Tag: jesus follower

Lived, Not Told

Published on by tinavila20Leave a comment

Podcast version available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor!

Some things are hard to understand without experiencing them for yourself.

Have you ever been on the trip of a lifetime and taken in the most breathtaking scenery? Even trying to capture it with a camera doesn’t do it justice. In the end, you throw up your arms and say,

“You really just have to experience it for yourself.”

Or maybe as a foodie, your taste buds have finally basked in the glory of that long sought after pasta carbonara, tender filet mignon, flaky pastry, or full-bodied wine. You try to string together the most perfectly descriptive adjectives to explain the complexity of flavours – but in the end you throw up your arms and say,

“You really just have to experience it for yourself.”

Whether it be…
travel
food
falling in love
or becoming a parent for the first time…

We’ve all lived through things that cannot be adequately described without being experienced firsthand.

No matter how hard we try to explain it, some things just have to be lived, not told.

Unfortunately, so many of us end up missing out on the FULL LIFE Jesus promises because we only go by whatever we’ve heard, and we stop there.

Perhaps all you know of Jesus is secondhand accounts of the experiences of others. So you’re left trying to sort through what you actually believe.

Maybe you’ve been told,

“You really just have to experience Him for yourself.”

In Luke 7, we read about how Jesus’ ministry is really gaining traction. People are flocking to Him for healing and teaching, and He’s causing quite a stir.

So much so, that John the Baptist, the last of the messengers from God to announce the coming Saviour, gets word of it while he’s in prison. After trying to sort it all out for themselves, John and his followers don’t know what to make of Jesus. Like most Jewish people at the time, they were expecting an overthrow of the Roman government and a messiah who would reestablish the throne of their ancestors.

Jesus didn’t seem to show signs of any of this. So John sends his followers to ask Jesus directly,

Are you the Messiah we’ve been expecting, or should we keep looking for someone else?

– Luke 7:19

Jesus’ response captures the heart of what I hope to get across here:

Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard—the blind see, the lame walk, those with leprosy are cured, the deaf hear, the dead are raised to life, and the Good News is being preached to the poor.

– Luke 7:22-23

Ok, notice what Jesus doesn’t do.
Jesus does not:

  • Debate with them about what the coming Messiah would look like
  • Pull out His ancient scrolls to show them where they were misinterpreting the Scriptures
  • Try to intellectually convince them to believe His words
  • Scare them into following Him by pointing out their flaws, sins, or doubts

In fact, as I really sat with this passage, I realized that Jesus doesn’t really say much at all. And He didn’t seem overly concerned with what they would do with His response to their question either.

He basically says, The proof is in the pudding. Look around and see for yourself. People are experiencing God’s transformative power. Lives are being changed. Draw your own conclusions.

For Jesus, it was never about using the right words to convince people to follow Him.

He knows we must experience Him in order to live the full lives He created us for.

So maybe you’re already there mentally or intellectually, but something is still missing, and you’ve yet to encounter Jesus in a way that can only be experienced.

To you I say… get to know Jesus by finding out about yourself!

Here’s what I mean: we were all created differently and therefore wired to connect with God differently. So experiencing Him is really about finding the ways that He created YOU to most easily and effortlessly find and connect with Him. It’ll be a little different for everyone.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus makes a comparison between the good gifts we give to our children, and the good gifts God the Father lavishes on those who ask Him.

For some context, He isn’t talking about material possessions or financial prosperity, but about a relationship! We know how to give good things to our children, even as broken and flawed people. So how much more does our Father in Heaven, through Jesus, One who is the full embodiment of grace, mercy, love, and compassion, want to give good gifts to us when we ask Him?

Friends, my point is this: He does not make it hard to find Him! Jeremiah 29:14 has the Lord literally saying, I will be found by you! So consider how this may be easiest for you, specifically.

When someone throws up their arms and says,

“You really just have to experience Him for yourself.”

