In Wales, in Cwm Einion Valley, near Furnace, Machynlleth there is a lonely road that is barely drivable but leads to a wonderfully enclosed valley where no cars or tourists will likely to pass you by. It is a picture of beauty and has been left naturally to develop. The road goes across a small river and it is common for the water to be overflowing the road.
The water overflowing the road reminds me of God’s overflowing love for us, and how He desires mercy but more often than not we do not turn to him. I can speak for no one else, but myself. I will somedays find myself busying over various projects and things to do. Yes there are many things to do each day but even so I fail to seek God those days.
For I desired mercy and not sacrifice.
I think God wants me to come to Him every day for quality time so that we can work through things and just spend time together but I feel some days time itself is being sucked away by all this busy work the devil sends my way. God would have preferred not to sacrifice himself on the cross if there was any other way but it seems there was not. We were reborn through Jesus’ amazing sacrifice on the cross.
We forget His sacrifice at our peril.
Perhaps we can have a reminder placed onto our computers or places where we spend so much time so as to refocus us. Did God die for you so that you could spend an hour or more playing candy crush on your phone, when nature is more immersive and beautiful, and relaxing than any phone. At the diamond geezers mens event I was reminded how one person placed a picture of his family on his phone so that he would see them every time he switched it on and was tempted to look for porn. It is not just porn that people struggle with, I think there are two many distractions on websites. Reviewing my own website I saw an advert tempting people away because apparently Miley Cyrus had a bruise on her bum and was showing it off. What on earth is the world coming too. I am seriously considering paying for the wordpress site so as to avoid people being distracting by utter rubbish.
Come let us return unto the Lord, for He has torn, and He will renew us.
The Lord convicts us and tears us apart like Jesus’ heart was torn on the cross. He would rather have been walking around healing and teaching everyone about His Father, but they were only settled on one outcome. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Jesus will renew us, for He is the everlasting living water. His river of life runs through the Holy city and trees of lushness are either side. Fruits that heal every nation are there in an everlasting supply.
I like to walk through these rivers barefoot and just feel the cool soothing of life that is running through my feet. God is here with us, He has chosen to sacrifice Himself so that the Holy Spirit can dwell in us. But only if we allow God to tear us apart from our selfish desires, our selfish time looking for that next funny video of someone failing in someway. Only if we allow God to tear us away from addictions of many types, porn, celebrity worship, gossip, selfishness…..the list goes on.
We need to stop being afraid that God doesn’t know what He is doing because he has been clearly guiding everyone from the foundations of the earth – just look at this valley which takes care of itself because it has the creators design etched into every single tiny genome and DNA of every creature and plant, and river and stone.
After two days He will revive us:
in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight.
As I was spending the day with my son, Matthew who is 6. I spent lunchtime with him in McDonalds. This was his choice as he had injured himself playing on a park. As I sat there and we chatted about everything under the sun, I noticed almost everyone sat staring at phones. It was one of those Dr Who moments were you felt that everyone had been taken over by the little machines and civilisation was being dissolved into a search for the latest media sensation. There was one elderly man who sat and watched everyone, we watched each others eyes a couple of times and we exchanged smiles. He was alone but sat next to his daughter who spent the whole time on her phone tapping something irritably with a pained look on her face. How I wish that young woman would have looked up at her granddad and engaged with him. But this is not an isolated case, it seems more common than not today.
Was that old man Jesus?
How much more does God look across at us tapping away furiously on our phones, tablets, and computers and His eyes are almost red with the pain urging for us to look up so we can exchange a smile. Look up our God is there if only we would engage with him.
Have we come through the two days and are now in the dawn of the third day? Are we living in His sight, through people we meet and pass in the street? Hope says He will raise us up, so let us step our commitment up to the Lord God and focus on Him.
Dear Lord, let me not get tired tonight but allow me to come to you. Dear Lord allow others to look up and see you; in creation, in other peoples actions, in other peoples eyes, in their own children, in compassion that is shown, everywhere. Dear God tear us all apart and remake us completely in your Son’s image for He died for us and rose again proving that He was one substance with you, God incarnate.
In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Amen
with blessings
Graham
365 Exhortations 