Encounter.

Jesus seeks imperfect people. He pursues us. We are distant from God and have our own way of doing things and He shows up with a path for us. It's so easy to ignore Him. Most Christians act like they have everything figured out, but I have almost nothing figured out. This "encounter" with God is not one to treat lightly. 

God meets us where we are broken and in rebellion and He is not okay with it. When we encounter Christ we are completely overwhelmed. We realize how big He is and how small we are. When God encounters us we are exposed. The church clothes come off and we no longer have a game face. There is no hiding from Him. We are chosen. When we encounter Christ, He uses others in our transformation and restoration. It is necessary to have impactful friends and people who surround you. A saying that I've always tried to live my life by is "surround yourself with people who you want to be like." Now, I am not always successful at this but it's a good thing to keep at the forefront of your mind when forging relationships. God has such patience for enemies, to transform them into instruments. God uses man as His method to spread the Word and we are called to do the same. 

There are people around you and me waiting for an ambassador of Christ. We are meant to be here for a distinct purpose. It is to know Him and make Him known. God seeks man to spread His Word. Sharing your faith is a process that leads to a point. He wants us to play a part, to be a part of His work. We need to engage and look for places where God could put opportunities in our lives that could lead others on the path to knowing Him. It will further our joy and help us to be more appreciative for His work in our lives. When we encounter Christ we enter a new identity and a new community. We are an adopted child of His. We are His sons and daughters. Christ came to the world to save sinners, of which I am the foremost. As Believers, we are radically transformed so that we can make Him known to people so that they are changed forever. We are overcome by Gods love. His patience is perfect. 

 I was going through my Bible and found a verse that I wrote on a scrap sheet of paper a while ago, it was 2 Thessalonians 1:11-12, which I thought related well to this topic. It says "Therefore we also pray always for you that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power, that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ." 

Put yourself on display to show God off,
Courtney