Do You See Him?

We started a new series at LATR called “Do You See Him?”  The big idea of the series is that Jesus is walking with us whether we see Him or not.  I think so often we choose to have selected awareness of Jesus in our lives – we praise Him in the good times and when things are bad we wonder why He is so far away when in reality He is always there.

I was reminded of a section in the first chapter of Glenn Packiam’s new book called “Secondhand Jesus” where he wrote about how he had bought into the suburban rumor that so many of us have bought into and that is “my house was an evidence of His blessing. Our growing church was an indication of God’s pleasure. Things were going to get better and better while I kept my life on cruise control. Never mind that I had struggled—mostly unsuccessfully—to have consistent time alone with God. Forget that I had hardly spent time worshipping God offstage. The more my wife and I searched our own souls, the more we realized we had become passive, complacent, at times even indifferent about our own knowledge of God. We had been lulled to sleep by our own apparent success, numbed into coasting by our spiritual Midas touch.”  Like Glenn, I find myself in a similar condition; I have not been seeing the real Jesus behind what I have and what He has allowed me to accomplish but now it is exposed.  Now that I have written this, I guess people are going to hold me accountable. :D

Josh did an excellent job describing areas of our lives that we might have missed seeing Jesus, and there was a particular area he mentioned that convicted me instantly, thus this mini confession.  That area is in regards to work/biz.  Josh mentioned how the global economic situation has caused many people to have lost money, jobs and businesses.  I was instantly convicted because I was made aware then that I have not, truly, in recent times, given thanks to God for having a job and the continued success in business.  It is true, we’ve worked hard as a company and have made wise decisions, but I know that is only because of the hand of God that we are where we are.  I am probably the only one in the company that believes this, yet I have failed to properly acknowledge Jesus and see His hand over everything.  I am once again humbled by this revelation.

There are a few lines from a song that Glenn just released that have been running over and over again in my mind:

“I have only heard the whispers of Your majesty.  All I’ve know were only rumors, now my eyes have seen Your glory”

I am tired of the rumors and lies of Jesus that I have bought into, I want to see Jesus and His glory.  Another quote from Glenn: “Rumors grow in the absence of revelation. Every time we keep God at arm’s length, declining an active, living knowledge of Him, we become vulnerable to rumors. Lulled by false comfort and half-truths about God, we—in Keith Green’s famous words—fall asleep in the light.”  I am certainly more aware that I need to block out the rumors and look for true revelation of the man who gave His life for me so I can have life, more and better life.

Jesus is at work, in fact, I believe He has kicked it into overdrive.  I want in!  I want to be more aware of His presence and to be able to see Jesus in pain and sorrow and in good times.  Open my eyes Jesus!