Pulse

My wife and I have started our regular visits to the doctor as we check the growth of our baby. A few weeks ago, I got to hear something miraculous: our baby's pulsing heartbeat. I was extremely close to experiencing tears of joy as we listened to the continual rhythm of our son's heart.

Now, lately I've been reading quite a bit our of the gospels. What continually captures my attention is Jesus' teachings; specifically the Sermon on the Mount. I'm continually amazed how desensitized I've become to the words Jesus spoke. Its almost like I've read it so much, I don't even know what it means anymore. My eyes glaze over the words that I read. This is the reason I'm reading the gospels again. I'm convinced that instead of simply knowing the words that are there, I need to live them out in my every moment. So lately I've convinced myself to read slower. In fact, I've started to read so slow that sometimes I'll read and reflect on one verse at a time as I concentrate on applying that verse to my life.

I'm stuck.

I'm stuck at the place where Jesus says,

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

Now, the average pulse for an individual is somewhere between 60-100 beats per minute. When one becomes excited, exerts energy, or exercises, their pulse can rise up to rates of 150-200 beats per minute.

So I'm hung up on these words of Jesus because lately I've been trying to analyze what I consider my treasures to be. Personally, I know I value insignificant things. I know some of my treasures, values, or priorities aren't what they should be. Jesus says that my heart is where my values are.

I'm stuck on these words of Jesus because I want my pulse to rise to the things of God, not the things of the world.

I'm stuck because I know I exert energy and I get excited for the things of the world, and not the things of God.

I'm stuck because I've made the decision to apply Jesus' words to my life. I won't go on until I make some progress.

What excites you?

What do you value?

What raises your pulse?

We are children of God. God intends for our pulse to rise for the things that are good in His eyes.

What does God hear when he listens to your pulsing heartbeat?

Where is your heart?

Everybody Follows Somebody

Let me start by asking you this question:

"Who are you following?"

I've been asking myself this question quite regularly lately. Often times, I find that I can live and think in ways that are so opposite of the ways of Jesus. Its no that I wake up in the morning and make the decision not to be a Christian, its that if I don't make an effort to continually mimic the ways of Jesus, I look pretty nasty. I can't stand it when I look this way. I can't stand it when I follow "my" way over God's Way. I'm often embarrassed of myself when I don't live out the Way that I teach.

Everybody follows somebody.

Jesus said, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. He who does not love me will not obey my teaching. These words you hear are not my own; they belong to the Father who sent me." (John 14:23-24)

So I continually ask myself and I encourage you to ask yourself,"Who are you following?"

The ways of your self?

or

The ways of God?

Do you obey your own made up ideas?

or

Do you obey Jesus' teachings?

This is the journey of the life of every Christian. We don't just wake up and look like Jesus. First we have to put our faith and trust in him, then we have to learn what he taught, and then we have to live it.

Following Jesus.

This is what we're all about. We are about making disciples of this Jesus. We are about walking and living in the same way Jesus walked and lived. We are about following Jesus, because He reveals the ways of the Father in Heaven.

...Who are you following?