Who are you listening to?
Who has the authority over your life?

These are more important questions than we might guess first hand. But our lives are what we believe. If we love lies, we practice lies. If we love truth, we live in light.

“Look! I’m coming soon. My reward is with me, to repay all people as their actions deserve.  I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. Favored are those who wash their robes so that they may have the right of access to the tree of life and may enter the city by the gates. Outside are the dogs, the drug users and spell-casters, those who commit sexual immorality, the murderers, the idolaters, and all who love and practice deception. (Rev. 22:12-15, CEB, emphasis added)

Not only our lives depend on to whom we listen. Also our future depends on it. We need to be aware of lies in our lives. So easily we practice deception without noticing it. So easily we avoid truth because it almost always involves change.

Like Mary DeMuth says in her book Everything: “We are self-deceived folks with wicked hearts bent toward selfishness, hearts that resist selflessness. We would rather live a lie than come to the Truth Personified, Jesus, and let Him show us our hearts. It’s when we isolate ourselves from Him, choosing to live independent lives, that our hearts harden. Only when we return, in a state of repentance, will we experience a true softening. In that place, we’ll naturally live humble lives.”

We need Jesus. Not only to save us but also to show us how to live and how to love. We need Jesus to show us what it means to act justly, love mercy and walk humbly with our God.

Sometimes it’s hard to define what real humility is. “Humility is not about beating ourselves up; it’s about understanding the amazing nature of Jesus”, Mary DeMuth declares. “It’s about hanging with Jesus, about being with Him to discover what humility is and isn’t.”

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Matthew 11:28-30, MSG)

Mary DeMuth points out that, if we lean into Jesus and His notion of humility, we will find rest for our souls. And that’s probably what we’ve been looking for all along. We seem to be willing to listen to anyone or to practice lies if we think we can find happiness and peace. But deception will never give us rest for our soul. Only Jesus can do that.

And peace that Jesus gives us is peace like no other. Mary DeMuth’s discovery is profound: “I used to think that rest had to do with a general feeling of peace, but now as I read that verse, I see that rest is feeling like it’s okay to live in my own skin.” And that’s what we all want. But only Jesus can do that. So pay attention who you listen to.

Only Jesus can teach us to feel right in our own skin.
Only Jesus can teach us how to live freely and lightly.
Only Jesus can teach us walk humbly with God.
Only Jesus can teach us the unforced rhythms of grace.

Only Jesus.

 

Gracious God,
Show us the lies we believe!
Enable us to leave them at the foot of the cross.
Fill us with your truth, your peace.
Show us how to walk humbly with you.
Show us how to live freely and lightly.
Show us how to feel right in our own skin.
Show us how to rest in your grace.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen

Q4U: Do you listen to Jesus? Have you learned the unforced rhythms of grace?

Be blessed, my fellow pilgrim, as you learn to live joyfully in grace and walk humbly with God!

Image courtesy of Chris Manfre. Linking up today with Thought-Provoking Thursdays and Faith Filled Friday.