The Seeker * Dutch Sheets * GiveHIM15 * 5/15/2023 - Companionship

[ronscarpa]

• • 6 min read       https://www.givehim15.com/post/may-15-2023

May 15, 2023

 

Back around 2000, Ceci told me, “One day, you’re going to write a book entitled The Pleasure of His Company, teaching people how to connect with God at a deeper level.” I wrote the book in 2014. It is easily my best book.

 

A couple of years back, I shared several posts from this book. They garnered our best responses from you - by far. So, for the next few days, I’m going to share a few more posts from the book. Then, as usual, we will pray.

 

I’m confident you will be enriched. The title of today’s post is:

 

 

The Seeker

 

 

Elevators are convenient. . . and sometimes awkward. Who in their right mind likes being in an elevator with people they don’t know? The longer the ride, the louder the silence. A few months ago, I was trapped in the back of one of those torture chambers in the airport of one of the vacation capitals of the world - Orlando, Florida. There were only about a HUNDRED people on this elevator! Who hasn’t heard of Disney World, Epcot, and other hot spots there? And based on the lines at these tourist attractions, every person in the world has been there! Consequently, the airport is crowded and hectic. When the elevator stopped at my floor and the door opened, no one moved. After a couple of seconds, thinking no one else was getting off at this level, I spoke up rather urgently from the back, “Excuse me, I need to get off here.”

 

 

You’d have thought I asked for everyone’s phone number! Backs stiffened, eyes glared, and the man closest to the door turned and - in a most condescending tone - scolded me. “Be patient,” he snarled. “I’m just trying to be a gentleman and let the ladies off first.” After we all exited, one of the ladies with him turned to me and, rather snootily, decided to become my counselor: “You need a vacation, sir. We are in Orlando; why don’t you take a few days off and chill.”

 

 

I was tired, and perhaps this had caused me to unintentionally speak louder than I realized. Or maybe my urgency sounded like impatience. What did I do? Being the gentleman that I am, I took it on the chin and calmly moved on - WITH MY BLOOD PRESSURE ELEVATED AND MY INNER THOUGHTS EXPLAINING TO THEM WHAT IDIOTS THEY WERE! And being the spiritual giant I am, within a few short weeks, I had forgiven them and moved on! Doesn’t take me long!

 

 

Most of us dislike being misunderstood and misjudged - especially in an elevator! I don’t think God likes it either, and He is, without doubt, the most misunderstood person in existence. Perceived as distant, He is often ignored. Considered judgmental and legalistic, He is thought by some to be intimidating and one to steer clear of. And mistakenly thought of by His children as one who likes hearing how great He is, He is praised.

 

 

LOL - I had you, then I lost you.

 

 

Before you throw away this book, hear me out. Obviously, praising and worshiping God is good and appropriate. It’s our reason for doing so that needs some tweaking. Yahweh isn’t narcissistic, needing to be told how wonderful He is in order to satisfy an inflated ego. Nor is He insecure, needing to be reassured that He really is awesome. He doesn’t show off - praise doesn’t stimulate some macho corner of His heart, motivating Him to action in order to demonstrate His power. And He can’t be bought - our worship doesn’t cause Him to “reward” us with His presence simply because we made Him feel good. We, in the body of Christ, have some wrong ideas about praise and worship. Frankly, God neither needs nor desires to be told how great, unique, powerful, or loving He is.

 

 

He does, however, seek worshipers.

 

 

The difference is huge - immeasurably so. We ARE the worship. God longs for the singer, not the song. Our hearts are what transforms singing into worship, not the words and music. God would rather have a love-filled glance from our eyes than a song parroted from our lips. We can, in fact, worship without even opening our mouths.

 

 

I’m not downplaying the incredible power or importance of music and singing. I’m simply pointing out what makes them worship. When my kids were young and anxiously waited for Daddy to come home from work, they didn’t meet me at the door with a song. They jumped into my arms and gave me a big hug.

 

 

When God created us, He made kids, not a choir; family members, not church members; He’s into love, not liturgy.

 

 

Too often, we make worship simply a segment of a service, rather than a time to connect with God. Sadly, I doubt if most church attendees understand, or have even heard, that He is a lover as well as the Lord. And it wasn’t His lording nature that prompted Him to create us - He could have made a few billion more angels had that been His desire. It was His loving nature. God is a father at heart.

 

 

Jesus, who came to earth to show us what God is truly like (John 1:18), gave a great glimpse of Abba’s loving and relational heart through an encounter with a rather loose-living woman. Looking for love in all the wrong places, this five-time divorced, currently shacked-up societal outcast was about to meet a man who wanted her heart, not her body.

 

 

Christ told her He knew her lifestyle, yet His actions proved He wasn’t condemning her. He had assured her He could satisfy her thirsty heart by placing a well of salvation in her. Then He went to the heart of the matter: relationship. He shifted the concept of worship from the place to the person, which was a radical paradigm shift in her day. I’m sure she had never thought about this, and certainly not that God was actually seeking worshipers. “He’d like you to be one” was the obvious invitation.

