Don’t Try To Fit Jesus Into A Box

DON’T TRY TO FIT JESUS INTO A BOX

I guess it’s a little obvious that I love to write.

When Mike and I first started dating, I was constantly writing him letters and poems~ not so much now. The years have shown me that he’s definitely not a sappy “Hallmark card” kinda guy. But back then~ he would always respond with a love letter in return.

We would talk about everything in our letters. His words expressed so much and our relationship matured because we got to know each other on a deeper level.

Letter writing is a lost art.
(But that’s a subject for another day😉)

I can’t even imagine how I would have felt on our wedding day if he confessed that he never actually wrote a single letter to me, but instead had someone else put their thoughts and feelings into script.

I’m sure I would question if he really loved me and how well I truly knew him.

Today you can google just about any topic and find a devotional that goes along with it. There are thousands. Blogs and Facebook pages, books and plans.

There’s a huge market for it, because people are searching.

They want someone to tell them in 500 words or less how to get the most out of this life as a Christian.

We want help in our marriages and with our children. We want to learn how to trust God more. We want someone to show us the correct way to go through heart ache, to be hospitable, to worship and to pray.

We want our lives to feel good.

We search for joy in our answers. We want a quick fix.

But we don’t search for the answers ourselves.

Why should we search when someone else can do that for us? Why should we beg to truly know God when someone else can tell us exactly how that’s done?

So we get up early. We drink our coffee. We read a few verses and the devotion that correlates with it and we say~ “wow, that was exactly what I needed today”~

and that’s where it gets sad my friend.

Our worship has turned into worshipping ourselves and what we need to make ourselves feel better~

and not about truly finding and knowing Jesus.

Sadly, as I look at my own heart, there have been times that I could not say~
“If all I had was Jesus~ He would be enough.”

I want that joy. I want good things for my marriage and my children. I want my problems to go away. I want my life to be easy and happy.

What I fail to realize is that if I truly sought Jesus above all else, instead of praying for these other things with the wrong intentions~

I would understand that in Him alone~
I do have everything.

Too often, my prayers do not reflect my love for Him. I can claim that they do, but if I am being honest~they reflect my love for myself.

Jesus wants to answer our prayers. He wants us to have joy and happiness because He loves us, but He isn’t just a meal ticket, above all else~

He wants us to truly know Him.
He is, and always should be our end goal.

Don’t try to fit Jesus into a little devotional box that you check off for the day.

Put down your phone or tablet, that devotional plan or inspiring book, and pick up His personal words to you.

Allow HIS words to show you who He really is. Ask HIM to show you the answers. Let HIS beauty shine upon your life. Let HIS words alone open your eyes to the awe of Jesus~
the wonder, the power, the fear, the love, the mercy, the forgiveness, the peace~
that HE alone encompasses.

I do believe God uses authors in a great way and for His glory. There will always be writers telling us how we ought to live. (Ironically, this is something I am doing even now)
There is nothing new under the sun.

But God’s words, His mercies~
They are new every morning.

Don’t let someone else write your love story and be content with that. Write your own love story with Jesus by reading His love story to you. Your relationship with Him will mature and you will get to know Him on a deeper level. The more you read, the more you get to know Him, the more you will know how to respond to Him and how very much He loves you.

No one else can take His place. No one else can take your place.

God’s words are so much more than a Hallmark card or inspiring devotional.

They are LIFE.

How well do you truly know Him?


‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3:10‬, Psalms‬ ‭119:125‬ ‭
‭Exodus‬ ‭33:13‬, Philippians‬ ‭3:8‬
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭4:20-22‬, Ecclesiastes‬ ‭1:9‬ ‭