Sunday, January 3, 2016

SKYSCRAPER

A lot of people believe all the right things and do all the right things and say all the right things and they think that's what God cares about.  But the move of Jesus in your life isn't about your belief system -- some people are sure that's what it's about, but it isn't.  It isn't about your right doctrine -- it isn't your ability to line up end time events accurately.  The movement of God in your life exists because God speaks to you.

There's so much He wants to do in your life and mine.  I don't want to come to the end of my life and realize God was trying to move with great power and wonder but because I didn't take any time to go deep with Him, He could never go very big with me.

'How could I have settled for less when I could have been so much more?'

I look across the landscape of our church - and I'm sure it's the same wherever you attend.  I see so many gifted, talented, high-potential individuals.  God has great plans for us.

We can't build the three-story version of our lives for God and be satisfied with that.  Oh sure, you'll get adoration and applause from everybody who's living with a two-story version - they're all going to look up to you - but you'll come to the finish line of life one day and God will show you the 89-story skyscraper your life was intended to be and you'll shake your head and say, 'How could I have settled for less when I could have been so much more?'

I've seen it a hundred times -- a person is so close to coming to God - so close to trusting Jesus with everything - so close to opening a new, exciting God-chapter -- and then they balk - they step back and refuse to step toward God because they think: 'Tomorrow ... later ... another time.'  And I know their intention was for it to be tomorrow or the next day, but before they knew it, tomorrow became a decade.  And ten years later they come back going, 'I don't know what happened.  I was so close, and then ... '

History is full of people who said, 'And then ... '

God calls you in.  He calls you deep.  He calls you forward.  He isn't interested in negotiation.

We're so good at that.  'God and I have an understanding.  We have an agreement.  We get each other.  Me and God, we have a deal.'

You don't have a deal.  Because God calls people with fully surrendered hearts.

We say we're 'all in' but we start haggling pretty quickly.  "I'll be 3/4 of the way in ... I'm halfway in ... I'm sorta-kinda in ... God understands."

God doesn't understand.

When my heart isn't given to God, His heart is still given to me.

What's amazing is that God loves you no matter how much you try to negotiate with Him.  I don't get it, but I'm glad for it.  Because when my heart isn't given to God, His heart is still given to me.  When I'm not all in with Him, He's still all in with me.

So beautiful.

Time to start letting God construct that skyscraper He wants to build in you.

And be blessed.

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