You are not here to
make the world comfortable. When Christ
comes dripping out of you at first, then a sprinkle and eventually a great
torrent, it will not land you in the preferred spots at the table. Even our Lord was pushed aside in the
Samaritan village, mocked in Jerusalem and nearly knocked off the cliff in His
home town. You cannot expect to be
beloved everywhere you go if God is seeping out of you! His love, His patience, His calm assurance,
His holiness and humility do not win over Pharisees or judges but the aroma of
Christ will entice some to want a taste of what you have. The "least of these" are
frantically scanning about for a sign that the universe is more than just a
wasteland...that there is real life somewhere.
You come to them with the Breath, the Light and suddenly darkness is
not oppressive, the empty spaces are not a vacuum. There is real hope and you possess it; a
reason to believe and you hold it in your hand.
Do not neglect the life of God within you. Do not starve it by letting the world be your
nourishment. You are God's gift to the
world, His fine banquet. Be filled with
the Holy Spirit, eating with ravenous hunger the Scriptures, drinking deeply of
Christ in prayer. Never let a day pass
when you do not put into practice something you see God is working into
you. Whether it be forgiveness, mercy,
calm assurance, wisdom, pure actions, guarded words or generosity, let the
Spirit bring it out of you. At times God
may have to squeeze it out of you like juice from the grape but when He does,
you can be certain it is not in vain.
The pressure that breaks the bread and crushes the grape produces a rich
meal for a "God-starved" world.
If you are squeezed, don't panic or fight to get out of God's grip, let
Him produce in you a feast that is irresistible when the right guest sits at
the table.
On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a
feast of rich food for all peoples, Isaiah 25:6a NIV
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