I recently started listening to this book from Mike Breen and Walt Kallestad, titled A Passionate Life. I am listening to it because I always have so much time in the car between school drop off and pick up, soccer practice and everyday errands. At the opening of the book Mike describes a situation that happened when his children were younger. He tells of a time that his family had a membership at a “health club”. That term “health club” alone takes me back to the 80s and 90s. He talks about how he loved the hot tub. Then his children told him about the sun shower. It was like a beach experience. You get sun rays and a tropical breeze for a set amount of time. So he goes in and doesn’t enjoy it. His children loved it and told him to try again. Just try a lil bit more time. So he did. Still didn’t get it. They talked him into trying it a 3rd time. So he goes in again. This time, when he opened his eyes, he found a 2nd door handle in the small room. It was a door knob. He opened it and that is when he realized that he had been standing in the changing room the entire time. He hadn’t even opened the door to enjoy the sun shower. Then Mike goes in to ask: Is your relationship with Jesus like that? Have you gone through the first door and just stood there not knowing that there is more?
I think that many Christians are guilty of this. I know that I was. Often times when we grow up we are told a little bit about what Christians believe. We are told that Christians believe in God and that God sent his son Jesus to be the messiah and that he died on the cross for our sins. I am not saying that is not a great definition. What I am saying is that; that is just the changing room. If we believe that is all we need to know about God, we are fooling ourselves.
I dont pretend to know all there is to know about the Kingdom. One thing I am reminded of is Matthew 7:21-23.
Not everyone who says to me, Lord Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, “Lord, Lord did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do mighty works in your name?” And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness’
I am also reminded of the words that were directed to the Church of Laodicea in Revelation 3
“I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
There is so much more to God than the knowledge of the sacrifice of his Son. C. H. Spurgeon said that, ‘ to disregard the study of God, you will sentence yourself to stumble and blunder through life blindfolded, as it were, with no sense of direction and no understanding of what surrounds you. … this will waste your life and your soul’ I know that knowing that we are to know God is just the beginning. The next step is often harder. The next step is knowing where to begin in our journey to know God. I will give you the number one way to know God. His word.
We are all known by our Words. Our Words reflect what is in our heart. That is why the Word tells us, out of the mouth flows the heart. If all I ever talk about are other people, my heart is focused on other people. If all I ever talk about is money, my heart is focused on money. If all I ever talk about is people being “judgy”. My heart may very well be “judgy”. If I talk about kingdom things, my heart is focused on kingdom things. Be very carful who you allow to occupy the air space around you. Is the voice of the world louder than the voice of the Lord in your life?
Unpopular opinion: If you are never in his word, you don’t know him.
I pray this finds you well and hungry for the Word of the Lord.
Grace & Peace
Chorley