Maximum Effort part 1
I want to write this Rant series for two reasons: 1. Because I think there's a pretty common misconception that "rest" is the same thing as inactivity, which couldn't be farther from the truth, and 2. Because I think it's vitally important that we understand where our effort should be directed. It's amazing to me how often I see people getting all fired up about things that really don't even matter. Like today, my friend sent me a link to a video about some lady going crazy over the Monster energy drinks. Because the Monster symbol is really 666, and there's a cross in the "o" which means antichrist and all this stuff. And I was like, "It's an energy drink... there are more important things. Like... people. I really truly believe that the two most important things in the universe are God and people. Love God and love people. Love God BY loving people. And I'll tell you right now, in order to truly love someone like Jesus loves us... that takes maximum effort. That's takes laying your life down for someone else. Giving everything you have and everything you are. And not expecting to get anything back. I think expectation is one of the worst "enemies" we have. It's that thing right between our ears. We figure out how we think things should be, or how we want them to be, and then when they inevitably turn out to NOT be that way we're left with disappointment. Self-inflicted disappointment that we nevertheless blame on other people. And then we let that disappointment stop us from trying next time. Because we didn't get what we wanted last time. And we think that's rest. "God will take care of." Well, yeah, He will. But the mysterious way that God works... is through people. Jesus lives IN us, but He also lives THROUGH us, and AS us. We don't try to follow in His foot steps. We simply let Him make His own foot steps with our feet. And THAT'S what rest is. Rest is not inactivity. It's not being a spiritual couch potato and not doing anything because you're "waiting on a move of God." God already moved. 2,000 years ago on an old, rugged cross. We don't need a move of God. We need a revelation of Jesus. Because that will tell us what the move of God was, and what it means for us today. And what it means for us today is, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). See, I was included in the move of God. When Jesus was lifted up from the earth He drew all men into Himself. And He planted Himself in all men. He gave maximum effort on the cross. He did it ALL so we could get it ALL. And the ALL that we got... is Him. His Holy Spirit, leading and guiding us into all truth. The truth of His love for us. The truth that BECAUSE of His love for us... we can love each other. We can give maximum effort TO each other. From a posture of rest. Not trying to get something from each other, but giving something to each other. Sharing what we've got with each other. Rest is not inactivity. It is Holy Spirit directed activity. It is letting God love us. Letting Him fill us up with His love and then letting that love overflow out of us and get all over everybody we come into contact with. Going the extra mile for someone. Because they're worth the effort. They're worth it. Maximum effort!