So, I actually wrote this last year at Christmas time but God is speaking to me about it again. Christmas, supposedly, is supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year, but this year I don't feel so wonderful. God's speaking a lot to me through everything that is going on in my life right now; but when it comes down to it, it still hurts. I felt like this was appropriate, I love when God speaks to you from something you've forgot about like this. This Christmas season, I want to prepare Him room in my heart. So here it is:
Don't you just love when God speaks to you about something when you least expect it? Like when you're ready to fall asleep. That's what just happened. I wanted to share though.
So, last night I was at a Christmas Eve service and I kept getting very distracted. The service had the same Christmas songs and I felt like I was just singing words.But then I heard the gentle voice of Jesus reminding me of all the times I told Him that I wanted to live wholeheartedly. It seemed like He was saying "Here's your chance to be wholehearted! I want to speak to you!" Although I didn't understand how paying attention more to songs was being wholehearted, I obeyed. I listened more intently to the songs and they were great... but then we started singing Joy to the World. K, now, we've probably all known this song since we were wee children, but Jesus was showing me the depth to what that song was really saying. One line caught my eye and like the title says, "Let every heart prepare Him room..."
The rest of the song talks about when Jesus came into the physical Earth. And that was amazing, no doubt! But I think we only concentrate on the physical. It is so profound: we have a chance to not only let Jesus into our physical world, but in our hearts. I feel like just as Mary and Joseph couldn't find a place to put baby Jesus, neither can we in our hearts sometimes.
Our hearts are over crowded with junk and baggage and we simply don't have a place to put our Savior. We want to, but He is THE Savior of the world! He doesn't belong with all the garbage. Once we get all the trash out, then surely, Jesus can come in and find a cosy little home nestled in our heart.
Yet, I think Jesus can still enter in to the "manger" parts of our hearts. The filthy, unclean, disgusting parts of our lives and our heart. The least likely place a Savior should have been born was in a barn. But Jesus there, too, was born in the broken and ugly, only to completely change and save the world later in His life.
Jesus needs to be born in the manger of our hearts! The most horrible, disgusting place we think a Savior should not live. We don't need our perfect 5-star hotel hearts for Jesus to enter in. He loves the bruised and broken. He is close to the brokenhearted. (Psalms 34:18) It is great for Jesus to live with our hearts all cleaned up and beautiful for Him, but in reality, are our hearts usually completely spotless? And even if it is clear of brokenness, do we prepare room for Jesus, or is it filled with pride or contentment for where we are at? No matter what the circumstances, Jesus can completely change and save OUR world, in the same way He did with the whole world. He is a personal God that cares for us, no matter how much filth and trash we have in our hearts. He can still make Himself home there.
And this does not only apply to salvation. I'm reminded that my heart needs to prepare Him room on a daily basis. Even if all that is in my heart is filth. I just need to invite Him to stay. And that is when Jesus reminded me of living wholeheartedly. Giving Him my whole heart; not just parts. God has an amazing way of just tying everything in, doesn't he?
I just wanted to type this out to encourage some of you maybe. I feel like Christmas we always hear, "Jesus is the real reason for the season!" and we hear that Jesus was born in a manger and we know the story like the back of our hand. And It is an amazing story of what happened. But I think there is more than just what happenED. I believe Jesus has a very real way of still working in our hearts. Him coming to earth didn't just happen. It still happens when we let Him in.
and don't forget the rest of the song: talking about how joy filled the Earth when we prepared for the Messiah. "Joy to the world, the Lord has come!" Let Joy fill our hearts as the Lord comes to us, no matter where that is: A manger or a 5 star hotel :)
well, it is 2 a.m. now, and I think I shall sleep. Sorry if that didn't make sense, I haven't been making sense all day. But anyway...
MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!! :D
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Apathy
What is it with late nights? I always feel the most contemplative and poetic...ish... at around 1 a.m. and now it is 2 a.m. I haven't updated this blog in forever- and I don't normally blog. Considering how many journals I have, I write out everything and I don't normally like writing things down twice. However, C.S. Lewis got me to thinking, and my sister's blog inspired me to blog. So; rest assured. I've written what I'm about to write all down. I'm just in a blogging mood I suppose.
That was the disclaimer. Here's the point:
Apathy is one of the biggest tools of the Enemy, I think. Apathy comes quickly, the fire burns out as soon as it starts.
Distractions come.
Plans are made.
Jesus can wait until later.
It comes so quickly and invites itself into the coziest parts of our life without us even realizing it. And then it just sits, and waits. For us to become passionate about nothing, or not passionate at all about anything. For us to waste another day just having meaningless conversation. For us to give up on fasts because it was just simply too hard. For us to make excuses at why Jesus can be put on the backburner just that day. (And then the next day, apathy tells us Jesus can wait until the next day, and the next day...) It burrows into all the passionate parts of our life and takes over like a disease.
