Return

Yesterday I had the opportunity to sit and listen to seven gifted, large church pastors speak and teach about leadership.  I would not normally sit through ten hours of preaching as a rule, but this conference was structured in such a way as to make a large impact in a small amount of time. And… it was well done.

I won’t bore you with a synopsis of their teaching. You can check that out in a more detailed overview which I will make available online later. Suffice it to say, I was stretched, overwhelmed, humbled and encouraged by all the messages. However, there was an overriding theme to this conference which centered on the question of returning to God.

Coming back home!   I thought a great deal about that during the day and tried to discern in my mind what that really meant.  What would coming home look like for me?  To be more precise, what needs to change in me to enable me to come back home?

Of course, my mind immediately went to the story of the father who had two sons. (You can read this story in Luke, chapter 15) My problem was not so much on what I needed to change before I could return...that was the easy part.  I can give you a list a mile long on things I need to work on in my life.  My problem was that this action was not what God was asking me to do.  God was not asking me to change myself; God was inviting me to allow Him to change me!

Coming home means that I return back to God with all my stuff in tow—all my baggage.  It’s realizing that I really can’t change myself and that if things are going to be different I need help.  I need forgiveness.  Ouch, there is that word again. I need the forgiveness of God in my life so that the healing which is offered is applied freely.

The liberating reality is that God planned returning home events for all of us.  And now God is wooing us back. “Come home,” Jesus says.  “Come, taste and see,” He invites.  Find rest for your soul.  Find forgiveness.

Blessings

Pastor Rip

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