Poetry Devotion: Where is Jesus After My "Jesus High"?

The light sneaks-

peaks through the shutters.

soothing is the lull of passerbys

and plates-clank, clanking and

the swoop of a spoon, my spoon 

bringing the warms of soup

the heart of friends 

knitting closer

joys of laughter-

of You!

filling the silence

resounding in speech 

in utterance

this, this is a piece-

a piece of what is to come

and I battle for it to stay

to taste of Your presence

letting not the darkness come

for You are here, and I am 

unashamed

throwing back my head in joyous song

but, Oh, how You love me

and her, and we in this

moment, so close and pure in heart

I sing to You, and Oh, how You sing

to me, so thunderous and clear

but soon the darkness finds me

and tempts me to fall away

away from light and choruses

in depths of sorrow-through

I reach for you, I do, Your hand I fear

should reject. Oh, where are You, my Lord

I see You and hide, 

my lips have fallen silent,

my soul so closed and needy

I feel the grimy mold, rust

and broken glass

but I cannot feel You near me-

perhaps my soul closed off

Where, Oh, where have You gone? Can you 

see me when I hide? I trust Your love is

never failing

when I'm there, there with You 

when I stand

but now, Oh Lord, who could love? 

Where are You-I plead

      Just a few hours ago, I had lunch with a friend back home. She is one of those people who leave you feeling the presence of Jesus. Her heart is so knitted to Jesus, it's inspiring, and I feel privileged to "do life" with her. Each time we get the chance to have lunch, grab coffee or whatever time allows for, our talks always center around Jesus. She is my accountability, my friend, and part of my community. I am always thankful for sweet times with her. 

    Together we share our joys and our sorrows and I always leave feeling like Jesus is right there with me. He feels so near. I often leave and crank-up praise music and sing at the top of my lungs thankful for Jesus's faithfulness in my friend and her guidance and support. My heart is full, my joys seem gone forever, and I feel as if nothing can bring me down or tear me away from Jesus. 

    We all have these moments in our walk with Jesus. Even if you're not walking with Jesus, we all have people or times in our lives when joy is easy. Anther perfect example is camp. Who doesn't love a good ole summer camp. Whether the camp you have been to was affiliated with a religion or not, there's just something about camp that (hopefully) sends us home feeling completely joyful. We spend our time there apart from reality. We play sports, we meet new friends, we laugh, we stay up all night, we talk about encounters with the opposite sex, we do everything outside of our "norm" and something about that is freeing and fills us with joy. We forget we have troubles waiting for us back home. And no, I don't mean to be a pessimist, but I have made a promise to be honest. The honest truth is, we come back home and our troubles face us again. Soon enough our, "Jesus high" and feeling so close to Jesus is gone and we are forced back into the reality of our own sinful downfalls. 

This happens every time, everyday.  

When I'm that kind of joyful, it's easy to feel the presence of Jesus, yes but it's also easy to realize He wants me in His presence, too. Take my lunch this afternoon for example, I left the restaurant ready to stand before Jesus as if nothing could tempt we away from His presence. Sin, psh, it ain't no thing. 

Yeah, right. Sin is a reality. It's our reality. But, here's the BEST NEWS, Jesus isn't just with you when joy is easy, He is with you when joy is tough, too. 

This also raises a question in my mind about where Jesus is when I don't feel in His presence. Where is He when I sin? Where is He when I am having a rough day? Where is God when I am far from Him?

Simple answer and covers it all: He is WITH you. 

Remember that time you walked into elementary school? He was with you. Remember that time you forgot your homework for the first time? He was with you. Remember the time you caught your first fish? He was with you. Remember that time you and your boyfriend/girlfriend took things a little too far? He was with you. Remember that time our grandpa passed away? He was with you, and guess what. He still is. 

This is the best thing about Jesus. He is the same across the board from believer to non believer. Jesus is with you, loving you, caring for you, watching over you, pursuing you. From the time you were born until the day you will take your very last breath, He is with you. 

My point is, don't be ashamed, my friends. Jesus knows your reality. He knows you will fall away, turn away, and reject Him. He still loves you. Don't let the enemy tell you that Jesus only wants to be with you when you've got all the joy in the world. His presence is with you always, until the end of time. Fight to remember that and to see Him there, because, well... 

