Hope-Filled Christian
Hope-Filled Christian
Immersion in God's Perennial Affection and Generosity
Ever pondered why God's love is unlike any worldly relationship? Ever been stumped by the continuous overflow of His divine blessings, even when you least expect it? Tune in as we explore the profound depths of God's never-ending affection, demonstrating how God's love doesn't cease or dwindle; instead, it perennially showers us with the best.
In our lively dialogue, we take you through the significance of maintaining a vibrant relationship with God, which is not a rote exercise but a dynamic journey. We encourage you to align yourself with God's will and understand His unspoken words, rather than getting embroiled in mundane routines. We share the essence of setting aside time to feel His divine presence, rather than concentrating on saying the 'right' prayers or playing worship music. We wrap up with a heart-to-heart discussion about our longing for a deeper connection with God, underscoring the importance of honest emotions and feelings. So, join us and let's navigate the path to a deeper understanding of God's boundless love together.
Hi, welcome back to HFC. I don't feel like this week is all that. I don't know if it's deep, like the verse itself isn't deep or hard to understand, but I feel like the application is where it gets a little bit like wow, that's, that's interesting. So this week's versus John, chapter 2, verse 10, it says everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink. But you have saved the best till now. I would kind of write this like okay, cool. Like yeah, god gives you the best. Like what? Where isn't that said in the Bible? Like that said plenty of times.
Speaker 1:But I think a lot of my deeper realizations about Bible's meaning and stuff like this comes more clearly. It makes a bigger impact when I kind of juxtapose those, juxtapose it I don't know how to say that word when I put it in comparison to something else basically I was trying to use that word because I've always wanted to use that word. But when I put this verse in comparison with my own life or with the worldly experience, that's when it starts to kind of make more of an impact. Because when I read this I initially thought of how much sense that makes and how relatable it is in real life that when we first bring, do something, we want to make the best impression, like if that were you or I. Yeah, of course we're going to put the better tasting stuff out and then if well, I don't really drink, but if people were drinking, then I'd put the better, the worst stuff out later because they're not really going to taste it. That makes sense. Like so much in life. We're told to make a good first impression or put your best foot forward, or even when we think of when people are trying to date someone, or when they're trying to make a friendship or they're trying to get into a job, or when they're recording someone or something, they give their best initially, then just begin to maintain this idea that they're good and that they're, this idea that they're amazing, that they're awesome and just they don't have to put in as much effort because you don't expect it from them. But that's kind of where it's funny when we kind of compare it or when we compare it to the way that God moves, because when we think about the world they experience, people are constantly wowing you initially and then pulling back once they have won you and they're just like I would ever. I'm just going to maintain this Like, yeah, we're friends, I don't have to try that hard. Or yeah, we're married, I don't have to try that hard. We're dating, I don't have to try that hard. Or we're engaged, or we've been married for 20 years I don't have to try that hard. Blah, blah, blah, blah. Essentially saying, we tend to not try as hard after we've gotten what we want.
Speaker 1:However, when we think about the way that God works, god knows that he has what he wants and yet still continuously impresses, is continuously blessing, and so, in a sense, my takeaway from this was that we serve an awesome and amazing God who loves us in ways that we may never understand or even know about, but he does it because he loves us. Essentially kind of piggybacking off of last week's that he does it because he loves us, not to wow us. He's not doing it because he's trying to win us over, because at this point, he's won us over. We've already, we're already kind of drunk or not drunk, but in a sense, we're already in a relationship with him, we're already like following him, and yet he continues to wow us because for him, it's not about wowing us, to win us over. It's about wowing us because he loves us. And I think, like sometimes in my head I get this idea that I can't expect something like that, because at this point I already follow God. God used to do so many amazing things when before I was fully a Christian and it's like, well, it's not, like it's.
Speaker 1:In a way, we begin to kind of not kind of ignore that word. We begin to limit what God can do because we tell ourselves, no, god won't do that anymore because he's already won me over. In reality, this Bible verse says the opposite that even once God is won you over, once you are very heavy quotation marks drunk in God's love, he's still pouring out more and giving you his best, more and more and more and more and better and better and better and better, and it's aging like fine wine. That's a better phrase to think of than thinking of put your best foot forward kind of thing. And essentially just showing us that it isn't. It's not about when we are with God that he's always going to give us his best, whether you know. That's the beginning, that's the end, when we're almost about to die or reach the end of our lives, and I guess it just goes back to like to last week.
