What a week it has been. Going from moving a thousand miles an hour, completely surrounded by the presence and love of the Lord, to being home with the kids enjoying the quiet of “quarantine” before I could go back to work. I had my covid test and it was negative, so I’m allowed to integrate myself back into society now, but most of me doesn’t want to. I look around and see the stuff that I have, and all I want to do is purge it all and walk away. It doesn’t have meaning.
My daughter is fussing about a forgotten password on her school computer, not happy about the pizza that we had delivered to our door and all I can think about are those children playing in the dirt in Tijuana. She doesn’t get it, and until last year I didn’t get it. Until you see how other people live and experience it for yourself, you won’t get it either. All of the pictures and videos of what it’s like around the world can’t begin to show you the full experience of living there. You can’t breathe the dusty air, you can’t kick the packs of wild dogs away, you can’t dance in the shoes that have just walked the roads of these towns; but when you do, it’s amazing.
I miss the genuine smiles that people have on their faces when you help them. Wether it’s with a meal, a prayer, a moment of your time, whatever you have to give, people appreciate. That’s what we are missing here. Leah just opened the fridge and said we needed food, I go to open instacart and my privilege hits me in the face. Have we gotten to the point in our society where the kindness in a cashiers eyes means nothing? Have we impersonalized everything to the point of technological supply and demand? Is this dehumanizing culture of technology actually hurting us more than it helps us? Is this why people flock to America, to become selfish, privileged, tech savvy, iPhone zombies? Is this the American dream our great grandparents wanted for us?
I’ll be the first one to say that I don’t know my neighbors. I know them at a glance but if our power was out and the houses were all on fire would I even be able to look around and know if everyone was out of their homes safe? Can we take inventory of our homes to know exactly that the roll of tape is in the back of the junk drawer behind the old birthday candles, and yet not know if everyone on our block has had a warm meal or shower that day?
Why have we become so selfish? I’m preaching to myself here too. Why do we care so much that we have new clothes and our kids are fed, in sports and popular, but we don’t care that the one kid in their class gets made fun of for not having the best? Why do we push ourselves to greatness and not hold out our hands to bring others up with us?
I got both the kids to bed last night and as per my usual I was having my little breakdown to Jesus about my shortcomings. As I sat I my living room on the couch, I was looking around at all the stuff I just cleaned up. The Lord spoke to me pretty clearly and said “is your heart as ready as your home, Ash?”
I was taken back by that. Then the Lord opened it up to me. We spend so much time getting our houses cleaned and in order for company. We toss out the garbage and sweep the floors, we wipe the cracks and get into all those places that we neglect, all because company is coming. We wonder what they’ll think about our home, if it felt welcoming, we worry about the food we put out and the words we speak, we worry about the smell and what they will say about us, we worry about having a big tv and a nice couch. Company comes and goes and we consider it a success because we were prepared.
How would you feel if company came a day early, a week early, or just popped in unannounced? Would we be as prepared? Would we have some things out of place because we just weren’t ready for company yet?
Why do we care so much about guarding our homes and reputations and care so little about guarding our hearts and our morals?
If the Lord showed up today would you be ready, or would you ask him to wait so you can tidy some things up first?
He is coming like a thief in the night. He is coming as the Lion and not the Lamb. He is not coming to sit on your couch and eat your lovely meal. He is coming to kick over lampstands, flip tables, and with a sword.
Clean your hearts, He’s coming soon. Will you be left behind because you needed to tidy up your heart? Are you prioritizing the wrong things? Is your heart as beautiful as the home you show off to the world? Is Jesus welcome any time?
Matthew 24:36-40 AMP
“But of that [exact] day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son [in His humanity], but the Father alone. For the coming of the Son of Man (the Messiah) will be just like the days of Noah. For as in those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the [very] day when Noah entered the ark, and they did not know or understand until the flood came and swept them all away; so will the coming of the Son of Man be [unexpected judgment]. At that time two men will be in the field; one will be taken [for judgment] and one will be left.
There are many Noah’s this time, not just one.
Psalm 51 NASB
1 Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithfulness; According to the greatness of Your compassion, wipe out my wrongdoings.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my guilt
And cleanse me from my sin.
3 For I know my wrongdoings,
And my sin is constantly before me.
4 Against You, You only, I have sinned
And done what is evil in Your sight,
So that You are justified when You speak
And blameless when You judge.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in guilt,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
6 Behold, You desire truth in the innermost being,
And in secret You will make wisdom known to me.
7 Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
Cleanse me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Let me hear joy and gladness,
Let the bones You have broken rejoice.
9 Hide Your face from my sins
And wipe out all my guilty deeds.
10 Create in me a clean heart, God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me away from Your presence,
And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,
And sustain me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach wrongdoers Your ways,
And sinners will be converted to You.
14 Save me from the guilt of bloodshed, God, the God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.
15 Lord, open my lips, So that my mouth may declare Your praise.
16 For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You do not take pleasure in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, God, You will not despise.
18 By Your favor do good to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem.
19 Then You will delight in righteous sacrifices, In burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then bulls will be offered on Your altar.
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