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| Have We Made Jesus Into “Our” Jesus? |
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I love talking to Jesus, but am I taking it too personally? Am I forgetting that He is the Son of the Living God, that He is holy, that is to be treated as a king, rather than treating him with so much familiarity?
If I were to meet someone of great importance, such as the President of the United States, I would probably be so tongue tied and nervous, I wouldn’t be able to speak. Yet, I can speak to Jesus in my prayers as if He were right in the room with me, as if He were my best friend. If I were to meet Him in person, what would I do? What would be expected of me?
If I were to meet Him on the street, I think I would fall to the ground, either in a dead faint or in awe of His majesty. It would not be the same as talking to Him in prayer. Now, I know He is here, but I can’t see Him. I can’t be awestruck with something that I can’t see or touch, yet shouldn’t I be awestruck by His presence? Shouldn’t I go to the throne of prayer with reverence, humbleness, and awe? God expects our respect, and yet we are to talk to Him as if He were our best friend, and you should respect your best friend, but shouldn’t it be more than that with Jesus?
Often we go to God in prayer for what He can do for us. To make us “feel good”. We are more concerned with what He can do for us than for what is expected of us. He wants us to obey Him, and He wants us to remember that He is God and we are not. I think He wants us to come to Him in prayer to ask for His blessings upon us, but also to show reverence to Him and His power, and to thank Him for all He has done for us.
I don’t wish to pray to a Jesus who is what I have made Him to be. He is a lot more than what my feeble mind can imagine.
Lord, when I come to You in prayer, help me to recognize Your awesome power; help me to realize that my desire should be to do your will, not my own. Help me to bow in humbleness, to your majesty and to show You the respect You deserve.
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dezzy |
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February 25, 2008 at 1:08pm |
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| HEY GOD WILL ACKNOWLEDGE THE FACT THAT YOU TALK TO HIM HE SENDS A COMFORTER SO THAT YOU DON'T GET TOO TONGUE TIED TO TALK TO HIM BECAUSE IF YOU ARE TOO TONGUE TIED YOU CAN'T GET WHAT GOD DESIRES FOR YOU TO RECIEVE BECAUSE WE HAV NOT BECAUSE WE ASK NOT IF YOU ARE TONGUE TIED YOU ASK NOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! GOD IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF CONFUSION HE LOVES FOR YOU TO COME TO HIM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AND YOU AND HIM ARE CLOSER AS FATHER AND CHILD NOT AS SOMEONE WHOM YOU WOULDN'T EVEN KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! MY SHEEP THEY KNOW MY VOICE BUT A STRANGER HE WILL NOT FOLLOW !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! BE BLESSED |
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Wow, deep thoughts Deb. I think part of the wonder of God is how He is the God of the universe as well as God of our own personal lives all in one. I think maybe if we could see Him as we do other people, the power of the Spirit wouldn't be as prevalent.. just some additional deep thoughts. :) Great post! |
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| Great blog! I really agree with your prayer and join you in this--as you said it, "Lord, when I come to You in prayer, help me to recognize Your awesome power; help me to realize that my desire should be to do your will, not my own. Help me to bow in humbleness, to your majesty and to show You the respect You deserve." Awesome way to look at it, Deb. |
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| You're right Deb, it's hard to be awestruck for something/someone we can't even see....it's the thoughts of what he's done, for us and for the whole world, as well as recognizing who he is, that strikes awe in us..or at least me. It amazes me that I can sit on the bus in the quiet darkness of the morning, or in my living room likewise alone, yet be able to fellowship deeply with the intimate presence of the Lord....I struggle to put it into words, but when I am relatively free from distractions, those are the very best, most powerful, and most meaningful times of my existence! Wow, great blog...yet again!!! |
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Joey |
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February 25, 2008 at 1:25pm |
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Deb, when I talk with Jesus, I feel that I'm talking with One who wants me to be His friend and confidant. I believe that He wants me to be so intimate with Him that I trust Him more than anyone, and that I need Him more than anyone.
