Inviting Jesus in your heart: then, what?

 

I am meditating on what it means to invite Jesus in our heart/life, and I would like to invite you to share my thoughts through a series of articles that I am starting today.

In the Western world, if you invite someone to come and spend a few days at your home, and if you are a good host, you will do all you can to put them at ease and will see to it that they have the most pleasant possible stay. Attention would be paid to what they dislike (food, TV shows etc.) and will avoid those during their stay, even if they are your favourite ones. You will offer them what they like, instead. Before going to work, you will first come and check that everything is ok with them and that they have all they need. Then, you will call many times during the day in order to ensure they do not feel lonely or bored. On the other hand, the guest also has some duties and the first is to respect the code of conduct of your household. Unless they are particularly badly brought up, it is not their task to criticize your choice of furniture or deco or to ‘correct’ the way that you raise your children. Unless allowed –because of your level of intimacy-, they can’t come into your room or even your children’s room. They cannot decide on the menu or the programme of the day. They can only make suggestions when invited to do so: the fact that they are accountant or psychologist does not mean that you have invited them to poke their nose into your accounts or psychoanalyse you. With time, and depending on the length of their stay –months to years-, as they become one of ‘yours’, they will be at more liberty to do or say things, but always within certain boundaries.

If you don’t treat your guest well, they will never want to come back; and if they misbehave while at yours, you will also never invite them again. In extreme cases, the host or the guest can even decide to shorten the stay.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me. Rev 3:20

In the Eastern world, which is the Bible’s, customs are often very different from those in the West. To grasp the meaning of the LORD’s words, we need to understand the Eastern hospitality. It was regarded as a right by the traveller, to whom it never occurred to thank his host as if for a favour. And hospitality was granted as a duty by the host, who himself may very soon be dependent on someone else's hospitality. The traveller was made the literal master of the house during his stay; his host will perform for him the most servile offices, and will not even sit in his presence without express request. [This is why Jesus says: I will come in to him and will dine with him and he with Me. It is HE who invites his host to dine with him, whereas in the West, you invite your guest to join you at your table. In other words, when you open your door to the LORD, He comes in, you serve Him and, as you are about to go, He kindly honours you by asking you to sit and dine with Him.] All that the host possessed was readily made available to the guest, including his wife and daughter – this doesn’t mean guests would take advantage of this offer. The host was in duty bound to defend his guest against any unwelcomed intruder and to lay aside any personal hatred – as your guest, even the murderer of your father was safe. This is why Lot was ready to hand his young virgin daughters over to the barbarity of the Sodomites, rather than letting them commit the great sacrilege of abusing his guests (Gen 19:1-8). Things have not changed that much in the Middle East today.

Spend time pondering over these things and try to honestly answer the following questions. What kind of host are you? Have you received Jesus the Western or Eastern way? How do you think He would have loved to be received? If you have received Him the Western way, do you really mind what He likes or do you make Him eat and watch what pleases you? Do you mind His welfare in the morning before busying yourself with your daily affairs and in the evening, before going to sleep? Knowing His expertise, do you often ask Him to make suggestions in this or that area of your life? When was the last time that you’ve made His bed? And how were the new sheets? Clean? Crispy? Smelling fresh and nice? Is He allowed to enter any other room than His?

If you have received Him the Eastern way, what servile services are you rendering to Him? Has He been given right over all your possessions? Is He the Master of your spouse, kids, belongings and time? Do you treat Him like a King or think you are doing Him a favour? In short, whichever way you may have received Him, given the choice, would Jesus wish to spend one more minute in your house, your life or your heart?

We say with David that a day in GOD’s courts is better than a thousand elsewhere (Ps 84:10). Can Jesus say the same about our hospitality? It is never too late to do well or better. If this article has touched you, wake up! Put Jesus at ease. Let Him truly be the Master of everything. GOD bless you as you do so.

Shame or Glory upon His Name?

 

Richard Wurmbrand tells the story of a soldier, by the name of Alexander, who was brought before Alexander the Great, charged with desertion. Hearing the accusation, the emperor said: "I do not punish you for your cowardice but because, as a man who trembles in battle, you bear my name and put it to shame. You would have gone free if you had changed your name."

This little anecdote had me thinking. Like this soldier, we bear someone’s name. If we are Christians, we bear the name of CHRIST. Our attitude and behaviour can thus glorify or dishonour the LORD. Are we attracting praise or shame to His Name?

I was praying with my daughters yesterday and we sang a song – Smile by Jonathan Nelson-which is about presenting our hearts and lives to the LORD. After singing, I shared Malachi 1:7-8 with them - By offering polluted food upon my altar... When you offer blind animals in sacrifice, is that not evil? And when you offer those that are lame or sick, is that not evil? –, then, asked them to pay attention to the quality of what they were about to offer. What their hearts /lives really looked like? A blind sheep? A lame cow? Or, a sweet smelling offering?

