“The gospel is absurd and the life of Jesus is meaningless unless we believe that He lived, died, and rose again with but one purpose in mind: to make brand-new creation. Not to make people with better morals but to create a community of prophets and professional lovers, men and women who would surrender to the mystery of the fire of the Spirit that burns within, who would live in ever greater fidelity to the omnipresent Word of God, who would enter into the center of it all, the very heart and mystery of Christ, into the center of the flame that consumes, purifies, and sets everything aglow with peace, joy, boldness, and extravagant, furious love. This, my friend, is what it really means to be a Christian.”
― Brennan Manning, The Furious Longing of God
I heard a man tell a story that really struck me because I have recently left my job. I only had days to train a replacement, where he had two years. Most of us have left a job or a position of some kind, where we had to train our replacement. Your commitment to training should not be dependent on how much you love your job or the company you work for. We should give all we have, because we really work for Jesus.
There are the big things to teach, like processes, computer programs, deadlines, etc., but there are also lots of little bits of info that we don't even think about, but could make the job tougher on the next person if you don't pass them on. In my job, I passed on file cabinets, keys to file cabinets, buildings, and rooms. I passed on my telephone number, my desk, and all those office supply type items. I passed on hints about which people were lenient and who wanted things done right away. I passed on who to be gentle with and who needed a little push of authority.
I gave my title. I gave my space. I gave a pep talk on how to be successful in the company's eyes. That's kind of funny, because my pep talk was all about kindness. I worked for a company who expected kindness and I have to admit, I failed many times in that department, yet they continued to be kind to me.
The other side of this coin is to be the one receiving the training. I always worried about the little things more than the big. Little things can make big messes. I would hope the person training me would want me to succeed. I would hope they would give me all they had to offer and I would be grateful.
One of the more recent jobs I have taken on, I wasn't trained at all. I had a very big book set on the table in front of me. "Here is your training manual." Seriously? It's told in story form. The story is told about the perfect person, the person who did the job like no other. He trained all of us through the Bible. He has left instruction on what we are to do and how we are to do it. He passed on His position, his responsibility to us. We are to heal the sick, cast out demons, and follow the ten commandments, along with many other things. We have all the instruction in one book.
We still need to be able to hear from God, because He doesn't give every answer in the Bible. He doesn't tell us which car to buy or even if now is the time to purchase. There is no book in the Bible listing who each of us is to marry. We have to be able to hear from God on our personal decisions.
One thing I have noticed lately are the people God has chosen to place in my life to help me grow. We are to love everyone, but we are also to be selective over who we choose to surround ourselves with regularly. I was having a conversation with a friend the other day when I presented a big question I was dealing with and it was obvious why God had led me to share with her, when she had recently dealt with the same issue. He chooses people for this reason. Sometimes the Holy Spirit will warn us about someone we are becoming close with. We may not understand why He seems to be preventing a relationship. He sees the whole picture and we do not. We have to trust Him. He also send those for us to teach. And even those who are difficult to be around to grow us into the person He needs us to be to fulfill our purpose.
The common quality I see in the people around me is a desire to grow in Christ. They are running toward Him like they have been crawling through the desert for days and He is standing there with a badly needed glass of water. Now, every day may not be as full of active running as the others, but overall they are moving forward and the desire is there. In a group like this we sometimes I have to pick each other up or encourage each other to keep moving but in our hearts the desire is there. We are not supposed to judge, but we do have a responsibility to take an active role in who we choose to run with. Someone may have all the scripture in their head, but nothing in their heart. If someone suggest a route for you to take, but they have never been on it, you might want to pray about that a little more. The people I learn the most from are practicing what they preach, they have been there or are where I am at the moment. They don't pretend to know what I need to do because my walk may be different, but they will suggest and it's up to me to talk it out with God and decide. You become what you surround yourself with. Negativity breeds negativity, but the opposite is also true.
Every day of this life with Jesus is about learning and growing. It's about growing closer to Him. Yes, we have to stop at stop signs once in a while and we have to take unexpected turns, but we also need to have the tank full of fuel and drive defensively. Expect the unexpected. You never know who God may set in your path and we have to be ready to pick them up, not run over them, or sometimes per God's instruction, pass them by. Some people's vehicles are just for show and others are economical for fear of the risk. But no matter the journey God has chosen, we pick the speed we travel. He has given us directions and we can follow them or we can find a short cut and get stuck in the mud. You can't steer a car that is not moving and you aren't going to get very far following a parked car.
“If you don't feel strong desires for the manifestation of the glory of God, it is not because you have drunk deeply and are satisfied. It is because you have nibbled so long at the table of the world. Your soul is stuffed with small things, and there is no room for the great.”
― John Piper, A Hunger For God
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