See Him Quicker

Out there is this big bad world that eats us Christians alive! When folks discover we are Christians they go silent and standoffish then the persecution begins. They start telling lies about us, gossiping about us or trying to take our jobs away. This isn’t China or Iran or Afghanistan this is Canada. There is beauty out there! There is favour out there! There is joy out there! We don’t know persecution as a Christian yet we act like we know it; we live like we know it! Tisk, tisk!

Even if we were rich, beautiful, talented and/or brilliant we would not escape every day life. There are bad things that happen to good people but we are Christians who are supposed to count it ALL joy (James 1:2). I can tell you that you are not alone in this way of living; this is not the way I lived either. I did not count having all my money gone as joy or being unemployed joy or having all of my ministries dissolved like sugar in water joy. God revealed in me two years ago that this behavior had to change. It was a slow process of training. I am eternally grateful that my Heavenly Father did not give up on me! I was thinking on this very thing during my study time yesterday and broke right down and cried out of that gratitude. He sees me!

He has done so much to change my mind on this matter that it takes me no time now (it still isn’t instant) to see the greatness of God and to see Him in the things going on and to give Him credit. Before He worked on me I didn’t even see Him in His Word. I was blinded by my own emotions. Like Job I had only heard of Him (Job 42:5) but now I see Him, I look for Him and I acknowledge it when I see Him. Each time I see Him in an event I almost break out in tears (I am emotional that way). He has revealed Himself in me with such force that I cannot do anything but SEE Him.

Action Plan: Look, this week, around you and open your eyes to the possibility that Jesus is standing right in front of you but you just cannot see Him. Pick something this week that you will do at least once a day to see how Jesus works through you such as smile, say hello, let someone cut in front of you on the road or in line, clean up after someone, tell someone they are beautiful, or tell someone ‘good job!’ These are simple but powerful tools that cost us nothing but may make someone feel like a million bucks. See Jesus revealed in you!