Getting Excited about Jesus

It’s funny what really get us excited.  Over the last few years, I have had the opportunity to go to see the Ohio State Buckeyes at the Horseshoe.  That may not seem like a big deal to some, but to a guy that grew up in Columbus, it’s huge.  To be on campus the day of a game is thrilling.  People are everywhere.  There is scarlet and gray as far as the eye can see.  It’s awesome to see the band make their way to their stadium.  Once you settle into your seat, you feel the excitement build as the band prepares to take the field.  They march out and the crowd goes wild.  As the band plays, the frenzy builds and builds until they play “Script Ohio.”  I admit I taught all my kids how to “dot the i.”  As if the energy level could not get higher, the team takes the field.  Then comes the game – kickoffs, touchdowns, big plays, and ultimately a Buckeye win.  It’s an awesome time.

I see people get excited about ball games all the time.  They also get amped up about political candidates, gizmos, gadgets, and even sales at the mall.  Nothing wrong with these things.  I wonder, if we can get all revved up about these kinds of things, how do we respond to the Creator and Sustainer of the Universe? 

The gospel of Luke tells the story of a man by the name of Zacchaeus.  You may have heard the children’s song.  You know, “Zacchaeus was a wee little man…”  Some of you are humming the song right now.  When my daughter was very small she would shout, “Zakeus, you tum town.”  Anyway, Zacchaeus was a tax collector.  Tax collectors weren’t real well thought of in his day.  For that matter, I truthfully don’t know any day when tax collectors have been well thought of.  This man that no one wanted anything to do with had a life changing encounter with Jesus.  Jesus was coming to his home.

He did not greet his opportunity to interact with Jesus with a yawn and a ho-hum attitude.  He did not shrug and mutter a sleepy-eyed welcome.  Instead, he was overcome with emotion.  The Bible says, “Zacchaeus quickly climbed down and took Jesus to his house in great excitement and joy” (Luke 19:6, NLT).  Now I realize that our relationship with Jesus has to be deeper than emotion.  On the other hand, we can at least act excited about Him.  Our walk with Him should be marked by a certain energy and enthusiasm.  If we can get excited about anything, we can get excited about the One who died for us.  Forgiveness and eternal life are something to celebrate.  His abiding presence in our lives is something we can rejoice over.  It’s alright to be happy to have Jesus in your life.  Be excited about who Jesus is and what He is doing in and through you.

Getting into Spiritual Shape – Developing a Prayer Life

It’s amazing all the different ways we can communicate today.  We can talk to people over land lines and cellphones.  We can text, email, and use instant messaging.  We can communicate on-line in chat-rooms and on websites like Facebook.  Don’t forget that will all these technologies, we can still talk face to face!

Prayer is really nothing more than communication.  It is the way we converse with God.  When you and I pray, we are simply talking with our Heavenly Father.  We can open up to Him about all sorts of things happening in our lives.  We can tell Him our fears and anxieties, as well as our hopes and dreams.  We can confess our sins to Him and ask Him to forgive us.  We can seek His direction and guidance.  We can share with Him whatever comes to our hearts.

Keep in mind that any conversation usually includes two things:  what we say and what is said to us.  Prayer is no different.  We usually think of prayer as us doing the talking and God doing the listening.  God is an awesome listener, but He has things to say to us too.  While God is probably not going to speak to us in an audible voice, He does speak to us.  He can speak to us through His Spirit, through the Bible, and through other people.  He can speak to us through our circumstances.  It’s important for us to take some time in our prayer life to listen.  Make an effort to spend some time in silence and just listen in your prayer time.

Prayer is an essential part of our growth in Christ.  We cannot grow closer to our spouse without communicating with him or her.  We cannot develop effective relationships without talking and listening.  Likewise, we must communicate with God to grow in our relationship with Him.  Furthermore, just like we cannot know what our boss expects of us without communication, we cannot discern God’s direction in our life without communicating with Him. 

What then can we do to develop a stronger prayer life?  For one we need to develop consistency.  Make prayer a daily priority.  Paul tells us to “Never stop praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17, NLT).  Set aside a time each day to pray.  It does not matter if it’s early, late, or in the middle of the afternoon.  The key is to honor the time.  Don’t worry about how much time to set aside right now.  Just be consistent in using the time you do set aside. 

Second, be real.  Open up and be honest with God.  So often, we try to impress God in our prayers.  We want to pray like we hear people pray at church.  We use big words and sound really spiritual.  Nothing wrong with spiritual prayers with big words, but just be sure they are yours.  God knows your heart, so you might as well be genuine with Him. 

Third, take time to stop to listen.  Again, I am not suggesting you will hear an audible voice.  I do think, however, that God speaks volumes in our silence.  He says, “Be still and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10, NLT).  We are so fidgety, it’s hard for us to just sit quietly.  Just be quiet and let God speak.