Who is your God?
As spring has quickly approached us I have been taken away with this idea of cleaning my soul. Before company comes over we all frantically deep clean our homes. What would you do if God was coming over? Even better how would you react if you were to realize He was already here. Where would you go first? What would you want to be wearing? What would you be ashamed for him to see? The fact is that the Lord dwells in our hearts.
In Luke 19 we read the story of Zacchaeus. This tax collecter climbs a tree to see Jesus. Zacchaeus is already a social outcast, and instead of blending into the crowd he decided to stand out simply because of a desire to be close to the Lord. In verses 5 and 6 it is stated "When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him. "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today." So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly." Two things stick out to me in these verses. Jesus calls Zacchaeus by his name. He doesn't just scream "HEY! You in the tree!!" Instead, He calls him by his by His name. As if to treat him like an old friend. The second thing that sticks out to me is the fact that Zacchaeus welcomed the Lord gladly. Zacchaeus didn't begin to worry if his home was big enough to fit them, or if the house was clean enough for Jesus he just welcomed them. I bet there were a few items not in their place for Jesus's impromptu visit. However, I am sure that while Jesus recognized the "flaws", He simply thought "Oh, how I love this child of mine." All Zacchaeus cared about was being in the presence of Jesus. Once he dwelled in the Lord's presence his life changed. Are out home/hearts ready for the Lord? Are you ready to let Him in even if you haven't finished cleaning? We don't have to be perfect for the Lord to be in our lives. As a matter of fact, He is what forms our imperfection into perfection.
Often we walk around ignoring God. Instead, we turn to other people, tv, video games, celebrities, social media, and more. We expect the world to fix our problems and we expect our daily lives to hold up on their own. When everything falls apart, that is when we decide to spend time with God. I have been fascinated as I've read through Judges and a verse in chapter 10 verse 4 stood out to me, "Go and cry out to the gods you have chosen. Let them save you when you are in trouble!" As I read this verse I read a deep cry from our father to simply be in a relationship with us. He shouldn't have to compete for our time or only be important when we feel as if we need Him. The truth is we constantly need Him. We were designed to live in relationship with the Lord and to abide in His love. Jonah 2:8 illustrates all that we lose when we worship our idols, "Those who pay regard to vain idols forsake their hope of steadfast love." We belong to the God of love, unconditional, unchanging love. Yet we get caught up in the world full of hatred. Everything is a competition or and insult.
Who are your gods? In Jimmy Needham's song Clear the Stage the lyrics so beautifully describe what idols are.
"Anything I put before my God is an idol
Anything I want with all my heart is an idol
Anything I can't stop thinking of is an idol
Anything that I give all my love is an idol"
It is amazingly easy to form and lean on idols. In a fast moving world, even time can become our idol. As we embark on spring cleaning, don't forget to clear the stage. If you are to think "there isn't enough time" maybe there isn't enough time to breath either. We were created to be in a relationship with Christ just as we were designed to breathe.
"Clear the stage, make some space for the one who deserves it."
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