What "puking my brains out" taught me this week
Some might consider me special... While people typically only get one stomach virus per season, I GOT TWO! In five days, no less.
From Saturday to Sunday... I was a mess. Then healed and happy-go-lucky Monday and Tuesday, then again... explosively rejecting all foods and liquids (and words of encouragement) on Wednesday. I woke up today feeling alive (barely) but at least I've got an appetite. It's been a heck of a week, to say the least.
Here's what I learned, kneeling on the bathroom floor, quivering and mumbling to myself...
It is only at the end of ourselves that we can begin to experience Jesus' true work within us. When we are totally empty, when we've hollowed out the areas of the lives that once crowded our view of Him... That's when He begins to work.
This past weekend, Jed spoke on Matthew 5:17-20, and Jesus ends the passage with an impossible call:
"But I warn you—unless your righteousness is better than the righteousness of the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven!"
A better righteousness than the Pharisees?
Impossible.
The only we way can receive the righteousness that Jesus offers us is to throw our hands in the air and say, "I give up... I can't do this."
It is then, and only then, that Jesus finds the fertile soil to begin our transformation.
If you want more of Jesus, don't buckle down and try to be a better person. Instead, create space for Him to speak to you.
- Surround yourself with loving, faithful friends.
- Consider a two week fast from the things that control you.
- Be honest with your spouse about what you've been hiding.
- Read through the Psalms until you find one that resonates with you.
- SLOW DOWN... Cancel unnecessary appointments. Drink less caffeine.
Not with the goal of becoming morally superior or more spiritually impressive.
But with the goal of having God work in your life.
And you'll find Jesus speaking to you through it all.
What's one way you can create space for Jesus to speak to you today?