Too Busy for God?
Not sure about you, but I am guilty of this and I ask forgiveness almost daily for it. I came across a verse the other day that stopped me in my tracks. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 goes into great detail about the difficult times that will come in the last days. . In verse 2 Timothy starts describing people during this time as being focused on self, money, boastful, arrogant, unholy, disobedient to parents, and profane. He continues down to verse 5, this is where the following words jumped off the page:
Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, holding to a form of religion, although they have denied its POWER!
The amplified adds “For their conduct nullifies their claim to faith. Avoid such people and keep far away from them. ”
When I discipline myself to put God first and seek Him first and with all my heart, life simply goes to another level. Even the bad times carry a level of peace and joy that is hard to explain. The key to this is staying hungry for more. In Kawhi Leonard’s words, “Board Man gets Paid”.
I love what Martin Luther King said, “Bless us Lord, even curse us, but please be not silent.” What a powerful statement about the desire to hear from and experience God’s presence!
James 4:8 makes it very clear who has to take the first step, “Draw nigh to God and He will draw night to you.”
Going back to Verse 5 in 2 Timothy 3. The part of that verse that hit me hardest was these three words, DENY ITS POWER. The English language does not have a gender neutral pronoun like Hebrew or Greek. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit 19 times in John using the gender neutral pronoun. When translated in English the Holy Spirit is most often referred to as He, yet in verse 5 many version use the word “Its”. We have the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. I am not saying the Holy Spirit is a He or a She, that discussion is above our understanding. but we must understand that the Holy Spirit is a person. A person that longs for a relationship with you. Just to keep with the trend of translation into English, I will refer to the Holy Spirit as He or His.
In John 14:16 Jesus explains to His disciples that He has to go, but he will ask His Father to send the Holy Spirit back for us. We can’t deny His Help! We need the Power that the Holy Spirit desires and yearns to share with us.
What produces power? You don’t eat, you lose power. Any device without a battery or that is not plugged in to a power source is powerless. Are you plugged in?
As believers in Jesus Christ, we must look at our Lord and Savior’s power source as our supplier for strength, courage, peace, wisdom, and even the miraculous as signs and wonders should follow those who believe. Jesus power source while on earth was the Holy Spirit. That is exactly who Timothy is speaking about when he says in the last days many will, “Deny Its power”.
For a more detailed read on this you can click here.
John 4:23-24 says, “The hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. “
God says, the greatest gift He gives us is Love. Romans 5:5 says the Holy Spirit gives us God’s love. We must have God’s Love to make it! The Bible says you can do great and mighty things, but without love it is nothing. You must know the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Don’t ignore the Power that gives us God’s love. It is more important to speak to Jesus than about Him. It is also more important to speak to the Holy Spirit, than to ignore Him. You must have a relationship with Him. An intimate relationship.
As soon as I say the word intimate, my mind which has been influenced by the world thinks in sexual terms. Yet when googling intimacy, the first three results point out that intimacy is not just about a sexual relationship. Intimacy is to know someone well. James 4:5 says that the Holy Spirit yearns for the devotion and affection of God’s people.
The Holy Spirit is looking for those who desire a personal relationship. You don’t ignore your spouse. If you are smart, you don’t put others before them. You don’t marry them for their money or fame. You marry them because you love them and desire to put them first. If you seek the Holy Spirit only to take advantage of His power and favor, then He will see right through your motives. He is looking for someone willing to yield and allow the work of the Father to be done through them.
I believe Ephesians 3:16-20 says it the best. “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with POWER through His Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have POWER, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love surpasses knowledge that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than we ask or imagine, according to His POWER that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen!
You think that was empowering, read those verses in the Message version!
14-19 My response is to get down on my knees before the Father, this magnificent Father who parcels out all heaven and earth. I ask him to strengthen you by his Spirit—not a brute strength but a glorious inner strength—that Christ will live in you as you open the door and invite him in. And I ask him that with both feet planted firmly on love, you’ll be able to take in with all followers of Jesus the extravagant dimensions of Christ’s love. Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.
20-21 God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! He does it not by pushing us around but by working within us, his Spirit deeply and gently within us.
Fans pay unbelievable amounts to sit on the front row of an NBA playoff, World Cup or NCAA Championship Game. Last time I checked, going to church is free, yet the front row is rarely full. Few are waiting when the door is unlocked to rush down to the front row of an Fellowship of Christian Athletes Huddle meeting. What is given away for free, was paid for with the ultimate price! Jesus paid the price. After defeating death, hell, and the grave, Jesus left so he could send the POWER back to us, so we could fulfill the mission of the Father. Go in strength and power and tell the whole world the Good News. Will you?
July 19-21 at Oklahoma Wesleyan University coaches will be gathering to experience God’s presence. The opportunity is free and for coaches of every sport and every level. Are you a coach? Are you to busy? We are not only inviting the Holy Spirit to come. The Holy Spirit is our honored guest and the sole reason we are meeting. If you desire a closer relationship and want to learn more about the Holy Spirit, then we hope you can make it. As a coach, I believe you have a responsibility and will be held accountable for the players God places under your leadership. The only true championships or wins that are going to matter is winning your player’s souls for the Kingdom of God.
Photo by sergio souza on Unsplash