Pearls of Great Value

 “Before the mountains were born Or before You had given birth to the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, You are [the eternal] God.  ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭90:2‬ ‭AMP‬‬

If the things that Jesus made a priority in His life aren’t a priority in mine? There’s something wrong with my viewpoint. 

 If the things that upset Jesus  don’t upset me, there’s something wrong with my heart.

 And if I can’t love and appreciate those things that brought a smile to the face of Jesus, there’s something missing in my life. 

 

I don’t say any of those statements lightly. In fact, if I can say them lightly and don’t see and believe the implications of living as Jesus lived, I’m lost. I’m fully convinced that if the world at large would make this one thing their aim: to live as Jesus lived, we would be living in a heavenly place.

 

I love that I have this man to look up to. I love that He came into my world and showed me how to navigate this life. I love that His words are recorded for me, that I have His advice to reach for. I love that He’s a man who not only said beautiful things, but lived out loud the very things He spoke of. I love that He prayed  for me, a prayer that still echoes in heaven. I love that He still encourages to this very day. I love that He’s brings hope and joy into my life, that His life brought blessing to mine. 

 

It’s easy to take for granted His love and His goodness. It’s so freely given and His grace overflows from generation to generation. It’s so easy to get caught up in life and forget His omnipotence. Still this truth remains and is worthy to remember: before the beginning He was and He forever will be the great I am. Think about that. He remains. From age to age He stays. He doesn’t change. His presence in the garden of Eden is the same presence inside of you. His breath inside of Adam and Eve created a living being and today the breath of Holy Spirit brings life to you and me. From the beginning His heart was for relationship, and His longing for that hasn’t changed. God was real to Adam. He is still a reality today. 

 

Jesus is alive, my friends. Jesus is alive. The question is: Is He alive in my life, in your life? He wants to be. Inside my heart I hear Him whisper, “Am I your priority, am I your joy, am I a reality in your life that is visible to others?”

 

Inside my mind I see flashes of those things He made time for. I see Him sitting with his disciples, his friends, and talking about heavenly things. I see Him at the wedding feast, in the midst of celebration. I see Him turning water into wine, meeting even the trivial needs of those around Him. I see Mary sitting at his feet listening, as Martha is busy in the kitchen. I see Him going off to be alone with the Father. I see Him teaching and guiding the lost. I see Him reaching out with compassion. I see Holy hands touching the untouchables. I see Him changing lives. I see Him shaking his head in amusement as he watches Peter getting ahead of himself once again. I see him loving broken people with grace. I see Him being the answered prayer over and over again. I see, and in seeing I can’t help but believe He brought heaven down.

 

If I close my eyes and shut out this world long enough, His world becomes real to me and I see. I think that’s what He wants for us. For His kingdom to become vividly real in us. So real we see with unveiled eyes. So real it changes our values, so that everything that was and is important to Him can become important to us. He wants to be our reality. That’s the only way the desires of His heart can become ours as well. He doesn’t want second place in our lives and He will not settle for being a distant reality. He will not be satisfied with less, He’s after all of your heart. 

 

He’s here. Jesus is here, very much alive. He greets you every morning and in every step you take His presence is waiting for you. Is He as real to you as your next breath? Is He your reality? Close your eyes. Close your eyes and shut out this world. Close your eyes and see Jesus. Keep them closed until you see. Ask Him to come and reveal Himself to you. Then open your eyes and live Him, live Jesus out loud. Jesus in your heart, Jesus in your eyes. Who you are is in Him. He is Your reality.

“For we [believers] have become partakers of Christ [sharing in all that the Messiah has for us], if only we hold firm our newborn confidence [which originally led us to Him] until the end,”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭3:14‬ ‭AMP‬‬