This story made ​​me rethink the meaning of our vocation. If we are Christians, we bear the name of Christ; but how do we bear it?

Is the decision that you have just taken worthy of the LORD? Is the place where you are going to worthy of Him? Are your attitude, language and friends, all worthy of Christ? Does the fear that you have in front of this situation truly reflect the faith you profess in the One before Whom every knee bows in the universe? What does your recent compromise have in common with the One whose grace - to resist anything – is enough? When you say you cannot achieve this or that, where then is the One to Whom nothing is impossible? Do you only realise that every time you lie and crucify the Truth, it is the holy Name of Jesus –the Way, the Truth and the Life-, that you drag into the mud? And let me remind you that there is no small /white lie.

Beloved, let us revisit the fundamentals of our faith. Once again, let’s ask ourselves and ponder over what it is to be a Christian. Let’s examine and test ourselves to know wether we are still in the faith (2Cor 13:5). Bearing the Name of Christ supposes that we do NOTHING without first ensuring that it is exactly what He would have also done.

Have a great week in HIM, as worthy representatives of Christ. Be and remain blessed.

Knowing HIM: our own advantage...

2Pe 1:2-4, "May grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord. 3 His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature"

My attention was drawn to these verses this week-end ; and though it may sound as if I am over-emphasizing, I would like to advocate, once more, for all the advantages we can gain by knowing the LORD.

Verse 2 reminds us that even though Jesus has promised us peace, peace such as the world cannot give, we’ll never truly enjoy or experience it outside of the knowledge of GOD. Indeed, cancer is no longer scary when we know Jehovah Rapha. Unemployment does not destroy, when we are friends with Jehovah Jireh. In front of a difficult decision, when everything is absolutely blurry, it is reassuring to know Jehovah Rohi. When all sorts of enemies assail us, we can sleep peacefully when we know that Jehovah Sabbaoth is taking care of everything.  And it is with an equally peaceful heart that we will go to court, with Jehovah Tsidkenu, to judge our cases.

Verse 3 lets us understand that the power of GOD, alone, is not enough to give us ALL that we need to live (physically and spiritually). One also needs to know Christ. It is these two, put together, that guarantees His great and precious promises for us and grant us a share in the divine nature – with all the advantages thereof. Remember the brother of the prodigal son (Luke 15). The social, material and financial power of his father had already provided for EVERYTHING, but the young man was not partaking in anything because he was ignorant of his rights and had a poor knowledge of his father. He thought the latter was unjust and biased whereas he was simply merciful and full of love. He thought his father enjoyed watching him conduct himself like one of his servants while his father was just wondering when on earth would his first son finally going to grow and reign. ALL was his, but unaware of this, he was enjoying nothing. Paul sums up this tragic situation saying: The heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave, though he is the owner of everything (Gal 4:1)

It is not for GOD or our pastor that we need to know the LORD: it is for ourselves. It is for our own good and advantage. Imagine someone ending up in prison for a $5,000-debt when his grandmother has left $100,000 in a box for him. However, this person, who has never bothered going through the old lady’s precious belongings/souvenirs, one by one, knows nothing about the money. Last winter, there was a shocking story in the news about a homeless guy who froze to death in the streets, just before learning that, for almost a year, he was legally entitled to 19 of the 300 million dollars which a distant aunt, who died in 2011, had left. The guy lived on the streets without knowing that a relative had made a colossal fortune. You can read the full story here. This is what happens when we don’t want to make the effort to find the rare pearl hidden in our garden; when we refuse to strive to know HIM: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being a priest to me. And since you have forgotten the law of your God, I also will forget your children (Hos 4:6). Diamonds are not found on the surface, but in the deep; and one has to sweat to find them. If you want to remain at the surface, you’ll only get sand and, at the cost of it, you’ll get a life of sand too…

The knowledge of GOD that we are talking about has nothing to do with reciting GOD’s names or Bible verses. It is such an intimate knowledge that even the Hebrew and Greek words translated by knowledge in the Bible, are the same that are used to speak of sexual intimacy in a couple. Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain. They do not know me, declares the LORD… Let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD (Gen 4:1, Jer 9:3 & 24). The same verb, yâda, is translated here by to know. Also, speaking of Joseph and Mary, it is written: (he) knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus. And elsewhere, “knowing instantly within Himself that power had gone out of Him, Jesus turned Himself around…” (Mat 1:25, Mk 5:30). In both instances, it is the same verb, ginosko, which was used.

How then do we know HIM?

