Come to Me
(This is the 3rd in a series. Please scroll down if you haven't read the first two parts!)
Quick review:
You want to be a we, not an I.
God promises to be with you, making you a we.
So why don't you feel like a we?
Because you haven't taken the next step: choose to be with God.
I'm not talking about salvation; I'm assuming that you have admitted you are a sinner, repented of your old self, chosen to accept Jesus Christ as Lord (leader) and Savior (for eternity) and said it out loud not only to Him but also to anybody who would listen to you.
That's Step 1: Obeying the call of Him who called you. It's a one-time decision that lasts forever. But Step 2 isn't quite so simple: discipleship. It's what should fill your life from the time you say yes to Jesus until you draw your last breath. It's learning to be like Christ in all that you do. It's choosing to obey God, know and breathe and love His Word, love others, live sacrificially, and let Him be your strength, wisdom, power, and authority.
Discipleship is ongoing. You'll never pass the test, get an A, and put all you learned out of your mind. It's God's perfect plan not just for the world but for you, in order to teach you what it means not just to respond to His call but to walk in His ways.
Discipleship is the next part of becoming a we: choosing to draw close to Him.
Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest," (Matthew 11:28, HCSB). You've heard that, and you love that He promises to give you rest. But did you catch that He gives rest to the weary and the burdened?
Are you weary and burdened? "No," I hear you say, "I'm good. I can handle it. I am self-sufficient, powerful, smart, and ready for whatever comes my way." Sorry. Then there's no way you're going to find the peace of God today. You see, the first step of coming to Jesus is admitting you are weary and burdened. Other versions translate that phrase, "struggling hard and carrying heavy loads" and "labor and are heaven laden."
Only when you give Christ your burdens do you receive His peace. And you can't do that until you willingly admit that you're trying to do it all.
You become a we with Jesus when you let Him carry your load.
But that's not all. Look at what else He said: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink," (John 7:37, NASB). Thirsty for what? Life. REAL LIFE. The kind of life that doesn't have to ask, "What am I here for? What is the meaning of all of this?" because YOU KNOW. He is the only thing that will live up to your expectations. No event, no person, and no accolade will fill you. You are thirsty for one thing: Jesus. He alone will quench your thirst. Anything else you try to put in there will leave you still thirsty.
He invites the weary and burdened to come to Him. He invites the thirsty to come to Him. When we come to Him with our burdens and our thirsts, we choose to be a we with Him. Not just because He carries our load and quenches our thirst but because He enables us to live like Him.
You will know the we of God when you choose obedience.
So dig deeply with me here: God promises to be with you. Why might you not feel the we of God? Just a few ideas:
He put the yearning for we in your heart. He promises to be with you. He invites you, "Come to me."
Find rest. Quench your thirst. Know the we of Jesus :)
@leslienotebook
myleslienotebook@gmail.com
Quick review:
You want to be a we, not an I.
God promises to be with you, making you a we.
So why don't you feel like a we?
Because you haven't taken the next step: choose to be with God.
I'm not talking about salvation; I'm assuming that you have admitted you are a sinner, repented of your old self, chosen to accept Jesus Christ as Lord (leader) and Savior (for eternity) and said it out loud not only to Him but also to anybody who would listen to you.
That's Step 1: Obeying the call of Him who called you. It's a one-time decision that lasts forever. But Step 2 isn't quite so simple: discipleship. It's what should fill your life from the time you say yes to Jesus until you draw your last breath. It's learning to be like Christ in all that you do. It's choosing to obey God, know and breathe and love His Word, love others, live sacrificially, and let Him be your strength, wisdom, power, and authority.
Discipleship is ongoing. You'll never pass the test, get an A, and put all you learned out of your mind. It's God's perfect plan not just for the world but for you, in order to teach you what it means not just to respond to His call but to walk in His ways.
Discipleship is the next part of becoming a we: choosing to draw close to Him.
Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest," (Matthew 11:28, HCSB). You've heard that, and you love that He promises to give you rest. But did you catch that He gives rest to the weary and the burdened?
Are you weary and burdened? "No," I hear you say, "I'm good. I can handle it. I am self-sufficient, powerful, smart, and ready for whatever comes my way." Sorry. Then there's no way you're going to find the peace of God today. You see, the first step of coming to Jesus is admitting you are weary and burdened. Other versions translate that phrase, "struggling hard and carrying heavy loads" and "labor and are heaven laden."
Only when you give Christ your burdens do you receive His peace. And you can't do that until you willingly admit that you're trying to do it all.
You become a we with Jesus when you let Him carry your load.
But that's not all. Look at what else He said: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink," (John 7:37, NASB). Thirsty for what? Life. REAL LIFE. The kind of life that doesn't have to ask, "What am I here for? What is the meaning of all of this?" because YOU KNOW. He is the only thing that will live up to your expectations. No event, no person, and no accolade will fill you. You are thirsty for one thing: Jesus. He alone will quench your thirst. Anything else you try to put in there will leave you still thirsty.
He invites the weary and burdened to come to Him. He invites the thirsty to come to Him. When we come to Him with our burdens and our thirsts, we choose to be a we with Him. Not just because He carries our load and quenches our thirst but because He enables us to live like Him.
You will know the we of God when you choose obedience.
So dig deeply with me here: God promises to be with you. Why might you not feel the we of God? Just a few ideas:
- Maybe you're living independently of His power, love and plan.
- Maybe you don't believe Him; not just with your brain but with your words and your actions and your attitude and your faith.
- Maybe you're not willing to admit you're fragile, frail, and flawed.
- Maybe you're not doing the things He says you must do if you're His child: talk to Him, know His Word, seek to obey, choose to love.
- Maybe you're holding on to a sin or a mindset or a relationship that you know goes against Christ's will for your life.
- Maybe you don't really thirst for Him; you found your fulfillment in other things. (Oh, sweet one, you are deceived.)
He put the yearning for we in your heart. He promises to be with you. He invites you, "Come to me."
Find rest. Quench your thirst. Know the we of Jesus :)
@leslienotebook
myleslienotebook@gmail.com
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