I really see it like an epidemic. Have you noticed? It's flooding the youth of this nation. It has made it's stay too long.
When will I notice it? When will I realize the friend I could have witnessed to all these years is going to hell and I am just watching them go? Days pass and the truck is coming toward them, I know it is going to hit them, and yet I watch. I simply watch as they stand in the street. Is it pride keeping me back, or just selfish gain? Is the Bible simply not real to me? Hell is a furnace of fire, with weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 13:50) It is a place where the fire is never quenched. (Mark 9:48) (Also, Rev. 14:10)
Yet, my conversations consist of meaningless things day in and day out.
I figure I can burn with the fire of God now; with zeal and passion, and have my friends catch onto that fire for eternity.
Or-
I can burn with an apathetic and complacent spirit,
and have my friends catch that fire- the one that's never quenched in eternity.
I figure I choose which fire to ignite myself with.
Why do our days consist of doing nothing? Our God times consist of reading a few scriptures and thanking God for what we do have, if that. And then the phone rings and we fit God into a schedule... maybe. Maybe he fits no where.
Why are we no longer passionate about anything? We can't defend ourselves in why we believe in God. After an argument for awhile about something, we simply say "hm, okay, yeah." And move on. Is it an attempt to save friendships, or did we just lose the passion we had about something we used to be so passionate about? (Of course, passion isn't everything. Wisdom must come behind it. That's a whole other blog.)
Why did we stop caring about our schools?
When did the things that repulse God suddenly just become "normal" to us?
When did we stop praying for healing?
When did we stop fasting?
When did we stop praying... at all?
And then we wonder... Where did God go?
Has apathy taken over our lives?
Will you let it?
Again, I figure now is the time to choose what fire we ignite ourselves with. And it takes discipline and action and not just fitting God somewhere into our busy lives.
That's all for now. it's 2:35 and I have a lot more to say but I figure I'll just stop and take some of what I'm saying to heart.
That was the disclaimer. Here's the point:
Apathy is one of the biggest tools of the Enemy, I think. Apathy comes quickly, the fire burns out as soon as it starts.
Distractions come.
Plans are made.
Jesus can wait until later.
It comes so quickly and invites itself into the coziest parts of our life without us even realizing it. And then it just sits, and waits. For us to become passionate about nothing, or not passionate at all about anything. For us to waste another day just having meaningless conversation. For us to give up on fasts because it was just simply too hard. For us to make excuses at why Jesus can be put on the backburner just that day. (And then the next day, apathy tells us Jesus can wait until the next day, and the next day...) It burrows into all the passionate parts of our life and takes over like a disease.
I really see it like an epidemic. Have you noticed? It's flooding the youth of this nation. It has made it's stay too long.
When will I notice it? When will I realize the friend I could have witnessed to all these years is going to hell and I am just watching them go? Days pass and the truck is coming toward them, I know it is going to hit them, and yet I watch. I simply watch as they stand in the street. Is it pride keeping me back, or just selfish gain? Is the Bible simply not real to me? Hell is a furnace of fire, with weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 13:50) It is a place where the fire is never quenched. (Mark 9:48) (Also, Rev. 14:10)
Yet, my conversations consist of meaningless things day in and day out.
I figure I can burn with the fire of God now; with zeal and passion, and have my friends catch onto that fire for eternity.
Or-
I can burn with an apathetic and complacent spirit,
and have my friends catch that fire- the one that's never quenched in eternity.
I figure I choose which fire to ignite myself with.
Why do our days consist of doing nothing? Our God times consist of reading a few scriptures and thanking God for what we do have, if that. And then the phone rings and we fit God into a schedule... maybe. Maybe he fits no where.
Why are we no longer passionate about anything? We can't defend ourselves in why we believe in God. After an argument for awhile about something, we simply say "hm, okay, yeah." And move on. Is it an attempt to save friendships, or did we just lose the passion we had about something we used to be so passionate about? (Of course, passion isn't everything. Wisdom must come behind it. That's a whole other blog.)
Why did we stop caring about our schools?
When did the things that repulse God suddenly just become "normal" to us?
When did we stop praying for healing?
When did we stop fasting?
When did we stop praying... at all?
And then we wonder... Where did God go?
Has apathy taken over our lives?
Will you let it?
Again, I figure now is the time to choose what fire we ignite ourselves with. And it takes discipline and action and not just fitting God somewhere into our busy lives.
That's all for now. it's 2:35 and I have a lot more to say but I figure I'll just stop and take some of what I'm saying to heart.
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