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Jim's PERSPECTIVEDecember 9, 2013“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father.” John 14:12 This word from Jesus to his disciples actually is intended for us also. I think the key to “great (and greater) things” are in the context of Jesus—who he is, what he has done, what he is doing, what he will do. In fact, I have no other interests, expectations, or desires as it relates to ministry. I truly believe that if we make our lives lived in, through, and before the living God, all that we thought possible, and all that we thought (and desired) that a church should be, will come to pass. We can try as we might, be as clever and committed as we can be, do as much service-oriented works as our time and schedule will allow, and yet without the discernible Presence and Spirit of the risen Christ Jesus in our midst, all of that will still fall short of the mark and leave us unfulfilled and dissatisfied. I actually believe that our real motivation for the service that we do is in fact due to our greater desire to experience his actual presence in our lives. I take it for granted that every disciple of Jesus has (or should have) a “hunger and thirst after righteousness,” and longs to be filled. But the purveyor of righteousness is Jesus himself, not in the feeling that we get in doing for others, as wonderful as that can be I realize that Jesus said, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Yes, of course, he regards it as having been done unto him; it is credited to us as having been done unto him. And yet whatever we do for others, or for the church, or for any other selfless and humanitarian reasons—and these are all good—this is not the same as what we do before him or in his presence. I talked with a man a while back, who was then a software consultant who traveled all over the country in his work. He called me from Austin, Texas. He is the quintessential baby-boomer. Raised in the church, he became disenchanted as a young adult (he’s now in his 50s) with the institutional approach or emphases on committees, boards, agencies, agendas, and programs. For years he has walked away and lived apart from the church. But he came back in this last year. After having tasted again the goodness of the Lord, He said on the phone to me, “Even my job is a distraction for me now. All I want to do is talk to my Lord and Savior.” That to me, folks, is what righteousness is about. His priorities are straight. He is seeking for the will of God and the presence of God to be manifested in his life. And God is making himself known to this child of his. The key, I believe, to a revitalized church and a revitalized life is this: “Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.” (Psalm 37:4). In answer to the question that is asked through the prophet, Jeremiah, “Seekest thou great things for thyself?” God says, “Seek them not.” But the “greater works than these” that Jesus said we shall do is to be seen context of desiring and seeking him. Everything else that we long for will follow. - Jim Radford |
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©2013 Jim Radford. All rights reserved. Unauthorized duplication prohibited.
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