Saturday, May 31, 2008

Complacency and the Kingdom of God

God told me "you are a runner, not a camper, you hate to camp.  SO WHY ARE YOU CAMPING?"

You see, every day that I run I use the same route.  I am a creature of habit.  However, being a creature of habit is not necessarily a good thing in the Kingdom.  God is always moving.  You know, "cloud by day, fire by night"? If we aren't moving and He is -- guess what?  We are left behind.  Not only are we left behind but we are also left in old revelation. Revelation of yesterday, old manna -- yuck!  But somehow we manage to subsist on that until we are so malnourished that we wake up one day wondering "How did I get here"?  Well, we really didn't set out to go into no-where-land.  We sort of just found ourselves there.  Something happened - discouragement, laziness, busyness of life, kids, husband, wife, job, etc. You name it. But it's not God.

The funny thing is, is that in the natural I really dislike camping. I've always wondered why people find it so fun.  Everything is harder when you camp.  Cooking and cleaning up being the two worst in my book.  Twice as much work to get it accomplished.  And don't get me started on the lack of hygiene and the backaches from sleeping on the ground. I am probably getting myself in trouble here with those of you who love to camp. 

But somehow God's people love to camp -- in spiritual places, that is.  Camping in old familiar places.  Camping in old attitudes & revelations.  Hey, this is how we've ALWAYS done it. You've probably heard the saying that the last great move of God can (and will be) the biggest hindrance to the new move of God.  Oh God help us!  He's moving forward and we have our cold, dead fingers still wrapped around a tiny bit of revelation from the past that is rotting and falling away but still we're proclaiming that it is TRUTH!  Meanwhile, the lost and hurting and broken are passing us by because all they see is a person in the throws of death and not The Life they seek.

Oh God, how can a region be changed if I have so much trouble changing?  How can the people who look to me, (follow me as I follow Christ) go into new places if I am camping out where You used to be.  OUCH!

I am a person who is a builder.  I want to see change.  I have a big picture mentality.  But God has a one-heart-at-a-time mentality and He is concerned with mine.  One little beating heart in the hand of God.  It really is a dance of me and Him. A focus of one thing -- loving my daddy and being consumed in Him, by Him and for Him.  If that is happening in my life then I will be going into new places.  I can't help but go where He goes because He is my only focus --not the big picture.  Oh that counts but it's not numero uno.  I can get lost in the big picture when what He is looking for in me is that I am focused on the one thing. He definitely is a big picture God, just not the way we think of it. After all, He IS the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.  You can't get any bigger picture than that. 

So here I am trying to help God with the big picture and He definitely has that under control. He just wants me to love on Him.  You know "seek first the kingdom..." Matt 6.33.  And in the process of trying to help God, I find myself even farther away from Him.  

Running with God is a daily choice and it is an inward thing.  It doesn't mean I have to manifest some sort of God busyness to prove to others I am going forward. He knows if I am connected with Him in the here and now. He knows if I am violently pressing into Him, looking for ways to please Him as my heart yearns towards His presence.  This is an unseen place. 

You know how wonderful fresh bread smells? When you walk down the street and a bakery is nearby, doesn't the fragrance of all that is wonderful draw you in? God has fresh bread! All I have to do is go to Him to get it. If I have fresh bread then guess what? Others are going to smell it in my life and want it too. 

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in  Christ, and through us diffuses
 the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."  2Cor2.14

Oh God, help us -- help me be a person who seeks your face and does not get distracted from the real goal which is dwelling in my Father's heart. You are faithful and you can take care of the big picture -- I repent of camping in the old things and trying to "help you" build your Kingdom.  Lord help me! I want to run with You into quiet places of connection & adoration and not into manic places of distraction.

Renew, refresh and revision my inward life so that all I do is please YOU!  


1 comment:

India said...

Shell, YOU KNOW YOUR NAME ! Thank you Abba for revelation. Let me be a fire starter and burn for You. Take the coal, cleanse my lips, make me whole!