I believe it boils down to life experiences... getting to a point where you have nowhere to turn, no one who has the ability to comfort you, or accept you as He can. You get to the point to where your heart has been broken so many times by the human race that you no longer have that trust factor. That is when He scoops you up and you KNOW who He is and what He is capable of doing. He's the master healer, and when you've been in His arms, you will never, ever be the same again.
That is when you just cannot keep it to yourself. Because you belong to Him. |
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Cheryl |
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February 25, 2008 at 1:27pm |
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| Awesome blog Deb. I think we reverence Him daily when we turn to Him. I pray He sees me through the blood of Jesus! Love~ |
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| Deb, you have made some outstanding points. I think that another way that we have made Jesus our Jesus is when they talk about evangelism. We always think of Him as our personal savior as opposed to the Savior of the world. I think that this diminishes or us our responsibility to evangelize. |
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Deb I just love your thinking... wonderful thoughts expressed sincerely. I believe that Jesus wants us to see him as our Saviour and friend. A good friend is someone who we know we can depend on. I share everything with my friend... and I mean everything... good, bad, and the ugly. Yet he doesn't judge me, always encourages me, and is always there for me. Yet, even though I share everything with My Jesus... as my best friend.... there is still those precious moments of intimacy when I know I am in the Presence of the Majesty, the Awesome, the Almighty... and I am left speechless... most times with tears streaming down my face.... because I can see that I am not worthy to be called one of his.... yet by His Grace.... by His Grace...
Pastor Aminata |
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| Definately we need to reverence Him, but I know that He loves for us to be at ease with Him as a best friend too. That we can go to Him about anything. Yet still respect Him as God and our Maker and above us. This is a great blog with very interesting and legitimate points. |
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Jesus is my Father and I am at awe at the mention of His name. If I were to see Jesus, I truly believe I would fall to my knees in tears of wonder, love and unworthiness.
Again Deb another great blog. |
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| HE CREATED OUR INNERMOST FEELINGS AND GAVE THEM AS A GIFT, WE CAN APPROACH HIM AS WE WOULD OUR EARTHLY FATHER YET STILL GIVE THE DEEPEST RESPECT AT THE VERY SAME TIME. HE UNDERSTANDS OUR MORTAL MINDS 'CAUSE HE MADE THEM! GREAT BLOG...LOVE STU. |
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| Preach it, Sister! This is an awesome blog! |
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| All I can say is WOW! OK may-be not just WOW but Great Post! I agree we should go to Him with great respect and yet He wants us to be his friend. Think about it this way has anyone ever laid their life down for you like He did. How can we not look at Him in awe. I had to laugh when you said you might faint if you met Him on the street. I think I would Trimble and fall flat on my face. Every knee shall bow.Once again Great post. |
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Ed |
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February 26, 2008 at 6:41am |
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| That's what's so awesome about Jesus, He can be the great and wonderful Savior of the world. And yet, He is our friend, too. Wasn't it Jesus who modeled the relationship between God and man? In fact, He called God "Abba" (Daddy) which is an endearing and personal name (Mk 14:36). Mark records that He continued in His prayer and relinquished His will to His Father's will because He knew how awesome His Father was! You're right, Deb, pretty observant I might add! |
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I think sometimes we feel this duality because we know that to be in the FULL presence of the Lord would be so AWESOME (and by that I mean, we'd be full of awe and probably dumbstruck) that we feel like we take it too nonchalantly in our daily life. But that's the world creeping in, I'd say... I say that because we HAVE realized the awesome power and glory of the Lord, realized in human form as Jesus, and it's not left us. However, once we're born again by submitting to the fact that we were damned before confessing our sins and aceepting Him as Savior, it allows us to experience the love and relationship we can have with our Lord. Realizing we have sinned against God and deserve hell and cannot avoid it without Jesus is a daunting (to say the least) realization! So, it's Ok to feel this way - it's what God wants for us - to turn to Him, to accept the sacrifice of His son, and to experience a taste of the fellowship we will one day have fully in heaven! |
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Donna S |
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February 26, 2008 at 7:19am |
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I am glad I can talk to jesus and not stumble on my words...I am fearful of people
something I struggle with daily and WORK on daily!!