 

 

She was hooked. That God might actually be seeking her companionship, not her body, was beyond this woman’s wildest dreams. How could He possibly want her? But He did. In one moment, her shame was broken, and joy filled her heart. It feels good to be wanted for the right reasons. This new worshiper was so excited, she ran and told her village about Jesus, and ultimately, the entire community believed in Him.

 

 

Jesus was too excited to eat!

 

 

When the disciples returned, they were amazed that He was speaking to this immoral woman. Jesus was impervious to their shock, however, and completely unconcerned about His reputation. His excitement about transforming lives and reestablishing heart connections with His lost family was far greater than any concern over His reputation. On one occasion, Christ actually allowed a prostitute to enter a person’s home and, during the meal, bathe His feet with her tears. Awkward! But not to Him; He was on a search for hungry hearts with which to connect, and their pasts weren’t an issue with Him.

 

 

Christ is still seeking heart connections today. If the God you’ve been introduced to is distant, uncaring, stoic, or enamored with Himself, you’ve been duped by religion. The real God is passionate, caring, a lover of people, and a seeker of companionship - yours. While others seek His help, why don’t you seek His heart? Make His day...by giving Him the pleasure of some company.

 

 

 

Pray with me:

 

Father, thank You for sending Jesus, who shattered false ideologies regarding Your nature. We are grateful that You, the God of the universe - lovingly long for our companionship. You desire our hearts, not religious activities. We're sorry we have, at times, replaced You with religion. What an amazing Father and Friend You are. We desire intimacy with You. We want to see Your face and connect Your heart.

 

Jesus, You’re always going out of Your way to love the lonely, the hurting, the confused. You truly are The Seeker. You love all people and nations. We ask that You and Your love would sweep across our land, drawing people to Yourself. We pray for a worldwide move of Your Spirit to be released, supernaturally drawing people to Yourself. Give them dreams, angelic visitations, and divine appointments. Let this outpouring be profound!

 

And today, I pray for all who read and/or listen to this post. May they seek You, and in the quiet place, find You and the pleasure of Your company. Give them a big drink from the river of life flowing from the well within. We ask for these things in the name of Christ Jesus, our access to You. Amen.

 

 

Our decree:

 

The coming move of God will be marked by passion - God’s passion for us and ours for Him. The mask of religion will be pulled off, unveiling Him to humankind.

 

 

********************

 

 

Today’s post was taken from my book The Pleasure of His Company and published by Baker Books.

 

 

Click on the link below to watch the full video.

 

 

 

 

[Fly]

THE SINFUL WOMAN

One day Jesus was dining with a Pharisee. The occasion provided another opportunity for him to point out the need for receiving and extending mercy and forgiveness. The account relates: “And, look! a woman who was known in the city to be a sinner, learned that he was taking a meal in the house of the Pharisee, and she brought an alabaster case of perfumed oil, and, taking a position behind at his feet, she wept and started to wet his feet with her tears and she would wipe them off with the hair of her head. Also she tenderly kissed his feet and oiled them with the perfumed oil. At the sight the Pharisee that invited him said within himself: ‘This man, if he were a prophet, would know who and what kind of woman it is that is touching him, that she is a sinner.’”—Luke 7:37-39.

 

This Pharisee considered the sinful woman beneath him, reasoning that Jesus should have reacted similarly. Jesus knew his hypocritical thoughts. “In reply Jesus said to him: ‘Simon, I have something to say to you.’ He said: ‘Teacher, say it!’ ‘Two men were debtors to a certain lender; the one was in debt for five hundred denarii, but the other for fifty. When they did not have anything with which to pay back, he freely forgave them both. Therefore, which of them will love him the more?’ In answer Simon said: ‘I suppose it is the one to whom he freely forgave the more.’ He said to him: ‘You judged correctly.’ With that he turned to the woman and said to Simon: ‘Do you behold this woman? I entered into your house; you gave me no water for my feet. But this woman wet my feet with her tears and wiped them off with her hair. You gave me no kiss; but this woman, from the hour that I came in, did not leave off tenderly kissing my feet. You did not oil my head with oil; but this woman oiled my feet with perfumed oil. By virtue of this, I tell you, her sins, great though they are, are forgiven, because she did an act of great love; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.’”—Luke 7:40-47.

 

The pious Pharisee was the loser. In his unmerciful way he considered the sinful woman beneath his dignity and unworthy of his attention. At the same time, he did not honor Jesus. The sinful woman did. It is not that she had been a worse sinner than the Pharisee, though others thought so. Probably the opposite was true, as Jesus made clear concerning the Pharisees on other occasions. It was that she recognized the need for mercy and forgiveness. She realized more truly and deeply the reality of her sin. She also appreciated the necessity of showing love by her deeds. The Pharisee did not feel the need for any of these things. He thought he was righteous and did not need to repent. Because of this he did not feel he had to perform such loving acts as the woman did. His love for Christ was not as great. By his not extending mercy and love to other sinners, his sins proved to be greater. Jesus told the woman: “Your faith has saved you; go your way in peace.” There is no record that Jesus told the Pharisee that his faith had saved him.—Luke 7:50.