PURSUING MORE OF JESUS
" ... My Personal Experience ... "
" He never wrote a Book, nor did He hold an Office,
He never did any of the things our Modern Society will consider as Greatness...
Yet, all the Kings that have ever reigned,
And all the Governments that have ever sat ...
Have not had so much Great Impact as this Simple Man, Jesus Christ.
Now, you too can share Him with others ... "
Everyday presents a fresh opportunity to pursue a closer relationship with Jesus, and , the more you have of Jesus in your life, the better your life will be.
So don't settle for just occasional encounters with Jesus in some aspects of your life. Keep pursuing more of Jesus until your whole life is saturated with His Power.
Here are 6 - Ways you can pursue more and more of Jesus :
1. Go for the Maximum, not the Minimum.
Choose to go after more than just the bare minimum God has to offer you.
Make your Faith about more than just trying to escape Hell, and , get your ticket punched to Heaven. Ask God to completely transform your life, bending your will, awakening your conscience, breaking your heart, transforming your mind, overcoming your prejudices, soaring in your spirit, and, conforming you into His Glorious Image. - Gen 1 : 26
2. Pursue more of His Voice in your Ear.
Out of the many voices you hear speaking to you each day - through other people, circumstances, situations, etc. - you need to learn how to discern what's truly God's speaking and what's not. - 1 Jn 4 : 1
Keep in mind that any authentic message from God is :
. Biblical - from God's Word. - 2 Tim 3 : 16
. Personal - In the language of your own life.
. Powerful - Resulting in lives either changed for the better or saved.
If someone claims to have a message from God for you, test it by making sure that its in correlation with and confirmed by the Holy Scriptures, The Bible.
Remember Jesus' promise that He ( Holy Spirit ) would go ahead of you to guide you in every situation. Learn how to recognize Jesus' voice by getting to know The Bible well ;
. Reading It . Understanding It . Studying It . Applying It . Living by It
and then trust His guidance when making all decisions.
3. Pursue more of His Tears on your Face.
Jesus understands and cares when you're crying tears of pain. Remember how much He suffered on the Cross, and see your own sufferings as opportunities to draw closer to Jesus. No matter what you're going through - the loss of a job, a friend's betrayal, a health issue, a spouse's unfaithfulness, a child's rebellion - Jesus is crying along with you and will meet you in the middle of your sorrows with His Holy Presence.
4. Pursue more of His Praise on your Lips.
It's easy to praise Jesus when your life is going on well, but Jesus is still worthy of praise even when problems and pressures darken your circumstances. Make the deliberate, conscious choice to praise Jesus every day, no matter what, to honor Jesus and learn how to walk by reliable faith instead of shifting your feelings.
Praise Jesus for what He has done by thanking Him for specific blessings in your life on a regular basis.
Real praise is affirming your faith even in the midst of desperation when you choose to cling to Jesus alone.
5. Pursue more of His Death in your Life.
Jesus' death produces power that leads to more blessings in your Life. Just as Jesus died on the Cross, so you could be spiritually alive, He wants you to die to your own desires and yield to His desires for you so you can experience the best life possible.
God uses pressures, problems, and pain in your life as nails to pin you to the cross of your own. If you submit to Him while you go through them, you experience what it's like to die to yourself so God's power can live through you.
Every kind of brokenness you experience can lead to a corresponding blessing if you're willing to die to your own :
. Wills . Goals . Dreams . Desires
. Expectations . Plans . Rights . Reputation
If you choose to die to yourself, God will pour out blessings like a character that reflects His Own, a witness that leads to other people's lives being transformed, and rewards from God, Himself.
6. Pursue more of His Dirt on your Hands.
Just as Jesus was willing to get His hands dirty serving others willingly, humbly, obediently, and gladly, He expects you to do the same. Choose to serve other people whenever God calls you to - even when its not convenient or when you're struggling with serious problems of your own.
Shift your focus from yourself to Jesus and the people He wants you to serve. In the process, your own problems will become more manageable.
Never view yourself as being above any particular type of service - changing diapers, mowing grass, making coffee, visiting prisoners, cleaning the chapel, etc.
When you do any task that God calls you to do, your work - no matter how humble - will become important because you're answering God's call.
In conclusion, wherever you find yourself - whether you're a Renowned Reverend Minister or an Average Church-Goer - Jesus wants one thing from you. And that is to " ... PURSUE MORE OF HIM ... "
Credit : Mr Digest
Holy Spirit Catholic Church
Bantama - Kumasi
Ghana
