Preaching to the choir!

     Imagine, if you will, your world in the following way.  First, there are no buildings, cars or other man made things.  Secondly, you, as everyone else is naked.  Thirdly, everywhere you go your thoughts are out loud for everyone else to hear.  Fourth, God speaks to you audibly and takes care of your every need.  Finally, there is absolute peace in your heart and mind as there is in other's hearts and minds.  Unreal?  Not really.  The Garden was like this.  Okay, I embellished the thoughts out loud but the rest is true.  Perhaps you would love to live there?  I would have loved to live in that environment.  There was no boredom, no work, no emotion other than love.  Wow!  A person could get used to that.  Part of the problem today is that we don't believe that we could have any of that at all.  We don't live as if there is a possibility of the scenario bearing any truth.  That's sad.  Why?  Because God wants this for us every day.
     Sometimes we don't believe simply because we cannot visualize that we are actually a new creation when we come to Christ.  We cannot visualize being taken care of by a God who knows us intimately and still loves us enough to give himself to us.  So, we don't risk approaching God and retain our "godship" of our life.  I know that I do.  That doesn't mean I'm without God.  It means if you make the choices that I do you have negative consequences float through your life as I do mine.  I know that I am preaching to the choir even if you won't admit to anyone your deep dark secrets.  You have them and so do I.  We also have our hopes and dreams.  Many of which we don't share with others and certainly don't ask God for or believe that he can deliver as promised.  People give up on what they cannot see.  Take Thomas for example.  Now called Doubting Thomas it could just as well be Doubting Steve.  After 2000 plus years waiting for Jesus to come, take us, destroy evil and let us live in peace and love, people tend to give up.  They can't see the signs any longer or choose to not see them.  Then engagement with the world and it's ways takes over and the vision is forgotten.
     The Jewish nation waited for thousand of years for their Messiah.  When he came, they not only could not recognize him but could not afford to recognize him.  Why?  Because to do so would reveal who they really had become and what they were really doing.  For example, anyone remember when Jesus chased the money changers from the temple?  When the chance to embrace the Messiah (Jesus fulfilled over 600 Old Testament prophecies) came, they chose to not embrace him.  Not because he wasn't the Messiah because he was.  Rather they could not "afford" to embrace Him for all that they would lose.  Jesus asked them and he asks us to not consider what we would lose.  He asks everyone to consider what they would gain.  Life!!! 
     I was thinking this morning about all the times after I became a Christian that I intentionally chose to sin.  I know, I'm not alone on that one!  Not a pretty sight.  In fact, I didn't have the time to review all of my life.  I made it back a couple of years and then was overwhelmed.  Back to the cross.  Why do I do this to myself?  What purpose does my disobedience serve other than to undermine the message of Christ?  Today is all I have.  Yesterday is gone.  Tomorrow hasn't come.  Today, this moment, is all I have.  My recent heart attack was proof of that.  You and I don't know when our time is up.  Time is something no one has control over.  Yet we don't put going to heaven on our personal calendars for this day or that.  No one knows our time but the Lord.  He knew our beginning and everything between that and our end.  He created a garden for us and offers it daily.  It's our choice whether we want to live in the garden today with Him or in our world.  I know that I am not alone.  You are my choir just as I am yours.