The Seed Blog: My Cup Overflows...True Intimacy With God

Today we celebrate Mothers all over the Country, and there is no more difficult, selfless position in humanity. There is not one single calling anyone could embrace which affects, alters and shapes the direction of history. There is no greater anchor of love in most of our lives than the love of our mothers. No one represents the serving, sacrificial, relentless love of Christ more than mothers. Thank you for the struggle to balance your never ending love and servitude to your families and the responsibilities of the world in our crazy, modern society—and often even the spiritual guidance and direction of family. You are the backbone to our families and our society. Thank you for your love and sacrifice.

This next short discussion is not the message today, but by necessity as Disciples of Christ—it must be mentioned at the start of our service. Due to the media leak concerning even the potential for overturning Roe V. Wade in the Supreme Court, a number of activists groups are planning to begin protesting outside of Catholic and Protestant Churches today on Mother's Day—to make attendees feel intimidated and guilty for being what many of them blame as the source of their opposition.
"If the Supreme Court is going to take an unambiguously theocratic step, then we should take a page out of the Christians' book. This began in the church, so that's where we should march. No freedom? No peace. Let them worship over our chants," Many are calling for this to extend far beyond Mother's Day into an ongoing push of harassment and attack. "Protests at churches like this will make some people stop attending that church. That’s a start. The ones who know what their church believes, agree with it and stay?.. Hold signs with Bible verses. Hold signs of mutilated women. Scream at them and call them murderers of women. But the real trick is that one single protest won’t work. Pro-choicers have to become a nuisance. One protest will just make them feel good about being persecuted for their faith. However, protests every week for months will wear them the f--- out... It will cause divisions in their church. It will cause more people to leave, and their tithing to slow down. They are already vulnerable to this after Covid. A lot of churches are struggling financially and cutting staff right now. This is a good time to hit them where it hurts. You can also nitpick the sh-- out of needless crap like they do. Did this hypothetical megachurch forget to mow their lawn this week? Call the city on them. Are their events too loud at night? Lodge a noise complaint... If you are going to do this, now is a good time to try it... Don’t let up. They will feel like martyrs, but they do anyway so f--- it. You won’t change the minds of the anti-choicers inside, but you can inform people attending who didn’t know about their stances and you can dwindle their resources/resolve by just generally being a pain in the a--." To choose the one day of celebrating "Motherhood" as the time to stage an all-out war for the right to murder children is ironically hateful and shows the loss of morals and natural affection in our culture. In case anyone here is in doubt of our stance on abortion—you cannot hold to a claim of Faith in Christ and all that His Words teach about loving sacrificially, protecting the innocent, and the preciousness of life and support abortion. I say that unapologetically and emphatically. In real love for any who disagree, but in obedience and trust in my Creator. But listen, any who have had an abortion in the sound of my voice—join the crowd of sinners here today. We are all equally guilty of sin in our lives. Praise God for His Sacrificial Blood and rest in His Assurance, but stand firm for what you know to be His truth now. And understand that many who will oppose us in these attacks are doing so with the strongest of beliefs that they are right. Just as Paul before he saw the Truth of Jesus—so love them—don’t hate, accuse or attack them. But, whatever the consequences—purpose to stand against the sin and purpose to reach the opposition in real love for them. John 17:14-18.
The Battle has come to our front door, and He's calling us to go outside. This is our day for Christ—hold the line.
 