This is not an exhaustive list, but if you gravitate towards:

  • Community
    Matthew 18:20 tells us that when two or three are gathered together, God promises to be among them. So gather with others who are pursuing God and want to experience Him! To actually live Him, not just be told about Him. This could be a Bible study, or simply connecting with another who walks with Jesus and wants to experience Him too.
  • Creation
    Romans 1:20 tells us that since the world was created, people have seen the earth and sky. Through everything God made, they can clearly see His invisible qualities—His eternal power and divine nature. So they have no excuse for not knowing God. This means that if you find yourself drawn to nature and sense His presence there – go do that! Experience God there!
  • Intellectual
    Psalm 1:2 talks about taking literal DELIGHT in God’s Word and meditating on it day and night. So if you experience God most easily through Bible study, podcasts, sermons, commentaries, and articles, then do that! I have no doubt He will reveal Himself to you as you continue to delight in Him there.
  • Music
    Psalm 98 starts by telling us to sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvellous things, then goes on about using musical instruments to make music to the Lord. We are created as musical beings – certainly some more than others! But if that’s how you experience God, then do that!
  • Prayer
    Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to pray about everything. To tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. Time in prayer can be a powerful way to experience God.

The Two Waters

There’s a beautiful analogy that compares salvation to a tall glass of thirst-quenching water. When you come to faith in Jesus, your deepest hunger and thirst are satisfied in Him, just like a refreshing glass of water satisfies on a hot summer day.

But to really know God in a way that can only be experienced, is like sitting by the seashore and having a mighty wave wash over you, enveloping you and covering every last part of your being. It’s life-altering, and can’t be understood without being experienced. It has to be lived, not told.

What’s in the Ears

The last few months have been pretty reflective for me in a melancholy way. This song is indicative of this and really beautiful. Enjoy it!

Have you experienced Jesus beyond your initial salvation as I’ve tried to describe here? Which of the ways listed do you gravitate towards most? Let me know in the comments or send me a message!

Podcast version available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Anchor!

Isn’t She Lovely

Published on by tinavila20Leave a comment

Podcast available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Anchor!

We’re starting today with an excerpt from my absolute favourite children’s Bible, The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. It’s a portion of the creation account written for children as the audience.

God saw all that He had made and He loved them. And they were lovely because He loved them.
But God saved the best for last. From the beginning, God had a shining dream in His heart. He would make people share His Forever Happiness. They would be His children, and the world would be their perfect home.

So God breathed life into Adam and Eve. When they opened their eyes, the first thing they saw was God’s face.
And when God saw them He was like a new dad.
“You look like Me,” He said. “You’re the most beautiful thing I’ve ever made!“
God loved them with all His heart. And they were lovely because He loved them.
And Adam and Eve joined the song of the starts and the streams and the wind and trees, the wonderful song of love to the One who made them.
Their hearts were filled with happiness. And nothing ever made them sad or lonely or sick or afraid.
God looked at everything He had made. “Perfect!” He said. And it was.
But all the stars and the mountains and oceans and galaxies and everything were nothing compared to how much God loved His children. He would move heaven and earth to be near them. Always. Whatever happened, whatever it cost Him, He would always love them.
And so it was that the wonderful love story began…

What strikes me about this story is how the language communicates that God’s creation derives its value and beauty from God Himself.

This concept isn’t specific to this children’s Bible exclusively. It can be found throughout all the Scriptures. For example, the following verse was my original inspiration for this post:

“There I gave them my decrees and regulations so they could find life by keeping them.”

– Ezekiel 20:11

In both the children’s Bible excerpt and this verse from Old Testament prophet, the idea is that God’s people find LIFE and find their loveliness in Him, and through Him, and by following Him.

The Scriptures are clear: we are at our best, our loveliest, most aligned with our purpose, and most alive, when our lives are surrendered to God. When we are following Him. When we are walking in step with His Spirit.

We are misled when we’re convinced that we can somehow find beauty apart from God. That loveliness can exist without Him.

