Enjoy the best of Jesus.
Five words. Simple. To the Point. And they have stuck with me unlike few others have for quite some time. Made me stop and ask, "Am I enjoying his best, or just his good-enough?...what is his best for me?"
I know this much, it starts with Him, because Jesus didn't come to give us good-enough. He came to give us his best. He came that we would have an amazingly abundant life that is wilder than anything we can ask or imagine. Which makes me wonder, If we're where we imagined we'd be, then perhaps we're not at his best. I'm not preaching discontentment, oh please, don't think that. I'm simply saying, God wants to exceed our expectations. Okay, think of it this way...
I homeschool. Which makes me the local teacher. What this also means is I set the break schedule. Unbeknownst to my kids, I'd planned on nearly a week off for Thanksgiving break. To achieve this, we had to accomplish our studies earlier and stay on task for when we finished break. My son, however, likes to believe he knows my plans. As such, he put off some of his work in anticipation of doing it today--a day I planned off. I wanted to exceed his expectations of a short break, while he was simply happy where he was at. Had he not listened to my voice telling him to be sure to get it done, he'd have missed the extra time off. He'd be right where he expected, doing his schoolwork today, never realizing I'd planned on giving him the blessing of one more day of vacation.
See, sometimes I think we miss the best of Jesus because we settle for the good things around us. We think we know where we're going, but if we're in that driver's seat then there's no need for him. And oh, do we need Jesus! We need him to exceed our expectations, because it's there that our strength is no longer enough and we have to fully rely on him. It's there where we grow in our faith. It's there where we learn more about him and deepen our relationship with him. It's there where we reach his best.
Think about it. If I'm only doing what I can imagine is possible, then I rely on me, not God. And I don't want my best, I want his best.
Abundant forgiveness.
Abundant joy.
Abundant strength.
Abundant confidence.
Abundant patience.
Abundant healing.
Abundant talent.
Abundant love.
Go ahead and add to that list. You name it. He'll supply it. Because he came that we would have life abundantly in every area. It's his best. HE gave us his best. And I'm ready to enjoy every ounce of him!
I've no doubt God placed this verse in my path to help me close up my year which has been centered around my One Word: Abundantly. It's been an amazing year full of many sweet lessons. I'd love to be reminded of your 2013 words and how God's worked them into your lives.
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