Speaker 1:What I said was it's very hard for me to think God is always trying to wow us and give us his best and so many times we're still doing that worldly thing of, yeah, I've already won God over, we're already in a relationship. I go to church every Sunday. I just got to maintain this thing and I'm cool, I'm out, I'm going to be in heaven and everything's going to be fine and I'm going to be good. But that's not loving someone, that's using them. That's the kind of worldly experience that nobody wants. We don't want someone who, yeah, they just wowed us over and then they're maintaining this relationship and it's like I don't feel special. I just kind of feel like, yeah, they're here for whatever, and it's honestly kind of going with this book that I'm reading.
Speaker 1:It's called I don't know the actual title, but it has to do with having the fear of God and the importance of respecting that and realizing that there is something special about this relationship with God, that this isn't something that we should be. Oh yeah, I mean, I already won them over, like I already gave my life to God. Now I just got to maintain it and ride this like coast until I'm out that we should be living in a way where we're loving him in the same way that he loves us, constantly giving our best as he's constantly giving his best, obviously our best, meaning his and ours are not going to match up. They're not going to be the same, but that doesn't mean that we shouldn't be putting forth the same effort. If I were to be interacting with someone that was not capable of the same things as me, I'm not going to be expecting them to give me $1,000 things or whatever. I even tell people this, like for my birthday. It's not like I'm huge on getting huge gifts or something. For me, it's just knowing that you took the time to think about me, that you made me a card and it's not just a card that's empty and you put cash in there and anybody can do that, and I'm not saying I'm not appreciative of money, thank you. Thank you very much. I know that you know that's effort, but for me, the effort is more important. Like, I don't care if there's money in there. In a sense, I care more if, like I know that you thought about me. You took time, like to think about what you wanted, to write what you wanted to say, that you cared like how it was going to impact me. You cared about what I was going to think about that, thank you very much.
Speaker 1:At how many times do we do this same kind of thing with God, where we're carrying you know? How is God gonna receive that? Am I spending enough time with God? Am I maintaining my relationship, meaning doing the same old, same old, same old, every single night, every single day? There's nothing wrong with doing that, but I feel like sometimes we have to realize that this is a living relationship. We serve a living God. This is not something that we're just oh, you know, it's Sunday time to sacrifice our time, but it's something that you know what we may be doing might change. How will worshiping might change. How we're praising God, giving honor to him, might change.
Speaker 1:I feel like so many times we have this idea that oh yeah, I'm spending all my time, I'm doing all these things, I'm so busy and as if getting busy with God or staying busy, spending time with God is what he's looking for. And I don't think that's necessarily accurate if, if I mean, I don't think it hurts, obviously like if we're being generous and whatnot, but we have to be moving in accordance with what God is doing and so many people want to. Just, oh well, I know that that person is doing a donation giveaway at church. Let me go do it too. And we're not praying about and asking God what do you want me to do? What is it you desire for me? Is it a donation? Me to go spend time, and you know, helping with the donations or the giveaways, or donating my money is it? Is it giving of my time? Is it reading a verse? And we're so like he's communicating to us and we're just not listening. He's like I just want you to spend time with me today. I just want you to do this with me today.
Speaker 1:And I think of this and I'm constantly like in my head. I'm comparing this to relationships in the worldly sense, and it could be seen in the same way, like you're talking to your significant other, your spouse, or your Wife and girlfriend or whoever you're, you know, like trying to court date, whatever, and they're like, hey, they're so excited. They're like, oh, I, I'm so glad you get to spend the day with me. They're like, oh sorry. And you're like, oh sorry, I can't hear, but I bought you this bracelet and it's like, yeah, cool, like I love the bracelet, but that's not what I was looking for at this time. That's not what I was wanting.
Speaker 1:Like there's a relationship and and things change and people need and want specific things, and it's kind of like in the sense that we expect God to understand us and we expect God to meet us where we're at and not realizing that sometimes we need to meet not God where he's at, in that sense, but sometimes we need to be asking and being Receptive of God. Well, not sometimes. We need to be receptive all the time of what God wants us to do, what God has for us. Well, god is expecting of us. We're trying to maintain this relationship, not be in this relationship. We're not communicating, we're not listening. We may be talking God, I need this God, I need that God, I need this God, I need that and we're staying so busy that we're not even listening.
Speaker 1:God saying I don't need you to go do this giveaway, I don't need you to do this donation, I don't need you to go act like a leader, I don't need you to go Do this or that, I just need you here with me. You don't need to put worship music on. You don't need to pray this big prayer. Just sit here and Listen. I don't need you to pray what you think I need to hear. I need you to speak to me like a loved one and some of the most impactful times that I've had in prayer and I'm not saying I'm the best prayer and then I'm the only one God talks to I'm just saying Because maybe you don't know this and I didn't always know this, but I just remember one time I was so stressed out because I wanted to spend time with God, but I felt like I didn't know what to pray about.
