Dancing With Jesus

I am lost inside this mystery of God's love for me lately. And I pray it never ends. I feel like I am in a dance with my first love, Jesus, and I just keep twirling through this moment of His grace, mercy, and sacrifice for me. I love it! I am just so captured and speechless that Jesus wants my heart. That Jesus would die for me giving me the opportunity to choose eternity with Him. And even though I have accepted this precious gift of eternal life from Him, I can't help but to be consumed with checking where my heart is truly at in life.

The scriptures that I have been studying lately just remind me over and over again that the condition of my heart physically is just as important as the condition of my heart spiritually and emotionally. My heart reflects who I am. "As water reflects the face, so the heart reflects the person." Proverbs 27:19

I come no where near to being who you need to follow in example. You should follow the example of Jesus Christ. But, I do share this journey of surrender, obedience, relationship, and consistency in my Savior with you because it has become REAL for me. And it has changed my life!

It's easy to be focused on being that that person that people would "assume" is a GOOD Christian. But are we really good Christians? Are we just good at going to church, tithing, not missing attendance, etc. Shouldn't we be more concerned of what God sees. He sees everything! And eventually our "pretending" will be seen by our peers. Luke 6:45 "The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of his heart his mouth speaks."

I ask myself these questions....How would someone describe me that works with me, lives with me, sits in class with me, sits next to me in church, rides in my car with me, goes to lunch with me, runs into me at the grocery store, overhears my conversation on my cell phone, sees me working in my yard, looks at my facebook, etc. The list could just go on and on. How would someone describe you that knows you as a relative? How would someone describe you that goes to church with you? How would someone describe you that works next to you at your job?

As challenging as those questions seem, better yet, ask yourself this: What does God KNOW (not think) of me? Because in case you have forgotten, He doesn't have to meet you for lunch, He has been with you all day. He doesn't have to bump into you at the grocery store, He is in your heart and knows exactly what's going on with you. He knows how many hairs you have on your head. He thinks about you constantly. I John 3:20 "...for God is greater than our hearts, and He knows everything."

Last week in the book Crazy Love, Francis Chan makes the comment that every Sunday he sees hundreds of consistent church going people entering the church doors, and he wonders to himself out of those people, who will actually be in heaven. Is Jesus your everything? When you worship on Sunday mornings are you worshiping as though He is standing right in front of you? I sing from the stage most Sunday mornings and sometimes I wonder if we really mean what we sing. Sometimes I just have to close my eyes and imagine myself at the feet of Jesus. Who cares what the person next to you thinks when you are worshiping. We are not called to worship a congregation, but instead we worship a SAVIOR! Isaiah 29:13, "The Lord says, 'These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship is made up only of rules taught by men.'"

Our nation is full of lukewarm Christians just doing the "christian" thing week to week. Dad shared this in a sermon that Islam would call us a Christian nation. We know that we are far from that. But get this....because of the inconsistency of people who call themselves Christians, they choose to not be called Christians when they get saved. Instead they call themselves, "followers of Christ". And they know most of the time that as soon as they become a follower of Christ, they will be persecuted and most likely killed for their faith.

Christians in America think it's terrible if someone makes fun of them at work or school for being a Christian because it's not cool to them. Peter tells us in 1 Peter 4:12, "Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But REJOICE that you participate in the sufferings of Christ so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed". If someone is recognizing you are in love with your SAVIOR, then REJOICE, because apparently you are doing something right that they can see His glory revealed in you!

We should wear His name proud! It honestly leaves me speechless that I wear the name of Jesus. With honor I carry the name of Jesus with me everywhere I go. And I will continue to dance with my first love, Jesus, and I will continue to keep twirling through this moment of His grace, mercy, and sacrifice that He gave for me.

I heard these lyrics to a song this morning and this is truly what my heart cries out, "Jesus when you speak to my heart, I know that I am in love....in love with a Savior, who gave everything just to know me. It leaves me speechless that You would want my heart. You leave me speechless that You would die just to be with me and I am lost inside this mystery. Oh Jesus, you leave me speechless."

Are you speechless?

Where is your treasure?

I can still smell the air of the mountains, smoke from huts, and trees that we would fly through on our way home to our tribe in the helicopter.

My helicopter ride to the tribe was 30 minutes of anticipation soaking in God's creation in the islands of Papua New Guinea and mostly longing to be in my mom and dads arms again. As soon as we would get over the last mountain, my brother would look back at me from the front passenger seat and say, "Kelli, we are here!" We would look down and I could not help but start waving my arms frantically out the small window. I knew that it was pretty promising my parents couldn't see my arms yet, but I would wave them all the way until we landed. There was no other way to get out all the excitement I had in my body! Tears would fill my eyes as I would see my mom smiling from ear to ear ready to embrace her kids! I didn't wait for the propeller to slow down, I undid my seat belt as fast I could and would run across the helicopter pad straight to my parents.

I think about how my mom must have felt when we would land, knowing our family was all together again. Or maybe how our pilot felt. It must have really meant something to him to see parents and kids reunite and feel complete again for a short time. What a rewarding job to land a helicopter safely and watch children run into their parents arms!

That makes me think about how God must feel when we feel complete in Him. His love is far better than we can comprehend, so just imagine what it must be like for a God who created you to see you give your life to him completely without turning back. When I see someone surrender to God, I can't help but cry knowing it is the best decision they will ever make. What a difference it would make if we get over everything else and GET INTO GOD!

I sat with my grandma as she was dying of cancer and she could barely talk because the cancer had spread to her brain. I would sit with a hymnal next to her bed and sing for her. Sometimes she would hum along and try to say the words to songs as best as she could. One day I began singing, " I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, I have decided to follow Jesus, no turning back, no turning back." When I started singing this song, I wasn't two words into it and she opened her eyes, and with all she had in her, she sang those words as loud and clear as she could. I watched her suffer from cancer and yet be so grateful to God for her circumstances. She embraced herself in Him daily. I wish I could have witnessed her walking into the presence of God and hearing Him tell her "well done, June, my good and faithful servant."

I know from experience that when I am fully embraced in the Lord, that is when I am most happy. That is when I am most burdened for my lost friends. That is when I am most loving. That is when I get my priorities in order. That is when I have peace in the midst of my storms.

I guess what my thoughts sum up to be is that we need to soak up every moment here on earth and give it our best for Christ! We need to be a little more concerned about who might not know Jesus rather than wasting our time being the ones who have Him and don't share Him.

One more story. My grandma, like I said, was dying from cancer. Their youth group from church came and brought her cookies and cards one afternoon. They spent some time with her in the room giggling and having a great time together. After they had left, I went in the room and she was crying. I said, "Grandma, are you sad because you don't get to spend time with them at church as much anymore?" She said, "No. I am sad because some of them don't know Jesus." I just looked at her and my eyes welled up with tears.

I have to ask myself "Am I broken over the lost world?" I asked someone the other day if they had spent time with God at all that day. They said, "no, don't have time. My day is pretty much taken up." Is that you? Have you made time for God today? Or have you let everything else come as priority over Him?

I pray I find meaning to my life in HIM and not things of this world!

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matthew 6:21