But how can this be?

If He is the source of all good things (James 1:17), then let’s go to the Source!

Anything good you see in this world has God as its source. Whatever you find lovely about another person, or whatever goodness someone might see in you, it comes from God. He is the source of all beauty, love, and goodness.

I had posted this on my Instagram account recently and it follows the same idea:

Have you ever met someone who’s just glowing? I’m not referring to that pregnancy glow that no one tells you is actually a layer of sweat. Nor is it the contour and highlighting technique they’ve finally mastered whilst applying makeup.

That glow is reflecting none other than God Himself.

12 They will come home and sing songs of joy on the heights of Jerusalem.
They will be radiant because of the Lord’s good gifts—
the abundant crops of grain, new wine, and olive oil,
and the healthy flocks and herds.
Their life will be like a watered garden and all their sorrows will be gone.
13 The young women will dance for joy,
and the men—old and young—will join in the celebration.
I will turn their mourning into joy.
I will comfort them and exchange their sorrow for rejoicing.
14 The priests will enjoy abundance,
and My people will be satisfied with My goodness.”
says the Lord.

– Jeremiah 31:12-14

Can you say that about yourself? Do you find yourself satisfied with God’s goodness? Or are you clambering to find the beauty you crave everywhere else?

Those who look to Him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame.

– Psalm 34:5

There’s that word radiant again.

Radiant people, cannot also be covered in shame. It’s a juxtaposition. They simply don’t fit together. The only way we can truly be radiant, and shake off the shackles of shame and death, is by looking to Jesus.

Psalm 34 goes on to say:

8 Taste and see that the Lord is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him.
9 Fear the Lord, you His holy people,
for those who fear Him lack nothing.
10 The lions may grow weak and hungry,
but those who seek the Lord lack no good thing.

– Psalm 34:8-10

I can’t help but think of so many loved ones, and maybe you can too! I think of how hard life can be for so many. Lacking so much. Seeking refuge. Sometimes with tangible needs, like a job that will help make ends meet.

But in our privileged corner of the world, I think it’s more likely that the circles we swim in are filled with people who are spiritually poor, emotionally empty, and mentally bankrupt. Their lives lack meaning and purpose and beauty because they do not go to the Source for these.

Do you?

I’ll admit, even as I share this, I do not always. I mentioned in a previous post, The Deepest Desire, about how I don’t always go to the Source of love, joy, peace for the things I crave. For the colour I want to see light up my life. For the beauty I want to find in my everyday.

Oh how He longs to share all this with us, and more.

Colossians 1:17 has recently become one of my most favourite verses.

It’s such a beautiful reminder of our starting point in the Jesus Storybook Bible – that we are lovely because He loves us. All part of His beautiful design.

Because He is the Source: so He is before all things. And He is the Sustainer: so in Him all things hold together.

Are you struggling to hold your life together?

It’s only meant to happen in Him. Sure, we can strive and struggle to make it all work. But why would you want to? If God is completely self-sustaining, wouldn’t it make sense to draw from Him for our sustenance too?

Ending with the doxology of Romans 11, Paul opens, barely able to put into words, how awesome God is.

33 Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!
    How unsearchable His judgments,
    and His paths beyond tracing out!
34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord?
    Or who has been His counselor?”
35 “Who has ever given to God,
    that God should repay them?”
36 For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things.
    To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

– Romans 11:33-36

The doxology ends similarly to the previous verse in Colossians.

A reminder that:

  • FROM Him
  • THROUGH Him
  • FOR Him

…are all things.

That progression is significant! If you have something FOR God, it would have to come FROM Him and THROUGH Him to you in the first place.

Because God loves us with all His heart. And we are lovely because He loves us.

What’s in the Ears

I have been DYING to share this song at the right time and here it is! There are several versions since many artists have covered it, and understandably so. Enjoy!

Where does this all land for you? Let me know in the comments or send me a message!

Podcast available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Anchor!