The road we travel is full of invitations.
Only One is worth the price.
Christ is calling.
Come
Home
Someone asked me tonight about how I made it through losing our church of 27 years, the people where we had our babies and watched them grow together and lived a whole lot of wonderful life. I thought for a moment and sensed deep within that it was not about anyone else's decision. No, it's about me and my longing to love. God has awakened my heart to things I never knew before and that's worth going through anything. But, it's that longing to love that so grips me. I don't want to miss this Grace of God, like Jonah once said in Jonah 2:8. Crabb says it this way: "if you miss everything in this letter, don't miss this: My Son wished forward...proseuebomai...which means to wish forward. That is the core of human maturity in this life. Christ had no greater desire than to carry out His part in God's Plan. That is the center of spiritual formation, not more energy, not feeling more upbeat, but a clear awareness of the deepest truly human desire, a desire that releases resolve, an unflinching determination to follow the lead of Christ in bringing Heaven's Kingdom to earth, a longing to love." No more important thought for me in the midst of a mess, in the midst of mega trouble, in the midst of loss.
Luke 19:10 The Son of Man comes to seek...He invited Himself into Zaccheus' home. He is inviting Himself into your heart, your longings. Will we respond to the Son of Man or give into the loud echoes that linger all day long in our minds. Constant echoes of how my life matters little to others. Oh, don't let that echo reverberate. Christ is coming to your home. Giving you the gift of longing to love, learning to love. Have mercy on us all, O God.
PRAYER FROM PSALMS
Psalm 18 - I love You, LORD, my Strength.
My Rock.
My Fortress.
My Deliverer.
In You, Along, will we trust.
No matter what.
Teach us how to long for love.
These verses make my heart sing:
ReplyDeleteAnd Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because he, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
That's so cool, Annette. I marked the same verse to come back here and comment. Seeking out and saving us! Not idle words but the song words for which we bank everything!
Delete"Jesus said, “Today is salvation day in this home! Here he is: Zacchaeus, son of Abraham! For the Son of Man came to find and restore the lost.” The Message.
May Longing to Love be our greatest desire to carry out God's Plan this day.
ReplyDeleteWe've said it before but ultimately what it comes down to, after the initial salvation decision is "How well did I love?"
Help us Lord, to love the way You love. To bring Your love to others. To love and to long to love others. Today is the Day of Salvation. Come into our house this day.
"I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”John 17:26