Seriously.

“Feelings are indicators, not dictators. They can indicate where your heart is in the moment, but that doesn't mean they have the right to dictate your behavior and boss you around. You are more than the sum total of your feelings and perfectly capable of that little gift . . . called self-control.” - Lysa TerKeurst 

How many feelings do we have in a day? And how often do we let those dictate an hour, a minute, or even a second of our time? 

Recently, there has been someone in my life who just doesn't take anything about me or anything I do seriously. And, have expressed that they would love to make my life miserable. They find ways to see me stumble in day to day life, or lie and gossip behind my back. We all have one of those people in our lives, right? There is always a person you see and it just makes your heart melt, as you know that when you converse with them or help them your emotions will be thrown out of your control.   

Something I have had to continually remind myself in the truth that the closer you are to the Lord, the gravity of your emotions dictated by people is minimized. And the more distant you are from people and the closer you are to the Lord, the more you look to His truth and His comfort to fill your mind with pure thoughts.  

In John 5, we see a very interesting passage. The entire chapter is a Witness to the character and the Power of Jesus. Towards the end of the chapter, Jesus states, "you refuse to come to me that you may have life (v. 40). I do not receive glory from people, But I know that you do not have the love of God within you. I have come in my fathers name and you do not receive me." (John 5:40-43)

We can learn so much from the interaction Jesus has with the people in this passage. Think about how frustrating it must be, to have a real, living testament to who the Messiah is...to embody the glory of God, and understanding the modeling of the Great Commission to take place.  Yet, they are stumbling over one thing. Himself. If the people listening to the King are deterred by his human-ness, then what does that present for us to learn? Not only are the listeners stumbling over their own lack of faith, they are stumbling over the one bringing the message. 

Even so, Jesus did not grow discouraged, as he did not glean His glory from people. The adoration of His message or the hatred of His message did not dictate his state. Instead, He only grew more fervent in the Gospel, and its proclamation. He proceeds to state, "How can you believe, when you receive glory from another and do not seek the glory that comes from the only God (v.44)?"  

I think it is crazy awesome how the Gospel is shown in this light. Jesus, the sovereign one, knows that to the human eye he could have come in a more royal fashion. He could have approached the Gospel reality to his audience through a sensory delighting, or a miracle. Yet, he sticks to the truth of the Lord and the power of the intrinsic message. Jesus even refers back to the Old Testament and tells the followers of the prophesy of the Lord to connect the dots for those listening, and to take the familiar, and couple it with the phenomenal truth of who HE is!  Can you imagine standing there with Jesus, and being left with that bit of truth? Followers, just as you dismissed Moses, is just how you dismiss me, and exactly how you are allowing yourself to not see the revelation of the Messiah through me!

Isn't it interesting how we can be so bogged down and disillusioned by the temporal and miss the eternal? Jesus is proclaiming the greatest truth in all of history, yet they cannot take Him seriously. 

Have you ever had someone not take you seriously? The easy answer would be...don't sweat it. Our Savior had it happen to Him as well. But, the reality is that not bring taken seriously, whether during evangelism or during our routine, is damaging to our ego. It hurts to know that we are not bring heard or understood. And, it is extremely hurtful and frustrating to know others are not receiving what takes energy for you to give. 
Yet, Jesus modeled for us the behavior and mindset of not accepting glory from others. That is not what can stabilize us or even "build" us up. Think of external pressures, pushing you, stripping you, molding you. Whereas with Christ, you can guarantee on being fulfilled internally through clarity of vision and focusing ont he gospel. 

Emotions, praise and even encouragement are fleeting if not from a source that is constant and omnipotent. Emotions will literally drive us crazy, and not being understood will wear us down. Yet through seeking the Lord, and minimizing our attention to the exterior, we will become filled in the most permanent of ways. 

Until the End

Have any of you ever felt that your life is out of your control? Maybe you have felt that all that you do, all that you say, all that you try and accomplish is just one step short of actually grabbing onto your life?

You feel as though it is moving in front of you, and that you just cannot catch up.

Maybe it is the speed at which we live our lives. Multitasking...agendas...lists...priorities.  Or, maybe it is our world of technology, that fills our head with so much thought and content that we analyze other's lives before we dissect our own.

Often, I feel as though I am directed and pushed into avenues that I never wanted to be in the first place.  After an hour of scanning through pictures, visions, ideas, on my phone I feel less inspired than I did if I was to sit on my own and stare blankly into space. Why is that?

The vision I had for my life is so far off of what I end up getting myself into. How is this possible?

Has it ever hit you that the one directing you and pushing you to go in various directions wants you to get off course? Maybe it is distraction pulling you from where you need to be, or sin placing roadblocks in front of you, not allowing you to truly live the life formed for you.

I am beginning to see that the reasons we follow fleeting passions and become off- center isn't only because we are human and live in a fallen world. It is because the idols we find ourselves following do not have the full authority under heaven.

Distractions, Satan, and sin do not see the whole picture, yet they do see the fullness and the might of God.

Our Lord has been commanded with "all authority in heaven and on earth", and amazingly it "had been given to [him]" (Matthew 28:18). He has absolute authority, and can and will exercise it under the Father's command. This passage is embedded in the midst of the great calling and directing of the Bible, to bring people to the reality and the knowledge of the Lord as their Savior and Master.

In elementary school I remember shouting out the grammar terms and rules found in a passage after the teacher prompted us. Here, we find an ACTION verb-- a directing verb. "Go therefore.."

To those of you who do not know Jesus, and have no idea what this "great calling" or "great commission is", it sounds as though it is once again, another way to follow something with no end. Suddenly it sounds like we are finding ourselves following blindly on this mission.

Then-- this figure of authority changes the scene. Jesus states, Beloved..."I am WITH you always, to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:20).

While you follow on this thing called life, and navigate through the Great Commission, I am with you. And, what's even crazier, I will be with you until the END. Not just when it gets tough, not just when it is exciting, not just when you need clarity or direction. No, I am with you from the moment you were formed in your mother's womb, until the day you see me face to face.  I walk this journey with you. 

How many tasks in our life do we finish? I can't even read all of the 140 character blurbs that were posted the night before when I wake up. I have a hard time letting my computer charge to 100%. I run out of the door with my nails still wet (and later mess them up), because I hate waiting.  We hate staying until the end.

Earlier this week I posted a question to Twitter stating "why do you think our generation loves lists?" Buzzfeed posts of the top 10 ways to become successful seem to pop up every day. Many responded, "Because our generation wants the quick-fix".

Jesus doesn't skim through our character, choose what he wants, and ignores the rest. Jesus doesn't grow impatient. Jesus is there until the end. He declares the vision, and the direction from the beginning, and sets the reality of his presence. He is with us until the end- through the muck, through the heartache, through the rabbit-holes and distraction, and through the times we only go halfway and lose our way. He never leaves things unfinished.

Just as his dying breath was an exhale of truth.. "It is FINISHED", so is His presence with us. Through our living out of the Great Commission, and through the living of our lives, He stays with us and walks with us. Until the very, very, end.