“...and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” ~Matthew 1:23 (NKJV)
How can I pray for you today? How deep would you go to answer that question?
How much time would you put into a soul searching expedition to truly try to discover your deepest need? Many would scratch the surface of their life. They would flippantly throw out superficial needs, that if answered, would not bring any lasting effect. Having the money to pay off our debt or receiving a miracle of healing would be amazing to many of us, but those needs are never going away. We will always have troubles and trials and mountains of obstacles that we face in this life. Food we consume today will not be there to satisfy us tomorrow. There will always be a need for “fresh manna”. So why is it that the most trivial of carnal needs stay on the forefront of our mind and our true spiritual need tends to be displaced by them? Is it our human nature that keeps us in the “here and now”? Is it our self-promotion and self-protection that causes us to focus on the problems that we are facing today? Jesus dealt with His disciples on this issue on more than one occasion. They kept defaulting back to needs that He had already shown them were basically unimportant in the real scope of life. What will we eat? What shall we wear? What a mess! What a tough spot we are in when we forget our number one.
We all have the same great need. Every last one of us. Every person ever born needs God’s Holy Spirit in them, we all need to be recreated in Christ Jesus. We need His blood to cover our sin. Just as the lamb’s blood was placed on the doorpost for the angel of death to pass over the Israelites, we need the same. Death looms over us like a thick cloud, it keeps us focused on us, it keeps us steeped in selfish sin and in the never-ending roller coaster of emotions that ground us to this carnal life. We need to be reborn into eternal life. Then and only then can we identify with Christ and live the life He predestined for us to live. Are you living that life? Have you identified your biggest need as Jesus? If so, you should be sharing it. You should be living in the promises of God so that others can see you and want what you have…not the food and not the clothes…the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. That is the character of God and if His Holy Spirit lives in you, He is ready to develop that character of Himself and live through you. Every single born again believer is capable of reflecting a facet of God’s beauty, love and character. We are able to emulate His glory, which is His essence, because His is with us and in us. Your greatest need and my greatest need today is more of God and less of us operating in this world. Will you let go of you? That is what He wants to know. And it's in your very best interest as well. Will you let go of your limited perspective and grab onto his paramount perspective? Will you give His word your utmost attention? Then, and only then, will you experience true life. The kind of life that changes the world around you starting on the inside you. “God with us” is both our ambition and our destiny. Is God with you? If not, He can be. And sharing your life with Him is the most amazing life you will ever have.
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you with His love; He will exult over you with loud singing. ~Zephaniah 3:17 (ESV)
Have you discovered your greatest need?
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