“My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:27
Climbing down from the attic I was a sweaty, disgusting mess. Standing with a look of shock on my face, my wife took one look at me and said, “Oh.. I ‘m sooo sorry…you look AWFUL!” I grinned, then jumped into the pool!
For years now my bride has wanted an electric fireplace with the TV on the wall above it. Being a guy, I don’t see the attraction of a TV suspended 1 foot higher than it is right now. But I’m a guy! Guys, left to their own thinking, don’t think much. Several times she has seen something she THINKS she would like, but like a gal, after thinking TOO much about it, changed her mind. This time… she didn’t!
Sitting near our front door are 3 boxes that constitute an entertainment center… WITH fireplace! The FIRST thing I did was pull out the requirements for the electric needed to run the thing. And just as I suspected… it needed a separate power source. Carefully measuring ceilings and walls, then making 2 trips to Lowes, I entered the attic with 100’ of 12/2 wg wiring and tools. It’s Florida and the temperature was 92 degrees. Now you know WHY… 1. I looked awful… and 2. she felt sorry!
I love my wife. Sometimes I don’t like her so much. But this wasn’t one of those times. I was genuinely happy to get nasty because I knew what it would take to give her what she really wanted. The work was the gift. A little smile and a jump in the pool, after her display of appreciation for me, was all I needed to set the world right! I have the same relationship with God!
Loving God means loving, listening and following His Son… Jesus Christ! He is His Father’s favorite person. Loving Him opens Daddy God’s appreciation for ME as well. As I come to know Jesus more, I learn and discover, with the help of the Holy Spirit, what HE likes and wants from ME. Our relationship grows over time, and like a good marriage, we lean on each others giving us what need, and often want! But not ALWAYS!
Many times believers, including myself, become selfish. We can easily become ‘self’ centered and whine about not getting OUR needs met, or OUR way. When we drift along in that dingy, God’s love seems like an angry ocean with no land in sight! It is EASY to NOT see God when I am only looking at ME. My relationship with God requires that I first fix my eyes on His Son.
Life gets dirty, sweaty, hot and disgusting. Shock is not uncommon! But dropping our own comfort and looking to the Son is all we really need to set the world aright. Because pleasing HIM… ALWAYS brings me more joy than any comfy chair in front of a TV on the wall. Even if it has a fireplace underneath it! Do you know Him? Are you following?
