The Real Thing
God provided a way for our family to go on a mission trip to Africa this week with a ministry called Family Legacy. Their “Camp LIFE” is an amazing camp for orphaned and vulnerable children in Zambia. We will join with over 600 Americans who will come to spend a week this summer leading and sharing the love of Christ with a group of 10 Zambian children. We are expectant about all God is going to do during our time there and would love for you to partner with us in prayer.
Along with the many preparations we have made for this journey, we had to be immunized and/or take preventative medications to guard against a number of diseases prevalent in Zambia – hepatitis, tetanus, malaria, typhoid fever, and yellow fever. The last one I mentioned – yellow fever – is administered as a “live vaccine”. This means that a very small amount of the yellow fever virus is actually injected into your body so that your immune system will produce antibodies to prevent you from getting the real thing.
That may be standard protocol for disease prevention, but Scripture warns us not to get inoculated when it comes to knowing Jesus – not to get a small dose so that you never get the real thing.
Sadly, it happens all too often. We come in contact with Jesus, His Spirit and His Word, but never truly surrender our lives to Him. Externally, we attend church, do some volunteer work, even read a devotional or pray, but under the microscope, it looks much more like a checking-the-box than a living, vibrant relationship. We are comfortable and complacent, but far from filled with the contagious love of Christ.
Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? (2Corinthians 13:5 ESV).
Who is qualified to make this critical diagnosis? Only you and the Great Physician.
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God. By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit (Romans 8:16 and 1John 4:13 NASB).
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxious thoughts; and see if there be any hurtful way in me, and lead me in the everlasting way (Psalm 139:23-24 NASB).
May we never be satisfied with just a small dose of Jesus, but be filled to overflowing with the Real Thing.
© 2014 Tim McKenzie
On Every Word Ministries
www.OnEveryWord.com
