A Spring worth finding

Recently, I spent some time with my friends in downtown Atlanta. While visiting one night we decided collectively to go ice skating(sweet). While venturing through the streets of Atlanta we passed by a variety of landmark locations, mainly Centennial Park which was built for the 1996 Olympic games. The Park was unique in itself. It was streaming with statues of people who contributed some kind of accolade into the identity of world History. There was even aquatic museum in the vicinity( sadly it was closed at the present time). The park was filled with stations of amusement it really was a spectacle in itself. Out all the attractions of ingenuity one stood out above the rest, the Olympic ring water fountain.

I'm from a small town so anything in a big city I'll find some kind of amusement with. We were actually heading back to the apartment and I really wanted to stop and look and marvel at the fountain. So, we stopped and took it all in. For someone from the area who sees the fountain everyday may not find it particularly interesting, but as for me I thought it was the coolest thing ever. Keep in mind it was cold and we all know water mixed with cold touching your skin can create a catastrophic evening of wet clothes and pneumonia, not an option a lot of us raise our hands for. But, nevertheless I felt the kid rise up within me. The desire to play in the water was almost uncontrollable. I almost convinced myself to run through the streams bursting from the ground, but the cool factor kept me contained and I really didn't want my friends to think I was weird or something. I got up and just walked in one the rings instead of run, stayed there for a sec and I returned to my seat without making a scene, though inside i really wanted to make one. The moment was crushed by eyes that where not my own, so I spent the remainder of the experience on the sidelines a little disgusted in myself and not really satisfied with just watching the water sprout from the ground.

It's awesome how the Lord works from the sidelines of our lives. How He reveals Himself in the most subtle things when we don't think He could ever show us anything in something so minute. He comes in the whisper and falls on the hearts that are looking and waiting for him to come blanket their being with His eternal fire of love.(1 Kings 19:12) In the process of the Lord whispering to me He pointed me in the direction of a little girl who was drenched in the waters of the fountain. Her face was covered with a grin that could not be erased. She had no worries, no cares that her clothes were wet or that people were watching. The joy that radiated from this child penetrated the walls of my soul and in the process, the Holy Spirit began to whisper to me," this what I desire of you Matthew to run in the waters of life that our Holy God has provided you through the finished work of His glorious eternal Son, Jesus Christ." (John 19:30)

Once again the Lord crushed me and I laid broken in a public place, but yet He was close to me(Psalm 34:18), comforting me with His words. He reminded me of my hardened heart He redeemed me from, and the spring that burst from it's ground when i accepted Him into my life(Psalms 114:8). Somewhere along the way I stopped running and started caring about the creation and rather the Creator(Rom1:25). My clothes and my friends became a stumbling block for me. Sometimes I think we focus on not being a stumbling block for other people(1 Cor. 8:9), and we should be vigilante in keeping these words, but sometimes we forget our brothers are creating stumbling blocks for us as well, keeping us from truly experiencing God the way he intended us to. My stumbling block in this endeavor is more so myself than anyone else. Jesus is a lot like that fountian in Centennial park, but His spring is built on the foundations of the heart and His spring is the spring of Life to him who believes in Him and in Him we will never thirst again(John 4:14). The valves are open for you to drink and be satisfied. Will you run and enjoy His grace and forget about your clothes and the people watching like the little girl did? or will you sit on the sidelines and rend your garments instead of your heart?(Joel 2:13)

The Selfish Shoe Servant
"Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did" -1 John 2:6

Recently, a disgruntled reporter hurled not one, but two of his shoes at President Bush in the middle of a press conference in Baghdad, Iraq. The man apparently did not take in consideration that Mr. Bush was trained by the illustrious Walker Texas Ranger, himself, and with lighting ease managed to dodge these Dr. Scholl's missiles without obtaining any "shoe in the face" injuries. I have to admit I chuckled a little, because it brought back very vivid memories of what it was like my twelfth grade year in high school. When the teacher would issue an impossible assignment that was due the very next day, everyone would immediately stand up and launch a plethora of Nike, Adidas, and the occasional pay less shoe at the teacher(that's a total exaggeration, but a great idea of how to get detention and aggravated assault). Listen, I'm not hear to make puns or parade myself in a position of unprofessional compromise, though tempting it maybe to keep up this comedic correspondence. I'm hear to conduct myself in manner worthy of the Gospel of Jesus Christ(Philippians 1:27), but to bring to light,only by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the power of God's Holy word on this recent altercation of shoe throwing, so let's get down to it.

The Holy Spirit really struck a chord in my heart on this one. I believe creation reveals itself to those willing to look and listen to the Creator who created it. This case being one of those moments. This event serves as a mirror to not only my identity, but humanity as a whole, the very response we endow on our Creator. I used 1 John 2:6 to identify the mirror I'm suggesting. When Jesus Christ comes to dwell within a person He becomes King or in modern day terms, the president of that person. Wherever Jesus is He is King, in this case your heart being his throne. 1 John 2:6 states, "Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did." For someone to claim the entitlement of sons and daughters of God their claims must show irrevocable evidence that there is proof of ownership. Say if you lose something very special to you, in this instance for a guy a diamond ring for his upcoming proposal. Someone happens to find the ring rather quickly the same day, they turn it in to the police department. Banners go out saying that a ring has been found. You catch wind of it, but realize you didn't have time to file a report. So you get there thinking who else could have lost a diamond ring, I'll just describe it and be gone with it. You get there and find five other guys are in a similar situation, all saying that's my ring. The cops don't know who's telling the true and who's not, so they ask for proof of ownership, some kind of receipt, describe it for us. You get past three guys, they could not describe accurately, but one did. It's down to just you and him. The cops demand proof in order to relinquish the prize to it's rightful owner. You start flipping through your wallet frantically and find something that resembles a receipt, you lay it down quickly on the table like you were in a shoot out, the other guy lays down one too. The police examine both of them and pull out the ring. They hand it to the other guy. Your receipt was ownership to a jelly doughnut you had earlier. You see proof of ownership is the difference between you putting a jelly doughnut and a diamond ring around your future wife's finger. The same resides with those who make the claim to live as Christ, there must be irrevocable evidence of ownership. Jesus is the owner of any human that believes in the evidence of a eternal and Holy God, who gave his Son to appease of the law of sin and death. Jesus points to the ownership of God, for he shall call them sons of God. If Jesus is at the helm of the head and you are humbled at his feet, you will get a better view of what it means to walk as Jesus did. Your life will reflect his ownership.

Which leads me to the picture. I believe many of us, who claim to live in him, get up everyday and before even putting on Jesus shoes start throwing them at Him, who is the King or president of our lives. God gives us opportunities day in and day out to die and allow his Son to come alive. Letting Him steer the day where our feet should tread, guiding us where His words should be placed, and showing others what compels us to do what He does. Instead, we take the shoes of Jesus throw them in his face, put our shoes back on and head in our own direction, becoming a selfish shoe servant. Gone after the service of self and sin, rather than the selfless service of the Savior to all who are sick and desperate for his touch. We should never put our shoes back on. We leave them off like Moses did when he encountered God in the burning bush(Exodus 3). God is Holy, we should never pick our shoes up again for they will only lead to sin and destruction. God is our shoe maker, he clothes us just as he did Adam and Eve(Gen3). He gives us his Son's shoes and commands us to walk as He did, going to the places He went, obeying the teachings he gave, and touching the poor the with the "good news" of the Gospel. So church let's put the shoes down and leave them in a pile to be burned. Let's quit being selfish shoe servants to the service of self and let's be selfless shoe servants, who walk as Jesus did.