Quality time with Jesus

Wow... it has been a while since I've posted anything on here - life just gets pretty busy sometimes, I guess. And I've never wanted to post anything on here just for the sake of putting up a post.

Lately, however, I've been thinking and reading about God's affection for us individually, and for us as the church; the body of Christ. It is good to focus on the theology of the gospel, as it is through the gospel that our minds are renewed and we are transformed into the likeness of Jesus. But in focusing on the theology, it can be easy to forget the significance and nature of our relationship with God. Because that's just what it is: a relationship! Whilst sorting through a box of old papers and mementos I've kept through my walk with God - notebooks, scribblings of great bible verses and quotes, notes taken from sermons, and prayers written from the heart - I came across a quote I pulled out of a book I read years ago by Joanna Weaver, 'Having a Mary heart in a Martha world':

"What an amazing thought that Christ wants to spend quality time with me. 

That he looks forward to our time together, and misses when I don't show up... 

A relationship doesn't just happen. It has to be nurtured, protected, and loved."

How true this is! When I compare this to my marriage with Marty (which I'm comfortable doing, because it is biblically a reflection of the church's relationship with Jesus), I suddenly understand the importance of time spent with God. I know that Marty and I struggle and we feel distant when we haven't had enough quality time together in a while. We will make it a priority, and even turn down invitations to hang out with other friends, or attend parties, if it means we can have that time to build our relationship.

Time spent with God is important - we know that - but to think about how much God wants to spend time with us transforms it from a duty ("I should do it...") to a delight ("I get to do it...").  It is no longer another item on the to-do list, but instead becomes something I get to do each day. We get to sit in the presence of the God of the universe, relating to him as our heavenly Father! We can pour out our anxieties, our pain, our joys, our grief, our hopes and our dreams to him, knowing not only that he cares, but also that He has the power to do something about it and He knows - with infinite wisdom - what is best for us, even when we don't. We know that when we open God's Word, it is living and active, and God can speak to our hearts directly through the words on those pages, if only we will stop and listen for a little while. And we know that when we delight ourselves in Him, he will give us the desires of our hearts, meaning he will transform our desires so that they align more perfectly with His.

What a joy it is (and I hope it will continue to be) to spend time in the presence of our Creator and sustainer.

Seeing the Gospel through new eyes

I just came home from having breakfast with a girl from our church and I'm on a bit of a buzz. She has been coming to church for a while but hasn't felt yet that she really fits in, and we've started to meet up once a week to read the Bible together. It was so exciting today because I took her through the whole gospel using the 'gospel beads' method (i.e. Green = God created everything, Black = sin, etc...) It was so exciting to share with her the basic truths of the Good news we all know so well, and to see her start to understand it for the first time!

It made me realise once more how incredibly good the news really is, and how often I take it for granted. I've been personally challenged in my faith because I've had to explain complex concepts in simple ways, and I can't use jargon to cover myself. Everything needs an explanation. How grateful I am to this girl for her willingness to learn, and for the opportunity to be challenged after being stagnant for so long. Praise God for the complexity of the gospel - it is simple enough for a child to comprehend, but still baffles the wisest of us.

How easy it is to be passionate about the gospel in the context of church, Bible study and mission... the real challenge to me lately is stepping out of that Christian bubble, and letting ministry be part of my every day life! I shy away from discussing God with people at work, I don't want to be perceived as the Christian-nerd. But when we do allow God to work through us, when we do take him outside the confines of the church building, God does amazing stuff and He gives us strength not only to take that first step, but to continue with the second, the third...

Recently my brother and sister-in-law, Aaron and Claire, took a trip to Cambodia with World Vision to visit their sponsor children. They came back just blown away by the reality of spiritual warfare, that we so rarely take notice of in our comfy, cooshy, i-don't-need-God, western world. They went outside of their comfort zone and asked God to use them - if you ever do that, be prepared for God to do amazing stuff! All he wants is a willing and obedient heart, and He will display his awesome power in very unexpected ways.

Thank you Lord, for helping me to see the gospel through new eyes today.