What Do You Do?

What Do You Do?

by David and 

Each morning my routine is about the same. Getting ready for the day, making my coffee, getting dressed. One of our cats awaits my getting settled into my recliner to read and write the things that I post. 

In Daniel we read of what was his practice. Of what Daniel did every day in regards to his relationship with Jesus.  He may not have known Him as Jesus but it was Him. In the vernacular of the Church He was the preincarnate Jesus Christ, to him: The Lord. 

I am always in amazement at how my thoughts get organized for these posts, when at other times I want to write, it doesn't seem to happen.  

As the header of my website says, I am attempting to be true to what I feel God's told me to do. Some may agree or disagree with whatever is written but while it's my hand that writes, the content isn't of me.  As I have said in the past, so I say again, I am not that good at writing on my own.  I have had another blog that is much older of things that I have written that were not as inspired by God.  It's received no where near as much attention as this one. 

My thoughts for today or any day are always in wonder at where God might take me, and by extension, you.  

What do you do to cultivate your relationship with Jesus?  In regards to that idea, do you only talk to Him in times of distress or difficulty?  Do you try to only talk to Him when nobody's looking?  Do your thoughts go beyond that of the world's idea of who and what God is?  Do you at all consider Jesus to be your friend? Your closest friend?  Do you at all truly pour out your heart to Him in both the good times and the bad?  Are you at all engaged in your relationship with Jesus?

It's taken years for me to begin to let go of the level of control that I had been wanting of my life to God.  I indeed wasn't cultivating my relationship with Jesus in the way that I should have been doing.  Indeed until my discomfort in life was great enough prayer hadn't been happening. 

Today is different. 

Today after writing things such as this, I will indeed as always pray with my Wife before leaving. Lunch in hand heading out the door. Go to my truck and begin the drive to work. I almost immediately begin talking with my Savior Jesus Christ, spending my time going to work with Him as though He were sitting next to me in the truck. 

Nothing is held back.  All my thoughts, dreams, aspirations, disappointments, desires, thoughts and feelings are on the table.  

What do you do with the beginning of your day?  Some indeed think that I get up way too early.  It's a sacrifice that I am willing to make to do this blog posting in service to my God for all who might benefit from it.  I easily could sleep in and try it later but there's just something special about this quiet time.  This early morning hour that has no busyiness to it.  It's at least an hour or so of my day when I know that I am stress free.  It's peaceful in ways that I have a hard time putting into words.  

Many might not agree with what I write, but from my perspective, that's between them and God. I do what I am told, as unto the Lord.  Colossians 3:23-24.  

I was briefly talking to my former Pastor last night.  Talking about various things, but at least in part we were talking about the things that God's doing in our lives. Of how glad we both are that at long last we don't live so far apart.  

Yesterday I was texting my "Spiritual Dad" about the new charts that he's produced that Biblically prove the solid truth concerning the Rapture of the Church before the Great Tribulation as described in the Book of Revelation.  

God's brought many extremely Godly men into my life.  They have always encouraged me to be strong in the Lord.  To indeed preach the word in season and out of season. 

As Dr. John C. Whitcomb said on probably every occasion that I was with him, that passage that says "Let God be found true and every man a liar". Romans 3:4. 

So what is your "practice" in your day in cultivating your relationship with Jesus?  If we truly believe that we are His workmanship, then we should expect results of His doing things in our lives that both instill good, right and true attributes of Himself, as well as expect those things that are not to be removed. 

The most stressed Christians that I know are that way because of how haphazard their time with Jesus is.  It may mean losing a little sleep, but if Jesus is important enough to you, get up earlier or stay up a little later.  

Jesus isn't someone behind glass in a box that you only break that glass in case of emergency to use.  Jesus isn't your Butler. He isn't some magical person to do your bidding. He isn't sitting in Heaven waiting for you to mess up to come down on you either. He isn't any of those things.  

How does your life show your relationship with Jesus Christ is to you?  DO you at all focus on your relationship with Jesus?  Do people see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven?  Are your thoughts drifting towards things that are of this world or are you intentional about considering what is above in Heaven?

This world is literally in its last thousand and 7 years plus days.  Think about that.  Should Jesus return today as He promised, the Church is taken up to be with Him forever, in just over 1,007 years that's it for this world as it is.  I say plus days because of the days between this very moment and when the Rapture of the Church occurs.  No one knows the day or the hour.  But we are told what to look for that would herald that day. 

Are you putting too much emphasis on being successful in the world?  Are you putting too much emphasis on survival and not enough on the work He’s called you to be doing in His fields?  Nobody who is a Christian is to not be doing something in His fields. Those fields that He says are ripe for harvest. We do not save anyone, the Spirit does. We do not lead people to Jesus, He draws them to Himself. We are to live our lives in such a way that people see our good works and glorify our God in Heaven.  We are to live in such a way that people want what we have in Christ Jesus.  Setting the example.  Living by faith in the Son of God who gave His life for me.  There's no such thing as a part time Christian.  

What do you do in living for Jesus?  That hymn by that name is simple but true in what it says to you and I.

"Living for Jesus, a life that is true,

Striving to please Him in all that I do;

Yielding allegiance, glad-hearted and free,

This is the pathway of blessing for me.

Refrain:

O Jesus, Lord and Savior, I give myself to Thee,

For Thou, in Thy atonement, didst give Thyself for me;

I own no other Master, my heart shall be Thy throne;

My life I give, henceforth to live, O Christ, for Thee alone."

If life's indeed troublesome and stressful, if you're not engaged in a fruitful relationship with Jesus, stop what you are doing and get started on fixing that today.  If you are and it's still difficult, stay the course, keep in prayer.  God will either move the mountains or move you.