"Come and See"

 "And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Phillip saith unto him, Come and see." (John 1:46 KJV)

  "Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!" (Psalm 34:8 NLT)

  Believe it or not, but this too is a choice! I can't help but think of all those times when I felt as though I didn't want to go to church, either because I felt lazy or just out of sorts; but when I made that choice and said, I am going no matter what! It was only then that I discovered I was meant to go and was glad that I slammed evil in the process! 

  This is pretty much a typical double negative, which is when you think of something that is wrong or bad, and then blame it on something else, something like the weather, or a particular place, or even a person. I know people that have the strangest way to make a negative out of every single thing that is positive; no matter what, if you say, I'm going to take a walk in the woods, they respond, There are bears in the woods, you will probably get eaten. 

  Truth be told, it is real in my heart as well! When I feel prompted to do something, like pray for someone, or share Jesus to someone, or even lay hands on someone to pray for them to be healed, there is that voice inside my head, that says, Don't make a fool of yourself, or this is not the time or place; or worse yet, You are not that guy! 

  I can remember back in the day, my wife and I would go to the After-Glows at Calvary Chapel Downey; they were held on Sunday nights, and Pastor Jack was usually the one that would head them up. When we did the prayer times, when there would be someone that would say something in tongues, Pastor Jack would ask for an interpretation. There were a couple of times I could feel as though I had heard and understood what was said, but I never was brave enough to stand up and speak. 

  Without getting all mystical or weird, let me tell you something that I have learned over these last several decades: God shows up when we want Him to! You want to see something really happen? It is not as if He is away or not around, because He never leaves! It is always us that change and don't want to be disturbed! It is us that hesitate or turn away from seeing Him do this or that, mostly because we know it will make a difference! 

  Maybe it is just me; but the thought of disrupting or changing the way things are, is sometimes more fearful than not knowing what comes next. When God says, "Come," our heart needs to Go!" When God says, "See," our heart needs to pay attention! Again, it all comes down to choices...

""Listen, you who are deaf! Look and see, you blind! Who is as blind as my own people, my servant? Who is as deaf as my messenger? Who is as blind as my chosen people, the servant of the LORD? You see and recognize what is right but refuse to act on it. You hear with your ears, but you don't really listen."" (Isaiah 42:18-20 NLT)