WHERE'S JESUS? PART 2

I began a blog series several months ago about a Jesus Action Figure in my office that had been removed from the box he came in only to be placed above the bookshelf he was previous on. This was the work of someone with keys to my office and began a repeated experience of Jesus appearing in different places locations around my office.  Each time I’d call out the person I was convinced was responsible (who to this day, still claims his innocence).  Each time he’d ask me what Jesus was trying to tell us.

Here are a few of the “Where’s Jesus the Action Figure?” highlights: 

1.    Jesus in my lunch bag (Last month’s blog)

2.    Jesus on my phone

So, I sat at my desk, look at my phone to find Jesus trying to make a call.

This reminded me of an experience I had in Bible College.  I was the morning devotions speaker for College Days, several days where we invite high school students to come check out campus life, so they’d consider attending our school.

I had a great devotion planed. I had always gone the creative route. I had planned a perfect illustration: I had several pagers (it was the 90’s) on my person and one cell phone.  My devotion was on the call of God and as I spoke, a different pager would go off, one at a time. I was reaching for pagers from different pockets and from one of my socks. I had planned for a big finish.  The cell phone would ring, and it would be God.  He’d been trying to call me, and I’d been putting it off.  It was perfect.  Only problem was the big finish fell flat.  The phone never rang.  I repeated the phone call cue. Nothing! Apparently, I had forgot to turn on the phone. I had to think fast.  With all eyes on me, I went with the, “What if God is trying to get a hold of you and your spiritual antenna is not even up? What if you’re not even tuned into His frequency? He’s not even on your radar?”

Ever wonder what God would want to say to you if only you’d be listening?  What if He’s trying to call you to Himself but you’re not even listening?

We are mistaken if we believe God doesn’t speak.  God tells us in the book of Isaiah:  ²³ Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say. Isaiah 28:23 (NIV)

Listening and paying attention take intentional action on our part.  It’s possible to hear but not listen.  

IF I’M LISTENING AND PAYING ATTENTION TO GOD I’M…

• GIVE GOD MY UNDIVIDED ATTENTION

I love that word “undivided.” It means not divided, separated, or broken into parts.  One of the greatest listening problems is that we’re trying to hear too many voices at once.  It’s worst when we give equal value to each voice.  When God’s opinion reigns supreme, I’ll lean in more to hear exactly what He has to say.  I want to encourage you to remove all other distracting thoughts and environments.  Some of us can’t listen because His voice has been drowned out by all the other noises and voices.  

Do you take time to get alone with Him to listen?  We live in an ADD world.  We’re overstimulated and easily sidetracked.  The spiritual discipline of solitude is lost in a day where people have access to us 24/7 through our cell phones.  I have to be honest.  I can decide to spend time alone with God. Only for minutes later be on my phone looking on Facebook.  I don’t realize how it even happened.  Grabbing my phone has become so automatic that I find myself on it without even thinking.

They tell us that the ability to pay attention—or to live in the moment—can increase happiness. An article from the Harvard Gazette, “Wandering Mind Not a Happy Mind,”claims that “people spend 46.9 percent of their waking hours thinking about something other than what they’re doing, and this mind-wandering typically makes them unhappy.”Harvard psychologist, Matthew A. Killingsworth writes, “Mind-wandering is an excellent predictor of people’s happiness. In fact, how often our minds leave the present and where they tend to go is a better predictor of our happiness than the activities in which we are engaged.”

Or as Jesus said:  ³⁴ "Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don't get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.Matthew 6:34 (MSG)

• RESPONDING TO GOD APPROPRIATELY 

A proper response when God speaks is simply doing what He says.  Some of us want God to tell us the next thing when we haven’t done the last thing.  We want a “fresh new word” when the last word has been left unfinished.  I like how James puts it:  ²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. James 1:22 (NIV)

The worst type of deception is self-deception.  Self-deception when dealing with God’s Word is hearing God’s Word and thinking your obligation is complete.  God’s Word is most effective when it’s applied.  Some mistakenly believe information leads to transformation.  If I read, hear God’s Word, I’m done!  But the truth is information plus application leads to transformation.  I got to do something with what I hear.  I know exercise is good for me.  That information alone does me no good.  It’s not until I apply that knowledge to I enjoy the benefits.