Hey, family! This week, I know, will be a busy week for some of you. The Thanksgiving holiday is fast approaching and it is time to pull out the good pots and pans and put a little extra something, something on the collard greens because somebody other than the regular family is coming over. I just wanted to give you a small nugget that will hopefully bless you, make you think, and carry you on until we meet again.
This past Sunday, Pastor/Hubs discussed some pretty interesting stuff. (It’s all interesting, but this stood out for me.) We were in the book of Luke, chapter 24. The topic was Christ and how he revealed himself to the two men walking on the road to Emmaus. As we were reading, verse 15 stuck out to me. It actually tickled me a bit. Let me give you a quick run-down. Jesus has been crucified and the empty tomb has been discovered. This is now the talk of the town. I can only imagine the stories that were being told and the extra stank people were putting on the actual events. Let’s be clear; the people in the biblical days were people just like us. You can’t convince me that people didn’t gossip and add a little extra on stories, or even lie to make it more interesting. In fact, the bible is full of stories where people are doing that very thing. Anyway, back to the story at hand. So Jesus is not in the tomb and his body is nowhere to be found. In comes Luke 24:15. Two men were walking on the road headed to a small village called Emmaus near Jerusalem. As they are walking, they are talking about the events. (I’m sure like everybody else) However, in the middle of their discussion, Jesus walks up to them. Now, the men's eyes were hidden so that they could not recognize Jesus, so they had no clue who in the world this man was that had come and inserted himself in their conversation, but they obliged him anyway. Jesus walked right up to them and asked them about the things they were discussing. The men were like, sir, are you new here? Cause I know you haven’t been living here and haven’t heard about Jesus. They begin to explain to him about Jesus and the things that took place. They even told him how Jesus was a mighty man and how his body was no longer in the tomb. Jesus also obliged them with a conversation. He responded in part by schooling them on the word from the beginning all the way until that point. He wanted them to understand that this Jesus whom they speak of had to suffer things and then enter his glory. To make a long story short, the men were amazed by this man’s words. When they arrived at their destination, Jesus was going to continue to walk on by, but they asked him to come inside and tarry with them for a bit. His words had burned in their hearts and they wanted to hear more. Now, that’s a word in itself. Jesus was going to keep on walking, but they asked him to stop and sit with them for a while. (How many of yall have asked him to come and sit with you a while?) Jesus came in and sat with them as they prepared a meal. When it was time to eat, he broke bread, prayed, and blessed the food. That is when the men’s eyes were opened and they recognized that this man was Jesus himself. But Jesus disappeared. The men were astonished and they said to each other, that they knew something was different about this man. His words burned in their hearts.
So, what’s my point? I have two this time actually. My first point is; that Jesus inserted himself inside of a conversation between two friends walking down the road speaking about the events. (We know one was a disciple named Cleopas). Not only did he insert himself, but he stayed and obliged. Can Jesus insert himself in your conversations? Can he be privy to the things that you discuss with your friends, or will he hear what you are saying and keep it moving? My second point is; that when Jesus prayed, he was immediately identified. There was no way he could pray with so much authority, even though he was just blessing the food, and not be identified. It makes me think about my Aunt Ozzie. If she never spoke a word to you, and you heard her pray, you would know that she was a mighty woman of God. She has always prayed with so much authority that you had to identify her. Can you be identified when you open your mouth? When people see you talk about the things of the Lord, are they just mere words, or are their eyes opened? I’m telling you, that word was a good one and it had me thinking about a lot of things. When someone sees me, I want them to see God in me. I want them to be able to see the Holy Spirit at work without me having to say a word, or do anything extra but being my normal self. People have a tendency to think that acting a certain way makes you look spiritual, but in fact, it makes you look like you’re trying too hard to convince others that you are saved. If the Holy Spirit is resting in us, and we are utilizing him, then all of this should be a natural occurrence. All the way down to the manner in which we speak to our friends.
So let me ask you, what are your conversations looking like? Can Christ step in and add his two cents, or will he have to keep walking because your mouth is far from a Christian? Let me also ask this, can you be identified by the authority in which you pray? Can your words to God pierce hearts and open eyes? I am not talking about a prayer that has a lot of words and sounds good. I am talking about a prayer that carries conviction, authority, surrender, and humbleness all wrapped up in a heartfelt message to God. A prayer that doesn’t need the eyes and ears of others, but if it does, it won’t waiver. Extra won’t be added. This thing runs deep yall. I am interested to know what everyone thinks about this. Let’s have a conversation below.
