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My Two Cents
by Rev Chuck Behrens
January 2011
If you look on the
backside of an American nickel, you’ll see a picture
of it It's the domed mansion of President Thomas
Jefferson known as Monticello. And it's a living
monument to the genius of one of America's great
minds - the author of America's Declaration of
Independence, the architect of the Louisiana
Purchase that more than doubled the size of this
nation in a day. Monticello reflects so much of his
creative genius and his insatiable, inquiring mind.
Everywhere you turn, there are inventive touches
that were there years ahead of their time. Perhaps
the single feature of that house that best reveals
the mind of Thomas Jefferson is the direction that
its main rooms face. His study, bedroom and library
for example, all face west. Jefferson loved to look
west; he wanted his guests and friends to be looking
west because he said that's where the frontier is.
And Thomas Jefferson was always facing the frontier!
Facing that frontier -
that's an exciting way to live. With a restless
heart that says, ''There's more out there and I want
it.” That's the heart of the spiritually healthy
Jesus-follower. However far you’ve come in your
relationship with Christ, however much you've
experienced of Him, you know there's much more. And
you want to go beyond anywhere you've gone before;
especially as we face this New Year of 2011.
That's the passion of the
great Apostle Paul - 30 years into what may have
been the most powerful relationship with Jesus
anyone ever had. But in Philippians 3 beginning with
verse 10, our word for today from the Word of God,
he says: “I want to know Christ and the power of His
resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His
sufferings ... Not that I have already obtained all
this or have already been made perfect but I press
on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took
hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet
to have taken hold of it "
If the great Apostle Paul
felt that way - that he had much more of Jesus to
experience - you should be concerned if you find
your heart isn't restless for more! Oswald Chambers
put it this way: ''Beware the danger of spiritual
relaxation.” The spiritual level you're at may very
well be enough to satisfy your pastor or other
Christians, but I hope it isn't enough to satisfy
you.
I pray for you and me the
driving passion of Paul as he says: ''Forgetting
what is behind and straining toward what is ahead,
press on toward the goal to win the prize for which
God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.
There's so much more ¬a greater experience of the
closeness of Jesus, the power of Jesus, the
moment-by-moment leading of Jesus. Sounds great for
the end of one year and the beginning of a new one.
There are two major
spiritual frontiers to hunger for. First, greater
intimacy with Jesus. I'm by nature a . doer. I'm
more Martha than I am Mary, busy running around
serving Jesus. But I want to experience more of the
realness of His presence and His love, the sound of
His voice in my soul. I want to be a lot more like
Him a lot more minutes of the day and dare to HIT
THE PAUSE BUTTON…. OFTEN!
The second frontier is a
greater impact for Jesus; making a greater
difference for Him than I've ever made before. The
road to His glorious ''more'' is increased time with
Him each day, more "cuddle time" where I just love
on Him and let Him love on me; a passionate pursuit
of personal orders from Jesus every time I open His
book. Every time we're in His book, every time we're
in a Christian meeting, we should go with this
prayer in our heart, ''Jesus, help me come away with
more of You!" And then we need to be mining each day
for every possible opportunity to have an impact on
somebody else's life for Him.
''More, Lord, I want
more. I want all You have for me. I want to go
beyond anywhere I've ever gone with You before!"
Wow, let that be the cry of your hungry heart, and
don't ever be content with how far you've come.
There's so much more; for this New Year and so many
more moments past it!
See you in Church, many
times in this New Year of blessing!
Chuck
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