22May
by Jon Swanson

I’ve spent half the day and evening at a denominational conference. That’s not nearly as bad as it sounds. I like the people I get to see. I like the gift of being able to spend twenty minutes leading the group in conversation with God. I like hearing stories from people who are watching God work.

But after a day of it, I have this ache.

Because I want to be ready to see Jesus work.

To hear him say “Come, follow me” and to get up and walk across the room and out the door with him.

I want to be ready to answer the comment “You are a hypocrite” with “I know that there are huge gaps between on one hand what I say I believe about what following Jesus means and on the other hand what I do or don’t do when I’m tired. I am just as frustrated with those gaps as you are. I am working with Jesus on narrowing the gaps so every time I read Jesus say . . .

“The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

. . . I throw myself into loving without stopping to see who is watching.”

I finish the day knowing that I don’t know lots of things about why and when and where and how God works. But I know that I am not satisfied with how I’m handling what I do understand.

I want to quit thinking about loving the way Jesus loved.

And start over again doing it.

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11 thoughts on “”

  1. Frank Reed's avatar

    Frank Reed

    Those gaps are difficult, no doubt.

    I have stopped trying to explain them to people. People who are harassing you are not interested in what you actually do, they just want to throw you off your game. With those people you have the right to “shake the dust off your sandals and leave town”.

    Those who are gentle in spirit leave room for gaps because they are smart enough and strong enough to see it in themselves thus allowing for two imperfect human beings to have a discussion rather than a battle. That first group mentioned usually isn’t smart or courageous enough to do that they just agitate.

    Not everyone will accept the message. I finally get that and it’s not anything for me to worry about either. That’s between them and God and it will become painfully obvious at a time when backpedaling and arguing will do them no good.

    Sound harsh? It’s simply a Biblical truth and I am more than fine with that today.

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  2. Rich Dixon's avatar

    Rich Dixon

    Maybe God’s less concerned with those who follow and mess up than with those who sit still so they don’t mess up. If you’re following, He can correct the course. It’s difficult to do course corrections for one who’s motionless.

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  3. joseph ruiz's avatar

    joseph ruiz

    Rich, I often think of the 11 who stayed in the boat when thinking of messing up great point. Frank, I get what you are saying; however, for me, sometimes the angry folks are the ones I need to love most and God uses these encounters to teach me about humility and grace and how much I really need Him and how often I treat him about the same way or it looks better to me ….. either way if I don’t stay connected to my anchor point I am lost in the weeds.

    Jon thanks for the reminder. Being shaped and formed is hard work but it sure beats the alternative.
    Grace and Peace

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  4. Cheryl's avatar

    cjhinx

    And the beauty of being a Christian is we get to start over again; we are hypocrites who get to try again the next day asking God for mercy and grace.

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