Speaker 1:And I just remember sitting there on the floor and I was just quiet and I kind of just I didn't clear my mind because that's not good. You're not supposed to think of nothing but I sat there and I just thought about how much I wanted to talk to him and I was vocal about that. I was just like God, I don't. I don't know what to say. I don't know what you want me to say. I don't know what I should say.
Speaker 1:I know what I could ask for, but I don't feel like asking for it right now and this moment would be the greatest thing and I will ask for it but I'll ask for it later because in this moment I just kind of I want to sit here and be with you. I just want to sit here and just exist with you for a moment. I want to feel the manifestation of your presence. I don't want to pray and receive anything. I don't want any blessings, I don't want any help. I just want for a moment to just feel you here and I just want to spend time. I don't want anything else to pop up, I don't want any video games, I don't want any TV, I don't want any books, I don't want to read or receive or do anything in the physical. I just want to sit here and just hold on my hands, and I know that you're there. So please just sit here with me and hold my hand with me, and that's all that I need.
Speaker 1:All that I want is to feel that you're here, and that's it. I need anything from you? Well, we need stuff. I don't want anything from you. I just want to sit here with you and that is it.
Speaker 1:I just I don't know what to say, but that's what I want In the deepest parts of my heart. All I want is to just be with here with you, and for you to clear my thoughts and just let me focus on you and just if there's a word you want to pop into my head and make it pop up, if there's something you want me to do, let it come to my mind to do it. But otherwise I just want to sit here. No music, no, nothing, no, just here with you. Nothing over the top. I have nothing that I can give you. I just I have my time and I pray that you can see the desire in my heart to be close to you, even if I don't necessarily know what that looks like right now.
Speaker 1:And it's in those times when I'm feeling most vulnerable and when I'm most honest that I honestly don't know what I'm doing, that I could read my Bible, but that's not. That's not like the kind of relationship that I want right then. I guess what I'm saying is there's nothing wrong with reading your Bible and stuff, but there's also something important about making time to just be, just to receive, to acknowledge the relationship you have with God, to acknowledge the fact that he's there and just be honest about the fact that you'd like to be closer with him that you want to know him, that you want something beyond just words in the Bible. I'm I'm very honest when I'm stressed out that I just I just sit or I lay there and I'm just like God, can you just, can you just be here with me for a moment. Granted, that's not all I do, like I'm just sometimes that's what we need and sometimes that's what he needs. He just needs a moment where we're silent and we're just listening Not actively reading, but listening.
Speaker 1:Because sometimes when we read the Bible, we they go, it goes in our brain, but like we don't process it and we just have to think on it. And it's kind of the same thing I tell my kids like you just learned all that information. Just sit here, just think about it, let your brain process what you just learned, let your brain like meditate on it. And I guess that's what the Bible says to meditate on his word. But I'm just like sometimes you just have to clear a moment and just and just speak from your heart, speak from the very core of who you are, and just be like honest, god, I messed up, god, or I'm having a good day, god, I'm having a bad day, god, I just feel off today, but here I am, I just want to talk to you, god, this God that just shared, and I feel like that's what we're missing from our relationship with God nowadays that we're not being present in our relationship or maintaining our relationship or creating an image of what our relationship is, or we're doing what we think God wants us to do and not actually listening to him when he's telling us what he wants us to do. And I guess that's that's. That's that's just what today's message is.
Speaker 1:Anyway, anyway, as always, let's go ahead and end in prayer. Dear God, first off, thank you for this verse because I believe, I truly believe, that it opened my eyes and I'm hoping it opened the eyes of whoever is listening to this about you, know more and more about what a relationship with you should be looking like, and that it's not what it's not always what the world would like it to be or what the world says it is. It's deeper, it's more real than any other relationship we could possibly have. I know today's verse for the Word of the Day is 1 John, chapter 4, 19. It says we love because he first loved us and, in a sense, lord, I thank you for this relationship because I know that it's teaching me and it's teaching us how to love one another, how to listen not to just act or react or to maintain relationships, but to always give, to give generously, to give honestly in the relationships that we're in, and to listen and to communicate and to be real and honest and not these fake people or whatever the world is telling us that we should be. I want to just thank you for this image that you've provided, for this verse, that you've shared, this knowledge that you're helping us to receive. Lord, I pray that you forgive us of our sins, lord, in us, not into temptation, and I just pray that you're just with us for the rest of this week and continue to guide us on this journey wherever it may lead. In the name of Jesus, amen.
Speaker 1:Thanks for listening to this week's episode of HFC. I hope you enjoyed it Really, hope you receive something, as always. Have a God bless week and come in next week, I guess. Thank you.