LeadHer "Who Do You Say I Am?" by Kim Bausinger, LeadHer Chapter Development Director. Connect with Kim on Facebook or by email at kim@leadher.org for Wednesday, 26 April 2017When we talk about seeking something, or the choice to seek, it is a word that makes me envision strong emotion, and active participation. It makes me think about investment, time, and depth. It's a best friend relationship, not an acquaintance. The Greek work for this is “Homeromia- and means to desire earnestly.
So we want to seek, how do we do it? As I have come onto LeadHer staff that seems to be a question I ask a lot! How do you know that? How did you get to this point or that conclusion? I know I need to research something but where do I start? These questions, more often than not, are answered by either of 2 ways. 1) You’ll get there, just keep working and digging, 2) Over time you will just start to realize it. My mind boggles at this, because I know it will take time. Lots of time. Lots of reading and research and time.
As I continue to wrestle with the process to seek, I keep digging into the Gospels, and see the people that Jesus spent time with, His disciples. These men spent almost every waking moment with Jesus himself, and there were lots of things they got, and a few things they missed along the way. But they saw it all. It was a 3 year adventure where they saw Jesus at the height of adoration, to the depth of hatred toward Him. They were learning about Jesus and his nature day after day.
In Matthew 16, starting in verse 13 it says: “When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” “Well,” they replied, “some say John the Baptist, some say Elijah, and others say Jeremiah or one of the other prophets.” Then he asked them, “But who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “You are blessed, Simon son of John, because my Father in heaven has revealed this to you. You did not learn this from any human being.“
Jesus didn’t even ask them who they thought He was, until almost the end of His 3 year ministry. Matthew 16 shows us what happened when Jesus asked the question, “Who do you say I am?” This is the ultimate best friend/acquaintance question. As an acquaintance, you usually can answer that question within a time or two of being around a person. But the best friend answer comes months or years down the road. When the political correctness has faded, and personal history has become like a favorite pair of PJ’s. This was the basis for Peters answer. “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Peter got it. He knew the depth of his best friend. He had invested the time, sought the deep understanding, and found the truth.
Which answer would you give if Jesus asked you today? Would it be the acquaintance answer? It's ok, be honest. The great news is that all best friends started out as an acquaintance! There was that day when you first met, the first times you hung out. But there was a moment when you decided that it would be a great and natural fit to make more of a commitment. The moment where you decided it was worth it to step up the level of involvement to be better friends.
Now, I have friends that are true good friends. I also have a handful of friends that are sworn in a spit shake that if anything ever happens to me or a member of my immediate family that I don’t care how, but they are to break into my home before anyone else gets there. They are sworn to scrub toilets and remove anything green and fuzzy from my refrigerator. These women are my “fristers”. More than friends, genetics didn’t make us sisters, but they are right up there, 1 chromosome away. Fristers!
But God wants us to seek Him to be even closer than these women are to me. He wants to be the absolute first, middle and last of my best friend list. But just like my lifelong friends, it takes work. Even after 40+ years there is still work to be done with my girlfriends, and with God. We never reach the pinnacle of that friendship with Him. There are always more stories to share, more wisdom to absorb, more time to spend. The benefit of a relational God is that He is wanting more of that with us as well. It's not a one sided friendship. So if you and God are just at that acquaintance level, don’t worry. As long as there is a beat of your heart, there is time for more. Pick up your Bible, take Him on a walk, chat with Him in your car! Don’t be afraid, He will be more excited than you. If you seek or desire earnestly, there is a best friend waiting for you!
LeadHer | April 26, 2017 at 6:02 am | URL: http://wp.me/p6PUJE-nOc
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