Looking for a good place to hide?

I love the way the Message paraphrases the first three verses of Psalm 11 (Ps. 11:1-3):

“I've already run for dear life straight to the arms of God. So why would I run away now when you say, "Run to the mountains; the evil bows are bent, the wicked arrows Aimed to shoot under cover of darkness at every heart open to God. The bottom's dropped out of the country; good people don't have a chance?”"

Have you ever tried to picture running for dear life straight into the arms of God? I know for me it’s hard to imagine what God looks like. I mean after all, no one has actually seen God face to face. The book of Psalms talks about hiding in the shadow of His wings (Ps. 17:8, 36:7, 61:4, 91:4). I guess I can picture being hidden and finding comfort under a strong and mighty wing..like that of an eagle. 

As I began to think about running into his arms I thought about a few other things. My mind quickly went back to the Old Testament chapter of Exodus. In Chapter 33, Moses and God are talking. They had a relationship. Moses trusted God to lead him and provide for him. Moses could have asked God for anything, yet he asked for God to reveal his glory. Moses wanted to see God’s face. God granted Moses his request but still didn’t allow Moses to see his face. He allowed his presence to pass by and Moses was allowed to see his back (Ex. 33:23).

After Moses, I thought about the disciples’ relationship with Jesus. They were hand-picked by Jesus for a reason. Before Jesus left earth to return to heaven, he spent a great deal of time with them (building relationship). During his earthly ministry, Jesus showed us all how to truly love our neighbor and live in obedience to Father God. He crossed political, racial, and social backgrounds to show love and compassion to those in desperate need of relationship; the woman at the well, the adulterous woman, the blind beggar, the leaper, just to name a few.

God created us to be in relationship with him for his pleasure. As difficult as it may be for some to imagine, God wants us to turn to him with everything; even when life seems to get tough. In fact, in all circumstances – good and bad, he wants us to turn to him for guidance and direction. Our circumstances can be an opportunity for us to grow in our faith and trust in Christ if we allow God to draw us closer. Don’t ignore the challenges that come your way just because they may be a little uncomfortable… use them as an opportunity for God’s glory to be revealed and enjoy the warmth of the Father’s loving arms.

You may be asking "How can I be in relationship with God?" Well, it starts by accepting Christ's redeeming work on Calvary. When you accept Christ as your Savior the Holy Spirit will come and live inside you. But it doesn't stop there. As with any relationship, it needs to be nurtured so it can grow. 

How do you nurture a relationship? By spending time with the person you are building the relationship with. To build your relationship with Christ, spend time reading your Bible and talking to him in prayer. I thought prayer had to be formal...but it really doesn't. I talk to God like I'm talking to anyone else throughout the day. When times really get tough I cry out to him. Believe me, He is listening...and will answer. It may not always be the way you want Him to answer...but He ALWAYS knows what's best and will never leave our side.

So, how is your relationship with Christ? Does it need nurturing? Or do you run and hide in His arms when life gets too hard to handle? 

Spend time connecting with Him today. He's waiting for you!

Open the door to your heart...

Romans 10:9-10 (MSG) It is the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Saying the welcoming word to God – “Jesus is Master” - embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Christ from the dead. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!”

After his conversion, Paul desired for the nation of Israel to have salvation...the same salvation he had found in Jesus Christ. He worked so hard and sacrificed much to teach them about Christ. Instead of being stuck in “religious tradition”, Paul wanted to introduce the Jews to the Christ he had bumped into on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-18).

Christ knew everything about Paul. He knew that Paul had spent his much of his life persecuting and killing the Christians (Phil. 3:6). But Christ loved Paul too much to let him stay that way. (He loves us too much for us to stay the way we are too.) God had a plan and purpose for Paul’s life (ours too) and it wasn’t following the law or religious tradition perfectly, it was using his life as an example to tell others about Jesus. After the Damascus road experience Paul embraced Christ and put his complete trust in Him. Paul no longer tried to set things right by being “perfect”, he allowed Christ to come into his heart. He accepted Christ’s gift of grace and received mercy and forgiveness for every sin he committed and would ever commit. That is salvation.

The only road to salvation and eternal life is through Christ. He offers us the same opportunity he gave Paul. Christ will meet us where ever we are…even if it’s at the bottom of the deepest, darkest pit. He will meet you there.

“If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. No one who believes in him will be put to shame.” (Romans 10: 9, 11) NRSV

One thing we must keep in mind is that God is a gentleman; He is not intrusive and will not invade your life. The choice is yours. Christ knocks at the door of your heart.

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If you hear my voice and open the door, I will come in and eat with you, and you will eat with me.” (Revelation 3:20 NCV)

Christ desires a personal relationship with us but we have to invite him to be a part. Have you opened the door to your heart, or are you too busy enjoying the things of this world to hear him?