Monday, April 5, 2021
When Jesus was twelve, He was so drawn to the worship of the Father that when His parents left Jerusalem for home and assumed He was with them, He was chillin’ in the temple. First, isn’t it good to know that Jesus loves being in the temple more than “home,” wherever and whatever that is? Especially when we understand that we, His people, are the temple!
I recently encountered God in such a powerful way that I realized I’ve been playing at Christianity up to now. And there’s a profound change coming for me—that is, it has begun but it is not yet fully manifest. It takes faith. That is, faith is a thing that rots unless you spend it on someone. Because you can’t come to Jesus on your terms. You don’t get to tell the Giver how He’s going to put your gifts to use. You can’t outplan the Planner who designed the universe. And you can’t escape the reality of your purpose, which is to shine.
You need to know that the light doesn’t find its source in you; you find your source in it.
Charles Spurgeon said, “Christian, Jesus does not suffer so as to exclude your suffering. He bears a cross not that you may escape it, but that you may endure it. Christ exempts you from sin, but not from sorrow. Remember that, and expect to suffer.”
The particular red letters I’m concerned with this week are from Luke 2.49, and don’t worry; I’ll get the whole picture to you as the week unfolds here at WhiteNoise Studio, but for today I want us to focus close on what twelve-year-old Jesus of Nazareth said to His parents when they finally found Him (right where He meant to be). He said, “Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” He’s a little dumbfounded at their, well, stupidity, if I’m allowed to be direct. There’s simply no other possibility for Him.
The application for us is just about as obvious. Are we about the Father’s business too? If it cost Jesus everything, is there anything too costly for we who say that we walk with Him? Tell me, friend: are you playing at being a Christian, or have you put on the uniform that denotes you have chosen a side in this war, and have you trusted that your Father has your back enough to show up on the field of battle? Have you reckoned with the enemy of your soul to the point that you expect him to take his shots at you, and have you seen and believed that your God really is greater than?
Comments