Learning to Lovewell: W4 - TUE
Being Relevant
John 14:1-7, NLT 1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
“We have no idea where you are going…” I think I could put that bumper sticker on my car as I’ve said that to Jesus thousands of times. I like to know the plan, the start and the finish along with the steps in-between. Yet I often find that God gives me just enough light on my path to know where to put my foot next. I’d love him to light the whole path, but I regularly have to be reminded to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT)
I think being relevant means to be in constant submission to Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. To be willing to lay your agenda down for his, and to be so in tune with his heart, that your next step in this world becomes obvious.
The question is, how?
First of all, we have to keep our focus on Jesus. If our focus is simply on “being relevant,” then we can easily forget to let Jesus lead. We can run off ahead of him in our attempts to “be relevant.” This is when truth becomes relative to the conditions around us, and soon, we’re standing on sinking sand instead of the rock of Christ.
Secondly, as we keep our focus on Jesus and where he leads us, we have to engage in active listening, both to Jesus and to the world around us. Active listening is when you engage closely and purposefully in a speaker's message, indicating understanding by asking relevant questions and using verbal and non-verbal gestures, cues, and summaries. Active listening could involve paraphrasing what someone has said to you, to help ensure you understand the message, or asking more questions to help you understand better. My favorite question in active listening only involves two words, “Say more.”
We can actively listen to Jesus in our relationship with him through letting his word speak, guiding and shaping how we live our lives today. We can also actively listen to the needs of the world around us by asking questions, “Why are so many people angry? What is it about that movie that so many people are drawn to? How does our current political climate make you feel in your heart of hearts?” Asking these questions and truly seeking or listening for answers, is what helps us know what needs to meet, what itch to scratch, and how to make the biggest impact in the lives of those around us.
When we hunker and hide away from the world, then we can no longer reach those in the world. We can be in the world but not of it, but we can be in the world if we’re not engaged in the lives of those around us.
When we keep our focus on Christ, listen to him first, and open ourselves up to his ways, then being relevant will come naturally as we participate in life with those with whom we live and work.
John 14:1-7, NLT 1 “Don’t let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, and trust also in me. 2 There is more than enough room in my Father’s home. If this were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? 3 When everything is ready, I will come and get you, so that you will always be with me where I am. 4 And you know the way to where I am going.”
5 “No, we don’t know, Lord,” Thomas said. “We have no idea where you are going, so how can we know the way?”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. 7 If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”
“We have no idea where you are going…” I think I could put that bumper sticker on my car as I’ve said that to Jesus thousands of times. I like to know the plan, the start and the finish along with the steps in-between. Yet I often find that God gives me just enough light on my path to know where to put my foot next. I’d love him to light the whole path, but I regularly have to be reminded to “Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.” (Proverbs 3:5-6, NLT)
I think being relevant means to be in constant submission to Jesus, the way, the truth, and the life. To be willing to lay your agenda down for his, and to be so in tune with his heart, that your next step in this world becomes obvious.
The question is, how?
First of all, we have to keep our focus on Jesus. If our focus is simply on “being relevant,” then we can easily forget to let Jesus lead. We can run off ahead of him in our attempts to “be relevant.” This is when truth becomes relative to the conditions around us, and soon, we’re standing on sinking sand instead of the rock of Christ.
Secondly, as we keep our focus on Jesus and where he leads us, we have to engage in active listening, both to Jesus and to the world around us. Active listening is when you engage closely and purposefully in a speaker's message, indicating understanding by asking relevant questions and using verbal and non-verbal gestures, cues, and summaries. Active listening could involve paraphrasing what someone has said to you, to help ensure you understand the message, or asking more questions to help you understand better. My favorite question in active listening only involves two words, “Say more.”
We can actively listen to Jesus in our relationship with him through letting his word speak, guiding and shaping how we live our lives today. We can also actively listen to the needs of the world around us by asking questions, “Why are so many people angry? What is it about that movie that so many people are drawn to? How does our current political climate make you feel in your heart of hearts?” Asking these questions and truly seeking or listening for answers, is what helps us know what needs to meet, what itch to scratch, and how to make the biggest impact in the lives of those around us.
When we hunker and hide away from the world, then we can no longer reach those in the world. We can be in the world but not of it, but we can be in the world if we’re not engaged in the lives of those around us.
When we keep our focus on Christ, listen to him first, and open ourselves up to his ways, then being relevant will come naturally as we participate in life with those with whom we live and work.
- When you struggle to trust God, what do you do, where do you turn?
- Think about those you live and work with. What do you think worries them? What brings them joy? What kinds of activities are they drawn to and why? If you’re not sure, would you be willing to ask them some of those questions today?
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