“I will bring him near, and he will come close to me – for who is he who will devote himself to be close to me?’ declares the Lord.” Jeremiah 30:21b (NIV)
As human beings, we have a terrible tendency to go astray and seek out something other than God. In the garden of Eden, we sought knowledge in a forbidden fruit. In the wilderness, we sought a man-made golden calf. And in the promise of a messiah, we sought a human hero to lead us…
Long ago, the people of Israel had been given a great promise which inspired deep hope – a coming messiah. I can only imagine how much the people must have anticipated and speculated what this messiah would be like. Some would have expected Him to be a great soldier to fight on their behalf and bring victory to their nation. Others might have expected a great political leader, a good king like David or Solomon.
But God rarely moves in predictable ways.
Instead, the promised Messiah, God’s greatest gift to humanity, was a sacrificial lamb. What a plot twist! A meek, mild, humble lamb born to die for the ransom of many. And through this Messiah, God’s greatest gift to us was a relationship with Himself. The messiah’s entire purpose was to reconcile us to God, to allow us to have more of God, and to have a satisfying relationship with Him. The gift of Jesus was the ability to have a relationship with God. In the same way that getting car keys as a gift is only valuable if it comes with the associated car.
Blessings and gifts are amazing! They are good.
But in this season, let’s stop for a minute and examine our hearts. Let’s make sure we are pursuing God Himself as our greatest gift.
Let’s be intentional and abide in Him alone.
Heavenly Father, thank you that You are more than enough. Thank you for the beautiful opportunity to sit and rest in Your presence today and enjoy You. As we begin this new year, God, we ask that You help us accomplish beautiful things from a place rooted in You and You alone. In Jesus’ name, we pray. Amen!
