TWLL #33: Singing To Jesus And Moving From Familiarity To Friendship

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Years ago I wrote a song called “All That You Are”, and it basically came out of a reach in my heart to be more aware of the Person and ways of Jesus.

I felt like there was a choice— where I could settle and just interact with Jesus at a more formal or distant level— or begin to know and understand more of Who He is, what He’s like, and what He does.

And that idea— staying more distant or coming closer to Jesus— is something we all have to stare at.  Because it will impact our own hearts, and then it will also impact the way we lead worship.

Today, I want to share a few things that can help us come up closer to Jesus, and sing to Him from a place of friendship. 

Friendship And Time

In any friendship, if it’s active and vibrant, time is being spent together— and it’s no different in our friendship with Jesus.

The idea of being close to Him but not spending time with Him doesn’t exist.  

If we want to connect with Jesus in a deeper way, it will happen when we begin to turn our attention to Him and give Him our time.

When we begin to move this direction and invest our time with Jesus, our connection with Him grows stronger and our friendship grows closer.

What Jesus Does

As we give Jesus our time, one of the things we can do to move closer to Him is to notice and see the things that He does.  Which is shown to us through the Scripture.

But I’m not talking about just reading the Bible.  I’m talking about reading the Bible through the lens of paying close attention to the actions of Jesus— in the Gospels and throughout the whole of Scripture.  

How does He interact with individuals?  With nations?  How does He respond to people?  How does He reach toward people?

And the reason it’s so important to notice and become familiar with the actions of Jesus is because those actions are telling us what He’s like.

In other words, the actions of Jesus are the demonstration or illustration of the nature of Jesus.

Who Jesus Is

As I become more familiar with the stories of Jesus and what He does, a character sketch of Jesus begins to form in my heart and mind.  

Through the stories and actions of Jesus, I begin to see various attributes and characteristics of Jesus.

I begin to see that He is patient, or that He is just.  I begin to see that Jesus is merciful or that Jesus is gentle.

And then I’m start to be able to articulate a bit more of what Jesus is really like, which means that I really am getting to know Him better.

Conclusion

There are several ways to draw closer to Jesus, and I’m just highlighting one specific way here.  

But it’s a substantial way.  And little by little as I give Him my time and become more familiar with His ways through His stories, I really am drawing closer to Him in friendship.

And when I step back on stage to sing to Him, and lead others in singing to Him, I do so from less of a distance and more from a place of friendship.

There it is for today, friends.  See y’all next week!

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