the basic message #E222
12/13/03
Two men were talking on their cell phones. One was in China, the other in New York City.. Their reception was fine. The following week the man from China flew to New York City, and was only blocks away from the man he had called the week before. He called the New Yorker upon his arrival- was the call reception better since they were only blocks away? Probably not, since the distance between callers has much less to do with reception than does the equipment that makes the call possible to begin with.
And so it is with humans and their connection to God. Some of us seem to believe that we have a closer connection to God when we're in church. There's nothing scriptural to support that belief, and if anyone can find something to refute this, please let me know. People that go to church regularly tend to look down on folks that don't go to church, and that needs to change. In my opinion, there will be people in Heaven that never spent any tangible amount of time in church, while there will be people in Hell that were in church every time the doors opened. How could this be? Like cell phone reception, physical closeness to God has little to do with connection. We somehow think we should run to church and pray every time we experience a problem in our lives. On September 11, 2001, the churches of America were packed with people offering prayers to God. America, it seems, was totally unprepared for what happened that day. Was it wrong for people to pack into churches? Absolutely not- it was wonderful to see America rediscover God. What is a real tragedy is that church attendance sharply increased during the weeks following 9/11, but has now receded back even lower than pre 9/11/01 rates. If you were God, what would you think about that phenomenon? I would think, "They know where to find me when they need me, but the rest of the time they forget about me." What else could God think?
Connectivity to God has nothing to do with churches or even other people. I find it exciting and comforting that my connection to God isn't controlled by another man or an institution. I choose to worship God in a Catholic church, and although I like and respect my priest, I will not allow him to be a middle-man between God and me. I love being able to speak to God immediately and spontaneously at any time I choose. I never have to worry about getting God's voice mail nor having God answer me with a "John, I'm kind of tied-up with this thing in Iraq right this minute, can I get back to you in a year or so?" Nope, God is there for me every minute, every second of the day or night. I must warn you, though, that this situation isn't one-sided. Sometimes God wants to talk to me during times that we generally consider to be inconvenient. It's not unusual for God to awaken me at 3 am with a message for this website. I've learned over the years that the return for my part of this investment of time is well worth any sacrifice I might make. Am I suggesting that God makes "deals" with those who listen to him more than others? No, but conversation with God is definitely a two-way street.
What kind of stuff do I talk about with God each day? I'll give you some examples. Exiting the Interstate at 6:45 am yesterday I caught a glimpse of a breathtaking purple, pink and blue sky with all sorts of striations. I couldn't help but tell God "that's awesome, God". Does God need my approval? Of course not, but does he appreciate the compliment? I think so. Later in the morning, I was fueling my very comfortable pickup truck. The truck is owned and paid for by the company I work for, and the credit card for the fuel is also company supplied. As I plugged in the nozzle, I simply thanked God for those nice benefits. Some of you might think that "Doggone it, I worked hard to get where I am today- I earned these benefits." My friends, I could have probably walked into the mini-mart store where I was fueling and found someone behind the counter that has worked long and hard that doesn't have the same benefits that I do, so please don't get to thinking that you got where you are on your own merit.
I've learned that God likes to hear from me all day, every day. No conversation is too trivial for God- he wants to hear anything I have to tell him (or ask him). Some of you might be thinking that God doesn't have enough time to talk to all of his children. Let me ask you a question: how much time have you spent talking with God this week? I think God has plenty of time.