• Through the Holy Scriptures. The more we spend time on them, the more we’ll discover a bit about GOD’s mind, nature and character. We’ll also discover ourselves.
• Through prayer. The more we spend time conversing with HIM, the more He’ll reveal Himself to us.
• Through experience. When you have obeyed the commandment and seen the fabulous results, you know. The people of Samaria told their evangelist: It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Savior of the world. And Job, also confessed: I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear; but now my eye has seen You (Jn 4.42, Job 42.5).

I could go on, but these are the main and surest channels that we have to know HIM. To make the best use of them, you must truly be hungry and thirsty to know Him. This is, at least, my prayer to you. 

Have a great week and GOD bless you!

Looking at, seeing and understanding…

 

Today, as May 2013 has been prophetically earmarked as the month of great sight in my church, I would like to write on spiritual sight. Sight is the sense that allows us to observe and analyse the environment through receiving and interpreting light radiation. So, there is a strong correlation between sight and light. Make note of this.

However, if the eye is the organ of sight, vision requires the intervention of specialised areas of the brain (the visual cortex) in order to analyse and synthesise the information collected in terms of shape, colour, texture, etc. In other words, it is one thing to see and another thing to accurately understand and interpret what we have seen. Eyes are almost useless when the visual cortex is impaired. Indeed, sometimes, a stroke, brain tumour or head injury can cause a loss in someone’s ability for visual recognition. Even though their eyes are functioning normally, this person may not be able to recognise an object through their sight, but can recognize it through other senses. For instance, they may not be able to recognise and name a relative by looking at them, but when they close their eyes and listen to them, they can immediately make-out who the person is. They may be incapable of naming a banana by looking at it, but after touching/tasting it with their eyes closed, they may now be able to tell what it is. These are visual agnosias. There are other forms of agnosia which can also affect the smell, taste or hearing.

One needs more than just the eyes to see properly. Who knows, may be that blind man in Mk 8:22-25 also suffered from agnosia. In spite of Jesus laying hands on him, he was still seeing men like trees. It is only after a second touch from the LORD that he could now interpret what he saw accurately. Some people suffer from spiritual agnosia: it is written, concerning them, that they have eyes but do not see and ears but do not hear. Indeed, what good is an excellent hearing if not to hear GOD’s voice firstly? What good is a great sight which cannot see the LORD first and foremost? What profit is it to see everything, except the LORD?

After an eye surgery for blindness or cataract, light is the first thing patients notice, as soon as they try to open their eyes. It usually seems so blinding that they need to protect their eyes and gradually get used to the light –which other people no longer notice. This is why I plead that the great sight which we are going to receive this month, first serves to see the light, or at least, to notice it afresh and anew. The main light that must blind us is that of the Sun of righteousness; the light of the One whose glory overshines the light of the sun and the moon (Mal 4:2, Rev 21:23-24). We must first see the LORD (again). As my pastor says, longevity in church is neither synonymous with nor proportional to spiritual sight. Isaiah had been prophesying for some time; but one day, he went into the temple and saw the LORD in a different light (Is 6:1). This can be your story today. The Holy Scriptures can help you in this respect. The illumination that they give should lead us straight to the LORD: “Send out your light and your truth; let them lead me; let them bring me to your holy hill and to your dwelling!” (Ps 43:3) Let’s open them; let’s read them; let’s meditate upon them differently and let’s be blinded by them like a recovering blind is blinded by light. This is what we’ll gain from it?

A mirror. After seeing the LORD, the next thing Isaiah saw was his condition and his uncleanness (Is 6:5). Until then, he was not aware of it. Likewise, a blind is not aware of the dirt on his clothes; but once he sees, he can now tidy up his appearance. This month’s great sight should help us fix our spiritual looks in front of the spiritual mirror of the Word and the Spirit of GOD.

Direction. Indeed, His word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. The commandment is a lamp and the teaching a light, and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life. In His light do we see light (Ps 119:105, Pr 6:23, Ps 36:9). It is easier to drive during the day than at night.

Foresight. 2Ki 6.8-12 tells how the king of Israel could avoid all the snares of the king of Syria because he hearkened to the Word of GOD in the mouth of Elisha, the Prophet. We have more than one prophet in the Bible, let’s listen to them and we will equally avoid the devil snares.

Spiritual understanding. The unfolding of His words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple. (Ps 119:130). The Wise man exhorts us saying: get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding (Pr 4:7). This shows how important it is to understand the times and circumstances in an intelligent way and not suffer from spiritual agnosia.

Courage and zeal. In spite of threats and persecutions, Peter and John told their torturers that they could not but speak of what they had seen and heard (Ac 4:20). Yet, only a few days prior to this, they had all fled and were still hiding… Seeing also enabled the blind man from birth, who was healed by Jesus, not to be intimidated by the Pharisees: “One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see… I have told you already –how He has healed me-, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?” (Jn 9:25, 27)

I can go on, but I will stop here. Let us seek GOD in the Scriptures and may He open the eyes of our hearts and understanding.

Have a great week!