Words Of Encouragement To Start The Day (Wednesday 03/02/2011)

Is God Really Near?

Psalm 145:18 (New Living Translation)

 ¹⁸ The Lord is close to all who call on him,
      yes, to all who call on him in truth.

            Last Wednesday while in church our Bishop said something that was funny, but true, and yet so thought provoking; He said that “they should give out Academy Awards, in church because we have some of the greatest actors, and pretenders.”  At the time I laughed, but it was something that I knew was factual and true.  Some of the best lines used by Christians and people in Church are “I am too blessed to be stressed, I am Blessed and Highly favored, and so many other slogans and sayings.  But the truth of the matter can be seen when adversity, or hard times hit, how we handle ourselves, or how are we behind closed doors, how are we with our families, or in situations that are pressure filled, unexpected or when we are treated in a manner that hurts or abuses us in some way.  You see we all can put on a good show in church lifting up, hands, not all of which are holy, we can quote a scripture, say the right things to people and even tell people how they should be living, but the question is how are we living when the lights, camera and action are off?

            I have lived through and encountered many situations in and out of church, but some of the most confusing scenarios that I have encountered have been in church, where I have seen people, at all levels in ministry, be so anointed, holy, and saved, but have mistreated their spouse, cursed out their kids, mistreated members of their congregation, and lacked integrity, and honesty when it came to things directly linked to ministry, the people serving in ministry, or in living a life that is pleasing to God.  Yes it is true we are all born in sin and shaped in iniquity, but let us be honest about where we are. Let us not pretend, we are ALL still working through stuff, and in need of God to burn some stuff out of us.  We should not be in a posture of making people feel bad about where they are, and we aren’t even living right.  God loved David and called Him a man after His own heart, not because David was perfect, but because David was repentant, humble and he realized He needed God and when He stumbled and fell, He went running back to God, and threw himself before the Father, in a way that let God know that His heart, was toward God, but His flesh occasionally got in the way.  God favored David and stayed close to Him, because David was truthful about where he was, about what he lacked and how much he needed God.  He did not try to act as if He had it all together, He knew his stuff was tore up; that is one of the main reasons David called on the name of the Lord the way He did.  God was so near to David that He saved his life several times, gave him victory in battle, and established his throne beyond his generation into generations to come. That is when you know God is near when He not just favors you, but the generations that come after you.

            Will you make the decision to be honest, about who you are and where you are with God?  If people are to see you at home, in the car going to work, or coming from work, would they see the same super Christian that they see in church each Sunday and Wednesday, or would they be surprised to see who you really are, how you really talk, or react, when you are under pressure?  Would your children and your spouse say that you are the same person that others see in church or when they encounter the people they attend church with?  Because if you are the same, you can say, honestly “I am a work in progress, and you will humble yourself before God and callout to Him in truth, not in a religious posture, not trying to put on airs, not trying to prove how holy and righteous you are, but really how real we can be. We need to come to God understanding how much we need Him, and how broken we are.  I read something today, that said do not give me religion, but give me Jesus.  Religion, pretense and acting will not help us live a victorious life and nor will it help us get to heaven.  The Bible says we overcome by the Blood of the Lamb and the words of our testimony.  If you want God near, be real, be honest, be transparent, understanding that God knows who you are anyway, and eventually people will too.  The truth of who we are will always show itself and the truth of how close God is to us and how close we are to Him will come out as well.