Good mothers adore and live for their children in so many ways, and they want nothing but growth and success for their children. They have a strong desire to be near to, involved with, and intimate with their children all their days. And we as young children bask in and crave that love and affection. But as we grow older, we begin to desire our own life, our own ways. We still want the support, love and even resources of Mom, but we don't crave the time and affection as we did.
Jesus Christ's Love for us is so parallel to the love of a dedicated mother. The tireless sacrifice to the last strength and resource; the passionate love—even when undeserved, unreturned—through behaviors that make all others turn against us—they defend. And many Christians want to know Jesus has that Love for them—want to know they are protected and provided for—but they don't want that time with God; they don't crave that intimacy or relationship—they want the assurance and provision. Thus we have modern Christianity—blessings, answered prayers, assurance—no real relationship. Here's the problem—Jesus' love is definitely modeled in a mother's love and devotion but "Jesus isn't your Mommy!" He is the Creator God. He has given you life. He has given you this awesome world. He has created you to live as one with Him in intimacy. He has Given His life to not only save you for Eternity and keep you near to Him. But to allow you the right to live and breathe this very day; to make you pure and clean again so He can be near and in you to make a way for you to even stand in His Presence to speak to Him. And He did none of this just to have loyal subjects under His thumb—just to rule as a narcissistic King—but to give and have the ultimate love like no other; to share our existence as one through incomprehensible unity that does not have to and was not made to wait until we have arrived in heaven. This defeats all Jesus died for on the Cross. He died to reconcile us now; He died to know us intimately and have our love now: Mark 12:29-30. He's become the Loving Mother rather than God Almighty.
So many of us who are truly desiring to serve our God are still so busy wanting our own lives first—so desirous of being served and blessed—even so focused on wanting to live a great life for Him that we have sincerely missed what it's all about in His eyes. Listen with all your heart for a moment from the very first page of Scriptures to the End of the Book—it has been about loving God with all your heart. Moses was one of the most powerful and cherished men of the Bible to God because when offered the chance for all of his desires to come true—to enter the Promised Land of blessings, but lose God's intimacy and closeness, he said no. When offered the chance to be the literal father of all of Israel, but hurt God's Name before the Pagan nations, he said no. All Moses wanted was God's Love, Fellowship, and Glory in his own life first. David was an unparalleled Warrior and King for God, but in all of his battles, sacrifices, victories and accomplishments, there is one reason he stood out to God: Psalm 27:4-5; Psalm 84:1-4; Psalm 4:7. This is why Luke wrote these Words about him: Acts 13:22. And listen to Paul—the man used to write 2/3 of the New Testament we hold in our hands today—the man who started as many who are protesting outside of churches all over the nation this morning. Why would God choose to join with him and use him? Philippians 1:21, 23; Philippians 3:7-10: Know. We could go on for hours with these proofs of God's desire for love first. But for the sake of time, Let's move on to how do we apply this to ourselves. The first and most important step is to fully embrace the fact that God wants one single thing from you above all—to desire, chase after and live for knowing Him more intimately above anything else you can do for Him. That requires no better start than anyone else—no skills or talents, no reputation among others, no education. We are all on equal ground before Him. Know that right here and now, you were meant—through His own sacrifice and desire—to be able to intimately know and enjoy Him. By His design, you are the sole factor in how deeply He can be known and enjoyed today: Jeremiah 29:13; Revelation 3:20; John 14:18-21: (key: love, obey): manifest. Realize and accept how He alone sees you. Nothing you have done decreases your chance of drawing close to Him or changes how He loves, sees, and cherishes you differently than anyone. He died to remove all sins from so accept you’re forgiven position and glorify Him for His love. David—that man after God's Heart was one of the worst of sinners, but in his sins He glorified God all the more and drew nearer to Him than anyone else by how he trusted God's heart and goodness: Psalm 38:2-4, 9-11, 14-15; Psalm 27:9-10. The Disciple John nailed it best when he referred to himself in Jesus' eyes multiple times as "The disciple whom Jesus Loved!" He did it all to let you stand before Him worthy again and He wants to be a part of you, closer than anyone. That is the kind of love He has for us. That is why He isn't just a ‘religion.’ That is why He is worthy to be pursued. Lastly, don't wait for your trials to be over, for the struggles to be gone, for a better day, with more time and less conflict—to focus on Him above all else. That is exactly what Satan wants you to do most. Because that day may never come; because in the fight is when you need Him most because He can never be honored more, never be more real and treasured than while you are facing the insurmountable. David wrote these Words about intimacy with God and stayed in a battle more than anyone: Psalm 23:5. Jesus prepares a table for us—in our darkest hours—so we can rest in Him; enjoy His presence, encouragement, direction—while still faced with the threat. His intimacy is our place of rest in it all; "Anointing your head" is showing that you are His Honored Guest. "An overflowing cup" says He doesn't want you to leave, but stay with Him. This is what Jesus craves from us. This is what He died to restore. This is the only thing He wants from us. But most of us—if we are truly honest—pursue everything but that one thing. Know you can have much more of Him. Know He wants much more of you. Know He leaves it to you to draw closer and deeper. When you read His Word, read to know Him more personally; to see His personality, His desires, His heartbreaks, His ways, with the single goal of knowing Him more intimately. When you pray, don't pray at Him. Don't recite needs; talk with Him, share with Him, ask Him about His desires. Show Him your eagerness to do whatever makes Him Happy in your life. Ask Him Whom you should pray for, love on, or help. Do your secular work, serve in ministry knowing He is with you, to please Him, not others. Avoid lust, anger, selfishness, unforgiveness, because you lean on His Presence right there because you know it hurts Him and drives Him away. And His Presence is more important than the sin. Let Him Love through you; seeing others together in their pain, anger, resentment, attacks—suffer through tough times and persecution together. Drawing strength from His presence, knowing He is going through it literally with you. Let knowing Him and pleasing Him be your conscious goal above all other ministries or serving. It will change everything in your life. Your views, motivation, attitude, hope, goals, and love; and He will manifest Himself to you in a new way!