The moving of God amongst God’s people isn’t without a sense
of urgency. This sense of urgency
isn’t without a real sense of heartache. This heartache is not of the people but of God, which He has
given some of us the blessing and opportunity to share with him his pain.
Some may think… it is impossible to feel what God feels… but is it? Some may say, “God is God and why would God share his heartache? I mean isn’t he above hurt and pain and sharing his feelings?”
My answer is: “Why would he not share his feelings? Why would he not share his heartache? Why would God who gave us feelings not have feelings himself?” God shares with us his joy, mercy, grace, love, patience, kindness, strength, hope, wisdom… Why would he not share his heartache?
Imagine, if you will, being able to feel the same current of happiness as someone else verses just hearing about that someone’s happiness. Would you not be able to sympathize, understand, and identify with that person more on a personal or intimate level?
Does God not understand us? Does God not know what we are thinking and know the contents of our heart both good and bad?
“God blesses those who realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is given to them.” Matthew 5:3
“And so the Lord says, ‘These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.’” Isaiah 29:13
Are we not Christ’s body? Does His Spirit not live within us believers? Are we not to know his heart? Are we not his branches, branches that are connected to the vine? What is in the vine should come to its branches, should it not?
“Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who parts from me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned.” John 15:5.
The branches are to be attached to vine.
“So I went to the Euphrates and dug it out of the hole where I had hidden it. But now it was mildewed and falling apart. The belt was useless. Then I received this message from the LORD: The LORD says: This illustrates how I will rot away the pride of Judah and Jerusalem. These wicked people refuse to listen to me. They stubbornly follow their own desires and worship idols. Therefore, they will become like this linen belt- good for nothing! As a belt clings to a person’s waist, so I created Judah and Israel to cling to me,” says the LORD. “They were to be my people, my pride, my glory- an honor to my name. But they would not listen to me.” Jeremiah 13:7-11
The Christian branches are to live in Jesus who is the way, the truth and the life - to be his pride, to bring glory and honor to his name- to know his heart. We cannot do that if we don’t listen to God, go as business as usual and follow our own desires and worship the things of this world.
The branches are to experience God’s heart. Experiencing God’s heart is not just for our own benefit but is to share with those God puts us in contact with.
Think of all the prophets who spoke with heartfelt conviction of God. They had this real sense of what God was not just saying but feeling as well. They didn't just go out into the streets saying in their head knowledge, "The LORD says....." They had a true genuine conviction to say what God was telling them to say because they were given a taste of what God was feeling.
I hope this makes sense: We can believe something is true and believe it with no real great genuine sense of conviction.
Great conviction is when we identify with God and because we identify in a very personal way with Him, we don’t just say what we are given but say and do what God has laid on our heart with power and true genuine conviction.
Faith in his type of knowledge becomes a very personal thing - a partnership- a wonderful friendship that strengthens our relationship bonds with the Lord. His relationship with us becomes real and manifested in our life in every way. And as long as we stay in this relationship with the Lord we will remain strong in our faith to the end because we are not depending on ourselves in any form or fashion but God’s loving relationship.
Paul writes: “I can never stop thanking God for all the generous gifts he has given you, now that you belong to Christ Jesus. He has enriched your church with gifts of eloquence and every kind of knowledge. This shows that what I told you about Christ is true. Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you eagerly wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you strong right up to the end, and he will keep you free from all blame on the great day when our Lord Jesus Christ returns. God will surely do this for you, for he always does just what he says, and he is the one who invited you into this wonderful friendship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:4-9
Seek God/ Jesus Christ and know his heart for you are his branches.
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