Living deeply for God

Do you desire to draw closer to God? Of course you do. In fact, I know you do.

Anais Nin said, "People living deeply have no fear of death." I like that idea. I'm not sure how he would define "living deeply" -- but I have found it in living with Jesus as the center of my life and the focus of my efforts.

The longer I'm engaged in living the Christian life, the more central he becomes. This seems so obvious that it sounds ridiculous, but the fact is that sometimes devotion to Jesus is overlooked in our efforts to get his work done.

Here's an axiom that I constantly come back to as I minister: I must live for God and not ministry. My love for God must be at the forefront - for I can't give what I don't have.

Ted Haggard's fall is a terrible, horrible blow both to him, his family, and the kingdom.

Only he and the personal demons that he fights can explain why.

My reaction has been not, "how could he," but, "Lord help me to continue to put you at the forefront of my life." "Help me to not become so busy with ministry that I lose sight of you."

Remember Mary and Martha? Martha was distracted by all that had to be done while Mary sat at Jesus' feet, listening to what he said.

When Martha objected, the Lord said, "Martha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her." (Luke 10:41-42)

I love serving Jesus. I love doing the job he has called me to do. But I want to see if I can, like Mary, make a habit of choosing that which is better. In addition to doing his work, I want to learn to sit at his feet and hear his voice.

This is something Paul had undoubtedly learned to do; it's why he was able to say, "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain." He was a tireless worker, but he also knew how to live deeply in the presence of Jesus