John 1:11 “He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.”
I wonder how often this happens in my life; I wonder how often I am blinded by my own desires and concerns that I do not see Jesus dwelling among me. I wonder how often Jesus meets me in my brokenness and I am so focused on myself that I do not receive Him. I am afraid it is far more then I probably even recognize. In my brief experience within the church it seems that the church affirms this text. Far too often we have refused to receive Christ and in this refusal we have wandered to the wilderness. Perhaps we have forgotten who the church belongs to; who created it. I wonder what would happen when a church recognized Jesus in her midst and choose to receive Him. I imagine we would see a gospel explosion that would be hard to refute. Perhaps it is not about the latest greatest growth model; the new worship style, the fancy technology, the right building, etc. Perhaps the growth of the church is rooted in our willingness and desire to recognize and receive Jesus into our midst and allow Him to shape our life together regardless of the world around us; I imagine this would be a ride I don’t want to miss; I imagine this is what it means to be the church.
God, thank you for meeting me in the poverty of my sin. Thank you for becoming flesh to help me to recognize your presence in my life. Even though you entered into my life through Jesus Christ, I still have trouble recognizing you. Far too often I choose to be so focused on my own navel that I cannot see your eternal presence in my midst. May you give me the grace to see you today; to walk with you; to recognize you; and to point to you. Be my creator today and continue your creative work in my life. Rescue me from my bent to sinning, free me from myself, and do more with my life than I could ever do by myself. Thanks for coming to me; help me today to recognize your face in my midst. Amen!
Click here for Crossroads Church
