Welcome back. You belong here.
A theme I've been needing to hear lately is this: God speaks through other people into my life, my situation. And second, you are a gift to me.
Somewhere along the pastoral, Christian kid life, I believed that I hear God, and that I have something to offer the world through my life, music, Word, etc. But the idea of me hearing from people, to have them be Christ to me, to have them be a messenger of God's wisdom into my life is newer to me.
But I know it's true. Samuel spoke to David regarding his sin with Bathsheba, he spoke to him in a relevant way, speaking of sheep to a shepherd.
My wife says things to me that are God talking. Now I'm realizing that more and more! Duh! She'll tell me things like "we should invite Nikki and John over, and offer them to live with us for 6 months..." Yikes! But I know God speaks through her.
Speakers, music, the Word, prayer, these are all natural ways for me to hear God, and I feel God has done that with me for a long time. Although you know what, I feel that He's speaking to me more and more through music. Just today, he was telling me to bless Jeff a young worship leader. He was telling me I should love him more, embrace him, bless him, tell him what I see in him as a young 22 year old young man without a father, with his mom living far from him. I haven't really wanted to, but God keeps telling me to do it. I hate when God talks to me!
But listening to my wife has been an amazing thing for me, not just being the spiritual leader myself, but realizing that she leads with me, that God leads our home through what she says, in her time in the Word, her impressions, I think she has a gift of exhortation or wisdom or prophecy, something like that. I was just recently hearing her talk to her sister in such a clear, concise way that wasn't easy necessarily, but was very true and helpful. Wow, I was amazed.
I've had people tell me a few things along the years that were true but not very nice, but I love them for it. Once a singer told me, "you're very condescending..." I was, and don't struggle with that as much because her comments made me begin the process of confession, repentance, change, awareness, etc.
There are books, Devotional Readings from the Renovare line that speak to this idea. I don't know which ones but I'll find out from our SF pastor. He speaks this language often with me, the set-up team, the child care workers, and it speaks to something I need to adapt into my heart and thinking.
For you are my brother and you are a gift to me. You are Christ to me, you speak to me, sharpen me, edify me, I need you and you need me. We are in community with each other, you have the ability to hurt and lift me up. I give you that choice, I open my heart to it, for you are my brother, my sister. You are Christ to me, you are the Body of Christ, if an ear speaks (well, that's weird but you get it), I will listen, when I speak you can listen.
I am not alone, the Word, prayer, worship are some of the ways God speaks to me, but I believe you are the voice of God too, and even if your words hurt me and I reject them, even if you are wrong, even if your own flesh and sinfulness gets in the way, I will see that as a gift, and a chance to surrender and trust Christ, Jesus for those tough moments, but I will not see you as anti-Christ, for the Spirit of our common Father is also in you. He prayed we'd be one, so I want to be in relationship with you my brother, my sister.
I hope you also take that risk to open up, to receive, to be in authentic Biblical community with me and those you love. I am a gift to you, you are a gift to me. Let's receive one another as such.
For further reading:
1. "Hearing God" by Dallas Willard, 1999
Amen.
Have a great day.
Into the future,
davidT
