Eyes Opened

But you are God’s chosen treasure —priests who are kings, a spiritual “nation” set apart as God’s devoted ones. He called you out of darkness to experience His marvelous light, and now He claims you as His very own. He did this so that you would broadcast His glorious wonders throughout the world. 1 Peter 2:9 TPT

The Bible tells us that our lives can be a beacon to others.  We live in a world of strugglers. People grapple with guilt, doubt, disappointment, fear, and frustration. We don’t need to see a carefully manicured portrayal of Christian life. We need to see a fellow struggler who authentically interacts with a real God and therefore wants to interact with His people. 

When Jesus invites us to follow Him, He wants us to start right now from our current location. We don’t have to go back to where we started. We don’t have to wait until we feel perfected. We don’t need to get a little closer on our own strength. He reaches out to us with grace and love and invites us ALL to follow Him. 

Revelation 14:12 NET This requires the steadfast endurance of the saints – those who obey God’s commandments and hold to their faith in Jesus.

Feeling weak? Depend on His strength. 

Trapped in sin? Find freedom in His endless mercy. 

Been down this road before? Know that He is still patiently waiting for you to change direction. 

Lost? Trust His directions. YES! Thank You God! 

Jesus asks US to start following Him right here —right now and promises to make it an incredible journey.  Not an easy journey but an incredible one with salvation as the destination. 

2 Corinthians 5:17 NET Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

The expectation is obvious: When Jesus invites us to follow Him, it’s an invitation to surrender. Only when we offer Him everything, control, fear, shame, can we truly live for Him. I know that kind of surrender can go against every instinct we have. We want to hang on. We can’t seem to let go. We refuse to pull the plug. 

But it is only when we give of ourselves honestly, (because God is all knowing anyways and merely waiting for us to step out boldly with Him and own our mistakes) will we finally experience the resurrection power of Christ. 

And when we do - He calls us disciples, the Lord calls us His own, He asks us to be pieces of His plan to heal and reconcile His people -  His kingdom. 

Psalms 139:23-24 NET Examine me, and probe my thoughts! Test me, and know my concerns! See if there is any idolatrous tendency in me, and lead me in the reliable ancient path! 

I want to be authentic before Jesus. I don’t want to keep on thinking, I’ll figure that out later. I want to be what God wants me to be now. And that’s what being vulnerable and humble at the foot of the cross is all about. It’s being real and developing the disciplines of a sincere faith. 

I think a lot of people want to have a genuine, honoring relationship with the Lord. But here’s the thing: It’s not just something we feel, it’s actually something we do. There are disciplines we can develop that lead to the relationship with Jesus we so deeply desire. 

Ephesians 6:18 NET With every prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and to this end be alert, with all perseverance and requests for all the saints.

The reason I feel passionately about this is because my life used to be pieces of shattered glass. And that was the problem. It was my life separated from the healing friendship of Holy Spirit. 

But something happened. God broke through the walls I’d built around my crashing life.  He did it through the word, His Holy Bible.

My friends, take Jesus’ hand, take the step of faith. If you feel like the patterns of the world are more apparent in your life, than the patterns of Jesus, never give up. Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, think about those things. I grew up with a bunch of insecurities, fears, shame and pressures that I couldn’t see a way out of.  I felt like something was missing. 

Eventually I sought God and chose to put my faith in Jesus and He was able to fill the holes in my heart. I have undeniable faith that He will do the same for you. What can make us whole again? Nothing but the blood of Jesus.