God is the most reliable person you will ever know- and we should strive to emulate Him!
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| Constant as the sun, reliable as the moon |
Who is the most reliable person you know?
By definition, being reliable is equated to being someone people can depend on and trust to stay true to what they say. Without a doubt, Jesus was the most reliable person to ever walk the earth, and He calls us to become more like Him every day. But how do we go about that?
The process of growing closer to the Lord, and becoming more "Christ-like" is evolving, and always changing. We are changed, as Scripture stated in 2 Corinthians 3:18 "and we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another." From glory to glory. Day by day. It is a true process of change, much like the morphing of a butterfly from the caterpillar. At times it can seem slow and meticulous, almost as though all forward momentum has ceased. But even when you cannot see or feel it, God's spirit is always at work in and through you. What are some steps that we can take to be ensure that this growth and change continues at a steady pace? Remember, the change and transformation is a work of the Holy Spirit, but we must do our part as well.
1. Prayer- We cannot forsake time with the Lord. Prayer is our lifeline to the Father. It is a guaranteed, 24 hr a day pass right into the very throne room of heaven, and was purchased for us at a VERY high price- the death of Jesus on the cross. We have no idea what a treasure we hold in our hands.
In Old Testament times, people would pray and beseech the Lord for forgiveness of sin, various needs, etc. They even cried out to the Lord when they were in pain, confused, scared, angry, or filled with praise. The Psalms are full of exclamations of God's glory, and also man's struggle with his own emotions and fears. However, I do not believe that they enjoyed the same freedoms that we have in terms of communication with the Father. At that time, they still required the High Priest to go into the holy of holies once a year to stand in the gap for the sins and failures of all the people. He was the only one who could enter the place where the Lord's presence dwelt. But when Jesus exclaimed from the cross, "It is finished" and He surrendered His life; the veil, or curtain, that separated all of mankind from that inner room was torn in half. This was a literal picture of Jesus sacrifice purchasing not only our salvation, but also our "relationship" with the Father. He provided a way for all people to have access to that inner room. The holiest of all places. The very presence of God himself. Does that mean that the faithful people of the Old Testament did not experience God's presence? Not at all- but it does mean that we have access to something awesome that they did not. We do not need someone to go before us to intercede on our behalf. We can go directly to the Father, through the shed blood of Jesus, and intercede for ourselves. He longs for us to come to Him. He desires to speak to us.
If you are in a relationship with someone you care deeply for, you are going to desire to spend time with them. It is how you will get to know them better, learn about their likes/dislikes, and develop communion with them. It is the same, and more, with God. If we are to learn from Him, see the areas of our lives that He likes/dislikes, and just develop that intimacy with Him that we need for service and full lives, we must take time to pray and seek His face.
2. The Word- If we hope to become reliable people in service to Christ, we must be spending time reading the "manual" if you would. The Bible contains every answer we could ever need. It may require a little more reading and study, and also the translation of how the truths in Scripture were applied 2000 years ago and how they apply today, but they are there nonetheless. The principals in Scripture are timeless, we just need to be reading and studying to discover them.
We know that faith is a requirement to live a life pleasing to the Lord, as we are told in Hebrews 11:6. All men are given a measure of faith, but it is like a muscle, and needs to be exercised. How do we develop our faith? Scripture tells us that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" in Romans 10:17. Our faith is developed through life experiences for sure, but it truly grows and expands as we spend time at the feet of Jesus, just as Mary and the other disciples did. This is where they were learning what they would need to know to walk out their faith in Him. He was teaching and guiding them. And the things that He taught them with His words, they saw lived out in His life. When we read the Bible, not only by skimming the pages when we need a quick word of guidance or encouragement, but really dig in and "chew" on the truths found there, we are challenged and changed. We will come across hard words that require action on our part. We will find encouragement and promises of God's love and faithfulness that will carry us through even the darkest of valleys. All that we need to live out our lives in Christ is found within the pages of His Word, but we must spend time in it to glean what He would have for us.
** Believe this for a fact- the devil does NOT want you to read or pray- and he will do everything that he can to prevent, discourage, or stop you from it. He KNOWS that this is the foundation of the power you need in your relationship with Christ, and your effectiveness in His kingdom. Don't think for one minute that you are ever off his radar. You may be less of a threat to him when you back off and start to fall away from the discipline of daily prayer and study, but as a child of the living God, you always hold potential to damage his work on this earth. Do not allow him to steal from you! Do not give credence to him, and cater to the things he sets in your path to keep you from growing in Christ. Make it your purpose and focus to press on and earnestly desire above all things, intimacy with God.
3. Action- As you spend more time in prayer and study of God's word, you are going to be challenged to act. There may be things in your life that you need to lay down at the cross. There may be something God is calling you to do. There is ministry that needs to be done, and you are commissioned by Christ to do it. Not everyone is called into full-time ministry, but we are all minsters of the gospel.
Everyone has their own sphere of influence. The people that you come into contact with may not see any other believer in their lifetime. I know that may seem hard to believe in this age of media frenzy and a church on every corner. But not everyone has the same relationship and openness with this person that you do. You may truly be the only Jesus they see, and God puts them into your life for a purpose.
And don't fall prey to the excuse that you are just "another Christian". Many people say, "Oh, God already has Billy Graham" or "I am just not that important". Friend- you were important enough for Jesus to see when He hung from the cross, and He went there just for you! If you are that important to Him, you are that important to the world He came to die for, and you need to step up and do your part for Him. If you have received salvation in Christ, you have a mission. The great commission to "go into all the world and preach the gospel" (Mark 16:15) was not just for the apostles who stood watching Jesus ascend to heaven. It was for every believer who was to come as well. Every one of us was intricately created and woven together by the Father (Psalm 139:14). And we were all created and designed with a specific purpose. No one will ever be able to fit the piece of this puzzle called life like you will. If you choose to demure and not take your place, it will go unfilled and many lives could be lost because of it.
There is no "insignificant" calling in the body. We are all the eyes, ears, mouth, and feet of Jesus. When we are all in our place, working together, awesome things happen and the kingdom of God is advanced.
As we learned in an earlier post- Righteousness- Marker #1 of Authentic Christianity, we need repentance and right standing with God to allow a clear channel of communication to flow. However, without the element of diligence to prayer and study, and the reliability of action as we are called by God, we cannot fight and wage this daily battle with darkness.
We will likely never know this side of heaven how important it really is.
Stay tuned for the third and final marker, Relationship :-)
Blessings ~~
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