photo source – http://www.sxc.hu/photo/919893
“If Jesus appeared at your dining table tonight with knowledge of everything you are and are not, total comprehension of your life story and every skeleton hidden in your closet; if he laid out the real state of your present discipleship with the hidden agenda, the mixed motives and the dark desires buried in your psyche, you would feel…
What?
What was your first thought?
You would feel ____________
What was the first thing that popped into your mind?
Where did that thought come from?
Where did you learn that?
When did you first believe that?
That thought – what you think God feels towards you and how that makes you feel – is the picture of your relationship with God. That’s the picture you have of God. That thought defines your relationship with God.
I don’t think A.W. Tozer was too far off when he said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.”
This thought you had when you hit that “…” above – that’s what you believe about God and, as a result, what you believe about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
This is the very subject of my sermon this Sunday morning, July 22nd, at my church. I’d love for you to join me at 10:30am to hear more.
I stopped prematurely when I was typing that quote at the beginning of this post. The quote comes from Brennan Manning in Chapter 3 of his book, The Ragamuffin Gospel. This is the full quote.
“If Jesus appeared at your dining table tonight with knowledge of everything you are and are not, total comprehension of your life story and every skeleton hidden in your closet; if he laid out the real state of your present discipleship with the hidden agenda, the mixed motives and the dark desires buried in your psyche, you would feel His acceptance and forgiveness.”
The acceptance and forgiveness that is possible for all us is what the Gospel is all about.
I hope to see you this Sunday morning.
Made the big top show again…I’ll try to be there. Best of luck.