L O V E N O T E
S
Well here we are
traveling along our Lenten Journey of Faith. I pray that you have been intentional
about seek Jesus and reading God’s Word during this time. For I believe with all my heart that
what the church needs, what each one of us needs is a personal revival, a
breathing the breath of God, being saturated with God, a work of God’s Spirit in
us.?>
What is revival to you?
For some of us,
the word revival provokes images of sawdust trails, emotional outbursts, off-key
singing, finger-pointing preaching, and hell-fire praying. But the revival I’m talking about – the
revival God is calling you and me to experience – is something completely
different. It’s authentic, personal
revival.
A major, national newsmagazine recently ran a cover story on spirituality
in America. The writer reported
that spirituality, the impulse to communicate with the Divine, is thriving. The article stated that 75 percent of
Americans say that a very important reason for their faith is to forge a
personal relationship with God and that if you feel God within you, and then the
important question is settled. The
rest is just details. The writer
concluded that the world is filled with hungry people, looking for a deeper
relationship with God.
My prayer for you during this Lenten journey is that you will experience
an authentic, deeper, richer relationship with God in a life-changing,
fire-blazing personal revival. The
pathway to doing this is in knowing God with our heart.
Coach Tom Landry stated that during his career he came across many good
athletes – but very few great ones.
He said the difference between a good athlete and a great one is eighteen
inches – the distance from the head to the heart. Good athletes have exceptional ability
and a thorough understanding of the game, but a great athletes have heart – a
passion to play that drives them to selfless sacrifice, brutally long hours of
practice, undivided focus, and ultimately, to achieve extraordinary
accomplishments.
I believe the difference between a good Christian and a Great one is the
same eighteen inches – the distance from the head to the heart. We know Jesus died on the Cross to save
us, but we’re really not sure from what, although we have prayed and asked Him
to come into our heart. And we know
going to church is the right thing to do and makes us feel good. And Spiritual gifts? Aren’t they what we exchange at
Christmas?
If we are honest, even though we’re authentic Christians, we would say
that although we don’t know much, the little we do know is more about God thane
actually knowing God Himself. We
seem to have a working knowledge of God in our heads, but do we also seem to
lack heart. Heart for His Word, for
prayer, for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for a lost and dying world, for each
other, for Jesus?
Why is it that we can be passionate about our favorite sports team, or a
job promotion, or a dreamed of vacation, or the latest weight-loss plan, but we
don’t have that same passion about the things of God?