I am beter with it then I was!!
I am going to ttalk with my pastor tomorrow, the first time meeting him alone
I am new to this church, new to so much.
I have to get alone with Jesus before i go and THANK GOD I can do that
Thanks for an awesome post!!!!!
God Bless |
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Deb |
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February 26, 2008 at 11:00am |
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dezzy, thanks for your comments...it is wise to concentrate on the Father/child relationship, and then perhaps we won't be so awestruck by His majesty.
Carebear, yes I agree, part of the wonder of God is because He is the God of the universe, but I also have a close personal relationship with Him. Makes me seem so small in comparison, but it is a wonderful thought when I think of how much He loves me.
Yahschild, thank you! To God be the glory!
Mike, thanks, yet again :) God is with us wherever we go, yet we cannot see Him, cannot touch Him. Many would think we are crazy, and probably do! But yet, I feel Him in my heart, and it is that which makes Him so awesome to me that I am dazzled by His greatness.
Joey, yes, I have been there, when there was no one to talk to but God. It is amazing the initmacy that we can have with Him in those times, and how He can pull us up out of the hole we find ourselves in, and help us to stand again.
Cheryl, thank you...He does see us through the blood of Jesus. It is because of Jesus that I can even approach the throne of God.
Paul, hopefully not too deep to make you think.
woman of joy, thank you!
Pastor Tim, I guess when we tell others about Jesus, we have to be sure to stress that He can help everyone, not just us, and He loves us all...
Pastor Aminata, well said...that is exactly how I feel! I think we must think a lot alike! :)
Lara, thank you for your comments. Reverence, and being at ease with Him. It is possible to do, but I just don't want to take His friendship for granted!
arlene, I love that song, and that is exactly what I think of when I think of meeting Jesus in person. I can only imagine...what it will be like...
Cheryl, thank you! I will be with you on my knees when we come into His presence.
Stu, thank you for your thoughts. I think of God in a much higher sense than I do my earthly father, because my earthly father and I didn't have a good relationship. But I get your point that we should be able to approach God with the ease of approaching a parent.
Birdie, thank you! Again, I give glory to God for the words.
lilsassy, thank you! I can say that no one has, and probably no one will, lay down their life for me the way Jesus did. Aren't we so blessed to know Him?
Ed, yes, Jesus did model for us how we should relate to God. He treated Him with respect, and yet could call out to Him at his most difficult time, when He was on the cross. Amazing!
GrowingInFaith, I am glad that I am not alone in my feelings. You have explained it quite well, by submitting to God's will for us, we can enter in to a relationship with Him that is beyond understanding.
ds13099, I have trouble speaking with people as well, especially in large groups. I have no trouble talking to Jesus though, at least not in prayer. If I were to meet Him in person, though, that would be different! |
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| We have made Jesus into a magic lamp |
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Deb |
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February 27, 2008 at 9:49am |
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| The Christian No Spin Zone, that is one of the things I was trying to get across. Jesus isn't there to do our bidding and to make things happen for us, instead it is the other way around. Thanks for the comment! |
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Gene |
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February 27, 2008 at 10:33am |
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| Its so amazing that the creator or the universe is the same person with whom we can have such a close friendship. Years ago God was considered to be so vast and awesome that we created ways to explain that in building vast cathedrals and monuments. God is so beyond our understanding! And yet, He speaks to us in parables and tells us He's our brother. We may have even made Him too much of our "buddy" and forget that He's all powerful and beyond our knowing. I have a hard time trying to fit both of those aspects into my daily life. That's the wonder of God. I love it! |
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Deb |
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February 27, 2008 at 11:18am |
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| Gene, I agree that it boggles my mind trying to fit both aspects of God being our best friend and yet so mighty and powerful that He deserves to be glorified and treated with reverence. |
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Steve |
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February 27, 2008 at 6:28pm |
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| Well you were right Deb. This was very well done. I suppose that is my real problem then, a fear of becoming too familiar. Although as much as I care for God, one would think it should be much easier to pray than I make it out to be. It also just came to mind how we compare with praying with a group such as during the worship time. I don't have any problem at all there. Odd isn't it? |
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Deb |
