WORDS FOR THE WEARY

Many people today are weary of the way the world is.  They see discord. They see lying, They are unhappy with their job if they have one.  They are disappointed in their church and in Christian leaders. They are tired of being shouted at, put in a category or stereotype.   They feel too weary even for God.

My friends, that is not the description of a handful of unfortunate people in therapy for depression.  It is an epidemic in our world today.  People have been wrung out. They feel used and abused. Their song is "Hold The Fort" because they are hoping and praying that Jesus will come quickly and get them out of this mess.

I understand, my friends.  Life has been tough for a few years now.  The revival seems to have gone into reverse, with more and more Christians falling into universalism, into phony science, phony psychology, and phony health and wealth schemes.  I talk to a LOT of people. They are discouraged because so few really seem enthusiastic for the things of God. They buy the books, the tapes, the CD's, but find it difficult to simply sit back and lean on the arms of Christ.  They believe they have to sing and dance and make incantations to enter into the presence of the Father when the veil that separated God in the Holy of Holies from man in the outer court has been torn from top to bottom.  All we have to do is walk into that throne room and enjoy a lifelong conversation with God.   What is so hard about that?

Well, it is like the illustration, "My Heart, Christ's Home".  Most people keep Christ out on the porch. Even "Christians",  Remeber Revelation 3 and the discourse on the Church of Laodicea?  They thought they had it all.  They actually had a prosperity gospel that worked!  They had need of nothing!  Nothing, that is, except Christ.  Christ was out their knocking and then calling out in case they did not hear him.  He wanted to come in and eat with them.  You know, the Lord told be quite a while ago that he had an infinite amount of information to share with me.  He is more talkative than I am, and believe me, people think I am REALLY talkative! Our God created man to fellowship with him and to reflect his glory.  He makes it easy to relate to him.

So many people make it so hard. They have to sing three songs four times each. They have to be whipped into a frenzy. They need to feel in the mood. They think God has a clock on them because of everyone else who wants in. They are afraid to verbalize their deepest thoughts, their most pressing fears, their present anxieties.  They want God to read their minds, which of course he already knows. Yet he says, CALL UPON ME, AND I WILL ANSWER YOU, AND SHOW YOU GREAT AND MIGHTY THINGS THAT YOU DO NOT KNOW.  

My friends, God wants to spend some significant time with you.  The problem simply boils down to love.  No on his part - but on ours. When you love someone, you do not want to leave them.  My first date with Verileah was 9 hours long. Her mother kicked me out at 2:30 in the morning.  All we were doing was talking - nothing physical.  We just had so much to talk about.  We called each other a lot, and every chance we got, we shut out the world to be together.  Other times we would be together with others - at church or other events.  It was love that compelled each of us to make the time needed to be with each other.   Well, God has that level of love. He sent Christ to suffer and die for us.  HE has indicated many times how much he wants us to be IN him.  Our Lord met Moses for 40 years in the Tent of Meeting.  He lives among us, and now he has imparted his precious Holy Spirit to live INSIDE of us and live through us. He is amazing.  He is a gift of God for he IS God.

Yet many marginalize the Lord.  If they let him in the door at all, it is usually in the Foyer for a quick couple of minutes. We don't want him in the dining room, where we would sit around the table with him enjoying his fragrance while he enjoys ours!  Many keep him out of the bedroom because their marriage bed is not undefiled.  He is not in the laundry because we so often prefer to wear soiled garments rather than pure white linen.  The kitchen is roped off because we don't want him to be Lord our our appetite.  And for real, many keep him out of the TV room because they figure he would not enjoy a PG-13 or R or TV14 program.  Guess what, he WOULDN"T!    Do you think Jesus would like to hear his name taken in vain, or people engaged in fornication, adultery, or uncleanness? Of course not.

That means that if WE ever engage in those ungodly behaviors, he will be grieved and excuse himself and not communicate with us. If we never grieve him, if we never partake in what we cannot share with him, we will be best buds and he will NEVER leave us or forsake us or make himself scarce.
We simply have to adore him and go into HIS world.  He is the husband, we are the wife. No matter what we think is great, it doesn't matter.  It is all about what HE thinks is great.  Now he respects our personalities and our likes and our wants, but ultimately, it is US who must decrease, and it is HIM who must increase.

Try this and see if all of a sudden you feel encouraged.   Try it with friends from your church, and see if your church gets better.   Don't wait. Get intimate with Christ tonight.


P.S.
If your marriage is in trouble, try these things with your mate.  Be interested in what they are interested in. Snuggle for long periods of time.  Bask in each other's love. And my all means, express your love frequently and creatively with the tools God has endowed you with.  The Biblical  proverb talks about how hard it is for one to stay warm alone.  Believe me,  God intended there to be heat - so take advantage of all the ways God wants to bless you through your mate!  Take time, put out effort, and by all means tell him or her how you feel about them!