Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Move Close to the Heart of Jesus

Do you ever feel like you can identify with the Israelites?

I’ve read about the many miracles they witnessed first hand and wondered how their faith faltered so often. I mean come on, they saw the Red Sea part!

Moses reminds them in Deuteronomy how God loves them. Not because of how good they are, far from it actually, but because He’s chosen them.

In the same breath he also calls them out for being a stubborn people.

Oh good grief, here I am, raising my hand. Yep, that’s me. Just go ahead and put the name tag on. “Hello, my name is Stubborn.”

I come from a long line of stubborn people. We’re a strong willed bunch and it can take us longer to listen to the Holy Spirit’s prompting than I’d care to admit.

It goes back to our faulty self preservation mentality. Generations of abandonment and addictions led us to believe the only way to survive was to dig in our heels.

However, let’s not forget an important part of Moses’ reminder. God chose them! Hand picked. Set apart. WANTED

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. Ephesians 1:4-5 (NLT)

I love this! My family may have been “back row people” before, to stubborn to come to the front row when called, but we are chosen!

Chosen to rise up from our past and come forward
into a relationship with Jesus.

I want to step out and have a front row seat at the feet of Jesus unobstructed by distractions. Nothing to block my line of sight to the everyday, wonderful miracles God has for each of us through His grace!

We may never get to see the Red Sea part but we have seen addictions broken, lives saved and legacies changed.

Many of us have been more than happy to hang out in the “back row” out of fear to move to the front. Fear of the unknown. Fear of failure. Fear of being truly seen.

If God is calling us to come forward, He’ll make the path,
we just need to step out and follow it.

If you’re reading this and not real sure you feel chosen, let me reassure you, Abba Father is calling you. The whisper you hear somewhere down deep, it’s from Him. He wants YOU!

It doesn’t matter who your name tag said you were before, God is calling you by your true name, “Chosen”.

Whatever is holding us back from moving forward as God calls to us, let’s offer it up to Jesus. Take His hand, put one foot in front of the other and move into whatever row will put you closest to the heart of Jesus.


I'm sharing this post with several other blogger's at these Faith Linkups. I encourage you to check them out. If this post resonates with you and feel it would help others please feel free to share. Easy to share buttons below. ~Laura~

11 comments:

  1. Hi Laura. I just popped over from your comment on my site. Kinda fun, huh?
    Yes. I sure know about stubborn. That was me for far too many years. And it didn't help me one bit. When I finally chose to lean on God and His ways instead of my own, my life was much more peaceful.

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    1. It is fun! It doesn't help does it? So glad we're able to lean on God and find that peace.

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  2. Good for you, Laura, it sounds like you're breaking the cycle for the next generation. Blessings!

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  3. Oh, this speaks to me and I've written about it on my blog. Stubborness, that's me, too. I wasted too many years fearful of what God wanted with me, and I feared for nothing. I am so glad I quit running and started embracing!

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    1. I'm so glad you quit running and embraced what God had for you too. I'm so grateful it spoke to you. Thanks!

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  4. I adore the direction you took with this prompt! #livefreeThursday

    Lord, move me closer to your heart!

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    1. Thanks Crystal. That means a lot to me. Always closer to His heart!

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  5. Beautiful. My name tag said stubborn too, but now it says Chosen! I'm praising God here for your testimony!

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  6. Beautiful. My name tag said stubborn too, but now it says Chosen! I'm praising God here for your testimony!

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