Get to know Him

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Matthew 19:16-22   Just then a man came up to Jesus and asked, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?”

“Why do you ask me about what is good?”  Jesus replied.  “There is only One who is good.  If you want to enter life, keep the commandments.

“Which ones?” he inquired.

Jesus replied, “ ‘ You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, honor your father and mother,’ and ‘love your neighbor as yourself.’ “

“All these things I have kept,” the young man said. “What do I still lack?”

Jesus answered, “if you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give t the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven.  Then come, follow me.”

When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.

Mark 10:17-23 and Luke 18:18-25 tell of the same story

 

Who is God to you?  Do you believe in Him?  Is He important?  Is He the most important part of your life and thoughts? 

I have to admit He was not always first in my mind.  I would get drawn away from seeking Him and deal with whatever “urgency” was in my life, and not take my fear, concern, worry, and whatever to Him, ask for help, and then deal with the matter.  So I spent a bunch of my life dishonoring Him.  He wanted to have me lean on Him when needed, to seek Him always, and to praise Him.

In all honesty, although I would say I was worried about this and that, so and so, and whatever might be happening in their life….it was all about me.  I was concerned with how an illness or someone’s loss would affect me.  How much time would I have to spend helping them find comfort?  Or loss of a relationship and dealing with ‘the woe is me’ (which I am a huge proponent of…..I can complain and whine more than anyone else I know.   But I would be sincere, or in a hurry and not effective in helping others,? 

I think many people don’t give their all to God.  They voice a belief in God, but it is not a knowledge, a relationship, a dependence of Him;  the fact He is creator, He is all, our Healer, our Savior, our Intercessor, and we should be awed by all He has created and done for us.  And it must be sincere.

Just voicing a belief is just not the same, and not enough.

A shrug and “yeah, sure, I believe.” That is not enough. He wants more from us.  He wants us to seek Him, to acknowledge Him and praise Him.  He wants to be important to us, not just a casual shrug and acknowledgement, but IMPORTANT.  He can and will help us with all things.  He wants the best for us. . . and because He is omniscient and always, He knows what is best for us, even if our hearts desire craves something else.

And He delivers in His time.  We can moan and whine about time and how long, and if it is meant to be….and if so then, when?  We can ask repeatedly all we want…(which by the way is whining, and NOT waiting patiently for His time,) but He answers in His time.   

He is always giving us good gifts, He always wants the best for us, and He is with us each moment of each day, even when we are struggling and feeling alone. . . He is there.

After a bit of going  to church attendance, and being disappointed not hearing and knowing God’s will for me, that over a period of time, I finally pleaded and just wanted the little sign I might still be in His good graces.  And it was clear when I got the feeling in my gut that He warned He was not taking half measures.  I couldn’t dance on both sides of the pond and not get wet.  It was necessary to take a firm stand. 

After all, the good rich man who approached Him and asked how He could get into heaven, when told he needed to give his wealth to the poor and follow Him….he turned away, dejected as he was unable to face giving up all to follow.   (Matt 16:22-26, Mark 10:17-23. Luke 18:18-25).  And I admit the idea of giving up all scared me.  Would I become a bag lady, without even a cell phone so my kids could find me?  And what about if they really needed me… to babysit, to sit in a hospital and talk with medical personnel, or what if they needed shelter after a natural disaster, or something?  Give up all?  That scared me.  How much all?  Just a little bit?  Sure, I can donate clothing, cookware, food, furniture, but all?

Most of us want to not be burdened and inconvenienced.  We want to retain our money—after all there may be a rainy day; we might have to buy ourselves out of a problem.  We are selfish.  Thanks to Adam and Eve, I believe that problem has been multiplied astronomically.

We are selfish.  We think first and foremost of ourselves, our convenience, our desire, our time, our expenses, and do not just readily give.  And I mean give of ourselves, not just finances, but our time, our support, our kindness, our compassion, our abilities, our love, and that is exactly what Jesus did.

He gave of His time, He listened and endured our selfish behaviors, He taught so we could strive to be more like Him, so we could seek a relationship with Him.  He opened His arms and willingly laid down on that beam of wood, and subjected Himself to spikes being hammered into His hands and feet, so He could be the last blood sacrifice, so for those of us who believe He is the Savior, He is God who walked on this earth, and willingly gave up His life so we, if we chose to believe He is savior and He is God, we could be saved and live in eternity when our earthly vessels give out.

For those of us who believe in Him, we know where we will spend eternity.  It does not end here when we breathe our last, as long as we believe in Him.

I pray you believe and know you will spend eternity with Him when your earthly time ends.  I am so thankful I know where I will be when my time here ends for me and ‘mybellaviews.’