Lately I have been thinking about "thin places" or times where God has been really real or present in a certain time in my life. When I think of thin places I think mission trips, Young Life camp experiences or even late night conversations with great people. Any kind of place where there was community, encouragement and wisdom being brought out. I think it is important that we don't look to the past as a way to try and shape our future but that we make sure we are looking to God. I try to keep up on this devotional called "My Utmost For His Highest" and this is a quote I pulled from it.
"Our tendency is to lie back and bask in the memory of the wonderful experience we had when God revealed His will to us. But if a New Testament standard is revealed to us by the light of God, and we don’t try to measure up, or even feel inclined to do so, then we begin to backslide. It means your conscience does not respond to the truth. You can never be the same after the unveiling of a truth. That moment marks you as one who either continues on with even more devotion as a disciple of Jesus Christ, or as one who turns to go back as a deserter." -Oswald Chambers
I think way too often we are caught up with what happened in the past. Sure I know I need to hold on to experiences I had in the past for times when I am doubting or unsure of certain things. But I cannot continue to relive these experiences and reminisce in a way that I cannot be present where I currently am. Even worse is when I can't follow God because I was so reliant on that place that was so "thin" to be where I think God actually lives. That place where it was easy to go to you or it was easy to notice you everyday. God is not confined to Detriot Lakes Minnesota or places that look pretty or places with good memories. God lives and thrives throughout places that we think He has no place being and places that we would be ashamed to be if we realized He was there with us. We can't be stuck in one place and wanting to be back at that place so that we can follow Him better.
This is like when Moses lead the Israelites to Mount Sinai. It was a crazy experience where God actually descended to the top of Mount Sinai and talked with Moses. "11Be ready by the third day, because on that day the LORD will come down on Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people....18 Mount Sinai was covered with smoke, because the LORD descended on it in fire. The smoke billowed up from it like smoke from a furnace, and the whole mountain trembled violently"(Exodus 19:11,18) It was a crazy awesome time for Moses and all the Israelites where God was very real to everyone and it seemed like a very "thin place." But although it seemed like a sweet place to stay God had a plan for all of them. Mount Sinai was a starting point for all these people, God took them there as almost a discipleship training school not as a final destination
"Every once in a while our Lord gives us a glimpse of what we would be like if it were not for Him. This is a confirmation of what He said— “. . . without Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). That is why the underlying foundation of Christianity is personal, passionate devotion to the Lord Jesus. We mistake the joy of our first introduction into God’s kingdom as His purpose for getting us there. Yet God’s purpose in getting us into His kingdom is that we may realize all that identification with Jesus Christ means." -Oswald Chambers
When we get stuck in what God has done through us in the past we sometimes can feel useless or like we are failures if we look at what is going on in our lives now. But we can't be stuck on Mount Sinai, sure that's where we actually saw God or maybe your Mount Sinai is where you felt Him so closely it was like you were having conversations with him constantly. Those are all great memories and wonderful things to hold on to but not to compare with our life now in a way that makes us want to go back to when that was. As Pastor Peter Haas from Substance Church says, "It is time for us to leave Mount Sinai." God's purpose is not for us to have that joy of our first introduction to Him and to thrive on that, his purpose is for us to thrive through Him. To be the person who stays faithful even when life gets depressing or to bounce back to Him when we mess up. God lets us realize how lame we are sometimes when we get prideful or just don't really think we need Him quite as much as we do. It is scary how messed up we can all be when we are without God. I guess this is what I am meaning to say and I personally need to remember this more, we shouldn't get caught up in the dramatic feeling of that one crazy place or time and be stuck there because that feeling isn't God's purpose for bringing us to that mountain. God never intended the Israelites to stay at the mountain just like God doesn't intend us to stay in that one magical place(not yet at least) where everything is amazing and it is surreal because it is such a "thin place." So branch out and accept these new challenges and obstacles even though they are more difficult and have seemingly less magic than that "thin place" you were at. Because ultimately it is not about the magical goosebump raising, warm feelings... it is about God and our devotion to Him.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me." John 15:1-4
No Apologies Metal Addition
14 years ago
