Thursday, May 28, 2009

You have all things in Christ, but what about you?

Jesus holds all things together. Not one thing that has been made was made with out him, not one thing can keep us from his love: The love of the Father. His love can not be bought. The love of the father can not be gained or earned in anyway. Praise be to Christ that the love of God, his kingdom, his presence has come near to us. This is the gospel the words of truth from the mouth of truth himself. The Kingdom of God has come near. If you have wanted God, you shall have him. Knock and the door shall be answered to you, ask and you shall receive. The father and his infinite love is ours. One thing remains: does he have you?

The lord of lords the God of the universe and his holy spirit are yours to have and to hold. They reside in your body as the power that raised Christ from the dead and brought him into the glorious riches of his name's inheritance. Why has God done this? Has he done this so that we could be close to him? Yes. Has he done this so that we could be filled with his holy fire and receive the presence of the creator back into our hearts? Yes. But what about you? No, not what do you get. We just cover what you get. You get what every heart was created to want. Despite the enemies attempts to shift our focus fro the lord on to other idols nothing fills our desire for the lord like having the lord. The kingdom of God, the nearness of God, is not just about that. What about you? You have what you want, but does God. Having God in our hearts fulfills the desire of our hearts, but only if he has you is life found. You want the lord, and the lord wants you. This is the meaning of the truth: If you keep your life you will lose it, but if you give it up you will gain it. To give up your life isn't to throw it away. Life isn't found in your own ability. Giving up your life is giving it up to God for he wants it as you want him. So while you may feel the presence of the lord and while you may do many good works, and while you may be a good and righteous person as result of God's work in your life, at the end of all things there will be those to whom he says: "Who are you? You have cast out demons in my name, but i do not know you." Our life is hid with Christ on high, when...our life is hid with Christ on high. Are you his? He wants you as you want him. He is yours he has given himself over to us, but have you?

These where the questions in my heart. The spirit of the lord guided me to this place and found me wanting. For all the work he has done in me, through me, to me, and for me, what have I gained if I am not his? The answer is of course nothing. It would be better that I never did any good but was his, forever was a fool but was his fool, and never learned anything from my mistakes but my heart belonged to him than to be a good man with righteousness and not be his. He is better than life, to this I will attest. So I pray for thee that the lord would fill you with his love but that you will turn to him and give your heart. It is scary to entrust your life to the father, but if you want him how much more does he want you?

For this reason I kneel before the father (Even now) from whom his whole family, in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his spirit in our inner being, so that christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And i pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with the saints, to grasp how wide and how long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know that this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled to the messure of all the fulness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than we could ask or imagine...