Monday, June 05, 2006

Seeing Jesus

On the senior trip, Pastor Schaal read to us every night from a book called, “We Would See Jesus.” While I was on the trip and now as I’m reading back over it, I have been reminded of the importance of seeing God, and of having Him be my complete focus. I need to remember that my purpose is to know God, to love and glorify Him…to see Him! I need to make sure my focus is right, and that I am not allowing other things to distract me from seeing Him.

One specific area I had never thought much about before was how service for God can actually be a distraction to seeing Him. I am going to quote from the book because it says it better than I can, “To concentrate on service and activity for God may often actively thwart our attaining the true goal, God Himself. At first sight is seems heroic to fling our lives away in the service of God and of our fellows. We feel it is bound to mean more to Him than our experience of Him. Service seems to unselfish, whereas concentrating on our walk with God seems selfish and self-centered. But it is the very reverse. The things that God is most concerned about are our coldness of hearts towards Him and our proud, unbroken natures. Christian service of itself can, and often does, leave our self-centered nature untouched.”

While serving God is, of course, important, I can’t let service or anything else become more important than God Himself and my relationship with Him! The only thing I should glory in is that I know God! This takes time and effort…I need to take the time to spend in prayer, and in God’s word getting to know Him better and praying for Him to show me Jesus.

“Thus saith the LORD, let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD. Jeremiah 9:23-24

~ Rachel

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