On Saturday, Dennis Miller shared an analogy at breakfast that really made sense. If we want a burger and we head to Burger King to get one, we don't sit out underneath the sign and expect burgers to appear. We head inside because the sign is only pointing to something else. We often get caught up in the signs that signify the presence of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Signs matter, they help guide us to our destination. Brands help us understand and name things. But they are not a destination.
I keep making signs my destination. It's so much easier to tell people about my church than it is to tell them about Jesus. It's so much easier to talk about Revive Indiana than to talk about Jesus. I've been struck in the last few weeks at how focused God is on keeping undivided attention to Himself throughout the Bible. The first few commandments from the 10 Commandments call us to give our undivided attention to the real presence of God. Don't substitute other gods, don't use His name carelessly, don't make images. All of these, even the name of God itself, can begin to become a vain substitute. The living presence of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit continue this movement toward only focusing on His presence.
Did your church change your life? Did Revive Indiana change your life? Did the person who witnessed to you change your life? Did your cultural background change your life? Did your country change your life? They might have helped you find your way, but they aren't the source of what really matters, our true freedom, what really deserves our praise and sole adoration.
What is the secret? Pay attention. Not to signs, but to Jesus. Every revival begins because we pay attention to Jesus in a new way. Over time the forms and culture begin to build around the revival, and we to lose our focus. We wonder who's showing up? Who's not showing up? There's only one place that we need to show up: before Jesus.
On my better days, there is a prayer that starts my day. It simply is "God, who and what do you have for me today?" And then I continue that prayer throughout the day, listening for what God has given me. Freedom isn't free. It is given to us by God alone through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Only He deserves the credit. Don't give credit to anything else.
-John M Troyer
I keep making signs my destination. It's so much easier to tell people about my church than it is to tell them about Jesus. It's so much easier to talk about Revive Indiana than to talk about Jesus. I've been struck in the last few weeks at how focused God is on keeping undivided attention to Himself throughout the Bible. The first few commandments from the 10 Commandments call us to give our undivided attention to the real presence of God. Don't substitute other gods, don't use His name carelessly, don't make images. All of these, even the name of God itself, can begin to become a vain substitute. The living presence of Jesus and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit continue this movement toward only focusing on His presence.
Did your church change your life? Did Revive Indiana change your life? Did the person who witnessed to you change your life? Did your cultural background change your life? Did your country change your life? They might have helped you find your way, but they aren't the source of what really matters, our true freedom, what really deserves our praise and sole adoration.
What is the secret? Pay attention. Not to signs, but to Jesus. Every revival begins because we pay attention to Jesus in a new way. Over time the forms and culture begin to build around the revival, and we to lose our focus. We wonder who's showing up? Who's not showing up? There's only one place that we need to show up: before Jesus.
On my better days, there is a prayer that starts my day. It simply is "God, who and what do you have for me today?" And then I continue that prayer throughout the day, listening for what God has given me. Freedom isn't free. It is given to us by God alone through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Only He deserves the credit. Don't give credit to anything else.
-John M Troyer
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