Hosanna Restoration Church

Many years ago I came to the conclusion that even if I did not get to heaven, just knowing Jesus in this life time would be well worth any effort that was required on my part. At the time I did not have a very good understanding of the assurance of my salvation through Christ. I just knew He had so wonderfully changed my life and given me peace, and I loved Him. So I set out on a mission to know Him more.

Recently I was visiting with the Lord about things in general, and I found myself at the same place I have been on many occasions. I knew that there was more and I was asking God to show me how to get into that next place. Each place must involve more of Him, or it is not His place.

I believe that He then revealed some stages that we come to and thru in a bit of a wonderful circle. I say wonderful because there is no way that anything that God does that could be called vicious when it comes to his children. My understanding of it progresses like this.

We first experience salvation because we are looking for something more in life and Jesus is the answer. When we truly seek, we do find. Salvation is great, but the Holy Spirit in us encourages us to keep seeking for more, and we begin to experience the Life that is in Christ Jesus. That Life is great, but still we seek God for more, because His Word tells us there is more. We may then move into an understanding that He intended for us to have abundant life and that is great, but there must be more. We seek God for signs and wonders and more of His power and that is wonderful. But even then, there is this feeling, this tug in our hearts that says there is more. In all of these stages there are many sub-categories that apply to our individual relationships with Christ, but they all relate to one another.

Still we cannot be totally satisfied with any of these things. They are just things that are added as a result of seeking the Kingdom of God. Still our hearts cry out to God and say, “all of this is wonderful, but there must be more. God show me the way.” When we do this, we discover that what we are seeking is Him! He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. He alone can satisfy.

All of these things are like honey drawing us closer and closer, and when we arrive we find the answer is the same as it has always been. We must be cautious that we do not let the honey that draws us, become the distraction that robs us. We need to be careful that we do not stall along the way and sit down in one of hundreds of places that were intended to bring us closer to God. We cannot let the products overshadow the producer. If we do that, we are in danger of loosing contact with the supplier of all things. Our focus must not be on what God is doing. Rather it must be on Him. He is our first love.