HE IS!

Poetry Devotion: Why Our Salvation Should Send Us Into Battle

Here is my heart,

I see it Father, it's wounds are healed

many mending

but each is loved, battled for victory

and stolen away to You

What Joy! I bask, here

in this thought- in Your presence

and consider how merciful and mighty

is Your name, the butterfly eruption from my heart

Father, when I speaketh Your words from a redeemed

soul and dirty lips, for all that is in me, is unchained

all that fuels me-is joy 

inexpressible as the hope I clutch to

when the leaves above me color and lose their luster

fall to the ground and rot

Oh, Lord that was my fate!

Such destiny I deserve-

but You, Father, You caught me

And I shall fall no more without Your guiding hand

But, Father, my grateful heart is heavy-ed 

sore and turmoiled

the fallen are many and I am just one

a broken heart, Father

it lies within me, should I not run 

beneath the trees, bringing out Your hand to catch them

for they, I love, I cherish

If I must run for all my days, catching leaves as they fall, so be it

Sustain me, grant me support in my soles

Let me rest that those far beyond my grasp are 

not beyond yours

for Your strength endures and Your breath revives

Open my eyes that I may see the falling, open my ears

so that I may hear their cries and remember

My own, before I was captured in You

     How many days go by that you don't consider your salvation? Better yet, do you even remember the last time you let the realization that you were once dead and now are alive all because of Jesus, the blameless, spotless, pure, righteous Son of God died in your place? Look at all you have overcome! If you can't think of anything the least you can say is that you've overcome death itself. Wait, that was too nonchalant. Let me put it this way:

YOU, yes, YOU deserved to death. BUT, Jesus intervened, He stepped in front of your bullet, He infected Himself with the deadliest of disease, HE TOOK YOUR PLACE. You are ALIVE because of Jesus. 

Many of you may be saying," I've heard this message a million times, I get it." Well, I challenge you with this: What are you doing about it?

Because if you're anything like me, if the thought crosses my mind on a Sunday morning or a Wednesday night I shoot up a thank-you-card-like prayer to God. "Hey, God, thanks for saving my life." But, it rarely rocks my boat when I leave that place of worship. A special song may come on and my heart, mind, mouth , and everything in me is praising and bursting with thoughts of acclamation saying "Yes! Jesus, You are wonderful and mighty! You saved me because I can't save myself! You rescued me from the pits of Hell!" And in that moment, there is no greater feeling, it's when I leave that place that my joyful, proclaiming heart becomes quiet. 

The truth of the matter is, the gospel saves. It saved me, maybe it's saved you, too. It's the only way, my friends, to life. It's the only way that I can endure hardships. It's the only way I can truly love, and serve others. It's the only way that I don't have to spend eternity breaking my back with blistered, charred skin and never a day of rest....

We've heard it all before, folks. But, when will we grasp the message enough as believers so much so that it sends us to our knees before the Lord begging Him for a commission to save people who are destined for Hell. I know, you know, we all know people in our lives that are. 

I get it, you may think this is harsh. I admit, yes it is. But it's the truth. Just like Heaven is for real, Hell is for real, too. And few of us live with this mindset. Our hearts should break over those who are in desperate need of a Savior. Remember yourself, your own salvation. Dwell on the freedoms you have found in Jesus alone and let it break your heart for the ones you know who are still living in chains. 

Lastly, we are all missionaries. Often times I considered only those who travel and uproot their lives to live in a foreign country to be missionaries and rarely considered myself a missionary. But, God has shown me that I have been placed in my mission field. You want to know where is it is? It lies in every step that I take in every moment of my day I am walking my mission field. Jesus has not called us to sit around and thank Him for our salvation. We are to thank Him and use it as fuel to our feet to get out there in the world, in the darkness and find those people who God has broken our hearts over. We are all missionaries, active hands and feet of Jesus. He moves and works through His people. 

The time is now. Go and be warriors of Jesus. Fight for hearts as Jesus fought for yours and let Jesus use you to further His kingdom. 

"But the Lord said to me, "Do not say, 'I am only a child.' I have put words into your mouth. You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. Do not be afraid, for I am with you and will rescue you," declares the Lord.
Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me," Now, I have put my words in your mouth. See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot, to build and to plant."
Jeremiah 1:7-10