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power
which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at
His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and
might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also
in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave
Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness
of Him who fills all in all.” – Ephesians 1:15-23
Jesus is head over all things. If you are a Christian, and I so
hope that you are, then He is your Lord. I once read that “If Jesus is not Lord
OF all then Jesus is not Lord AT all.” “All” does not leave much room for
anything else. Does your heart buck-up
against that thought? If so, that is not a good thing. Be ready, you are going to be challenged
today with this dilemma – your challenge is how to respond. Not eating
the carbs that are calling your name – that look so delicious – that promise
life and joy but will never deliver on their promises. If you are a Christian –
the choice is clear but the choosing requires faith and obedience if you are to
respond correctly. Keep the things of life in their proper place … don’t
let your emotions rule .. that place belongs to the Lord of All.
Believe it – walk in it. Let your light shine and give God the
glory.
By Faith Alone By His Grace Alone And For His Glory Alone
No comments:
Post a Comment