I feel like my story, my life spiritually is best illustrated by the workings of our Solar System. God is the Sun and I am a planet.
I’ve had times in my life when I have been close to the Sun (God). I’ve also experienced a time when I was far away form the Sun (God), and times when I was somewhere in between. Unlike the planets,which do not get to change their distance from the sun, I am thankful that I can and I want to, to be closer! Planets revolve around the Sun in elliptical orbits (oval-like). At various times, despite their distance from the sun, they draw near and then far, near and then far I feel this demonstrates that even though we grow close to God we still make choices that separate us from Him, but when we repent, we are brought near again. The time between varies for the planets to experience this (near/far) and again they have no control, as does the time between our choices (sin/repent), which we can control.
I know I will continue to struggle, but also know that the Sun (God) is the source of gravity for our Solar System. Gravity is invisible, constant (9.8 m/s squared) and keeps the planets from flying off randomly without direction to destruction. God is invisible (not to the heart) and constant. Only by Him through the redeeming sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, and the power of His Holy Spirit am I able to have direction and not be destroyed. Gravity is something we take for granted and don’t think about its necessity. May we not take God for granted nor forget how vital He is to sustaining life.
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I love visuals. Imagine yourself in a church sanctuary all by yourself. You are standing near the back doors, facing the pulpit. You are cold. There is an alter at the front of the church. A red carpet lines the path from the back of the sanctuary to the base of the steps near the front. You focus you eyes in front of the altar. There is a person standing there, looking at you, waiting. You begin to walk, slowly, towards the front, alone. The closer you get, the warmer you become. The man’s mouth is moving, but you can’t hear what he is saying, even though he is talking and there is no one but you and him in the church. You continue to draw closer and closer to the man with each step. Finally, you are 12 inches from this man. He is Jesus. You are burning hot, but in no pain. In fact, you feel whole, you forget all about your problems, you are excited and passionate like never before. You kneel before Jesus. He bends over and whispers in your ear, “I’ve been wanting to talk to you, but you have to come close to me to hear.”
God wants us to be Mercury Christians, on fire for Him. We can’t hear Him when we are far away. He is a gentle God. He has a still, small voice. So small, it can be perceived as a whisper. We have to draw close to Him in order to hear Him and really get to know Him.
Do you want God to reveal cool stuff to you? Ask Him, walk towards Him, get close and listen……..
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Diedre attends Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) with me on Wednesdays and Thursdays. She is a great mom and a true disciple of God. She always has a smile on her face, even when things are not going her way. Diedre has her priorities as God first, husband second, kids third, then church/work. She is a hard worker and I’m proud to call her my friend. She lives in Ohio with her family.
Thank you Diedre for sharing your story!
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What a wonderful analogy! Thank you for sharing