From The Crucible (by Pastor Linda Pugsley)

I saw a YouTube video the other day and it was a parody of a man meeting Jesus in a coffee shop. It really struck home.

In the video, Jesus is sitting at the table waiting for the guy who finally shows up, apologizing for being late. The man then rambles on about the problems in his life, the doubts about God, the pressures going, etc. It was an information dump on steroids! The man never once gave Jesus any time to interact with him, answer any questions, or comment on anything the man said. And then, just as abruptly as he came in, says that he’s got to go to work, and abruptly leaves, with Jesus sitting there longing for some quality time with the man.

Wow…if that isn’t the picture of our “quiet time” with Jesus. We squeeze Him into our schedule, yap the whole time and never just sit and bask in the power of His presence or the enormity of His love for us.

Remember now, this is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords who has made the way for us to actually even be in His holy presence and reap the benefits of that presence. And what do we do? We give Him the bum’s rush!

Don’t do that. It’s the biggest mistake you can make. Practice and train yourself to make some purposeful “contact” with the Lord. Sit and bask in His presence. He loves you. He made you for Himself and wants to fellowship with you…let Him!

Just be yourself. He already knows you inside and out…it’s you who does not fully know who you are and what you are made of. By spending time with Him, He can help you know your rights and wrongs. He wants to bring out the best in you, to highlight His gifts in you and use you to draw others to Him. He even calls you "friend" (John 15:13-15). Do you call Him that in return? Endure the fire…it’s producing pure gold!

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