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February 28, 2008 at 8:38am |
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| prstn496, yes, that is odd! So you are comfortable praying with a group, but not so comfortable praying alone? I would say, in both of our cases, we need to pray more so that we become more comfortable with it. I guess time, practice, and knowing the Lord better, will help both of us. |
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Deb |
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March 02, 2008 at 11:44am |
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| DC, thank you! |
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dezzy |
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March 03, 2008 at 7:30am |
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| hey deb i agree with what you said and you are so right as i am growing more and more in the lord i realize that i have to give all that God wants from me and rebuke my flesh often |
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Deb |
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March 03, 2008 at 10:43am |
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| dezzy, I think we grow more in the Lord every day, if we set our minds towards that goal. It will tak a lifetime to mold us into His image, but He is patient. Thanks for your comments! |
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JayKTX |
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March 04, 2008 at 12:30am |
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When I come to him in prayer I remember how gentle he was with little children and how compassionate he was to the sick and the sinners and how he said, "Come unto me all ye that are weary and heavy laden. Of course, then he added "and take my yoke upon you and learn of me." He is a king and there is a yoke. It's always good to check ourselves as to whether we are seeking the King and his way of doing things or our own pleasure. I remember John on the Isle of Patmos - when Jesus walked the earth he was his best friend but when he appeared to him in all his glory, John fell down as if dead. Good blog! |
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Deb |
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March 04, 2008 at 11:59am |
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jairah20, I agree that He is worthy of our thanks and praise...I am trying to start each new day with those two things top on the list of my prayers.
JayKTX, Great comments...we need a reality check every day to make sure we are doing things His way! |
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Trukki |
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March 09, 2008 at 8:24pm |
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" But He said, 'You cannot see My face; for no man shall see Me, and live.' " Exodus 33:20 Romans 9:15 Also makes reference to this. We will never see Jesus in this body. I don't think that's where your focus is though. I hear you saying that we need to stop coming to God with a laundry list of requests and come before Him in supplication. We are a nation of entitlements and maybe that's what makes our approach to the throne so casual. It's all a condition of the heart; which is another reason we don't get what we pray for. Wrong motive. " And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things pleasing in His sight." 1 John 3:22 good message-Thanks |
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Just a thought: Our Lord as always adressed as the Lord Jesus Christ after His ressurection from the dead. The Lord Jesus Christ as described in Revelation, is a glorified King, no longer the Jesus that John could lay his head on, but when John saw Him, John fell as dead! This is no longer the Jesus of Nazareth, but an enthroned King. The King of kings & the Lord of lords.
He was now known and adressed as the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the universe.
I think we become too familiar.
Familiarity breeds contempt.
Absolutely a great write.
Be blessed.
G |
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Deb |
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March 10, 2008 at 3:49pm |
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Trukki, wrong motives is exactly what we go to the throne of prayer for most of the time...we are more concerned with what we want and not what God wants from us. Thanks for your comments!
Gary, thank you for your comments. I appreciate them! "Familiarity breeds contempt"...we should never be too familiar with our Savior...He is still our King and Lord. |
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Deb, I just wrote a blog about how Jesus is basically MY Jesus....and your blog came back to me. I'm very thankful that you posted individual links to all your blogs on your profile so I could revisit this. I'm happy to say, I did not contradict your writing in any way!
:-)
But there are two aspects of our Savior, the aspect that he is a deeply personal/intimate Savior, and the aspect that he is indeed the Savior of the world, God incarnate, fully God and One with the Father...AMAZING, isn't it???? |
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Deb |
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May 23, 2008 at 7:51am |
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| Mike, I would say it is very amazing! Someone who knows us so personally, and yet, is still the Savior of the world! |
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