God's One Desire

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I am studying Ephesians again (one of my favorites) and have been hit hard by one simple thought again and again. God has one desire that fuels all that He does. Everything that He has ever done points to this one thing! 

He wants to be with me. He wants to be with you.

Simple, right? Unfortunately, we mucked it up as we humans usually do so, no. We could stop there and be lost in our discouragement, wallowing in our sad existence much like the prodigal son laying in the pen with the pigs despairing that any one could ever love us again. I can almost feel the filth oozing up between the crevices of my toes and the repugnant stink of it contaminating all that I might come upon. Wow... major downer.

God doesn't want me to stay there, though. Again and again He shows me what He wants more than anything else: to spend time with me. Doesn't seem real, does it? The God of all, the Creator of everything, THE GOD wants to enjoy my company. Hard to believe. But true.

Follow me on this...

When I sin (and there are lots of ways I can do this, to be sure!) I cause a separation from God by choosing to carry that filth around with me. (Remember the repugnant stink? Why would anyone want to be around that?) A hurtful word, a bitter heart, an angry disposition, a lustful life... does anyone enjoy people like that? Choices create these things in people. I create the distance that God and I feel. 

Saddened as God may be to watch me cover myself in this filth, He knows what lies beneath and still desperately wants to be near me. He doesn't need me. He wants me. He devised a "work around" or rather a "work-through" so that we could be together. 

He asked the most Precious One in His existence (His son, Jesus) if He would pay the price of sin (death) FOR ME so that I could be made pure, the real me, and be allowed near Him again. Jesus' blood paid that price.

God's grace wiped away the darkness and filth that covered me, that kept me from His presence. He did it all on purpose! His actions let me know that He wants me to be with Him.

Everything He does is so I can be with Him.

All that He does is so that He can be with me. He is pushing His way through the muck, fighting to reach me... the real me that lies beneath the filthy barrier I've created, whether intentionally or not. Everything God does is in effort to be near me and me with Him. 

He removes barriers like sin and my unworthiness; He teaches and guides me so that those sins are less; He makes time to be with me and encourage me to keep pursuing Him; He shows me His desire to love and care for me.

I know this all might sound like a bunch of religious mumbo jumbo but the more I explore the Bible and see the personality of God (yes, He has a personality!), the more I find it true. Every story in the Word, not just the action of Jesus, is a move by Him to get closer to His creations by removing the barriers to His presence.

He wants me. He likes me. He sacrificed to get me. He cleared the way for me. He walks with me. He loves me. 


The same can be said of YOU! Don't believe me? I challenge you to go into this next week with your eyes wide open to the little and big things God might be doing each day to show you He's there and He cares. For me, sometimes it's a moment of clarity in a space where there shouldn't be any. Or an eagle flying overhead at a moment when I am despairing which tells me that He's with me. Or a string of songs played randomly all carrying the same message. Or the shape of a heart in a rock or a cloud. Or.... whatever might speak to you. The point is to let God speak to your heart. Not to test or challenge Him but to challenge
yourself to look for Him. If you do, He will be found. 

Comments

Anonymous said…
Love reading your writing. Thanks for sharing!
3:01 PM
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