jammin' with   
God

Jam#9   Jesus never had a hit single                                                          When Jesus walked the earth, He brought a new kind of message.  Thousands would walk miles, crowding together on stony hillsides, just to hear the words of this man.  His message was a simple one… God loves you, and He wants you to spend time with Him. 

And so they came from all walks of life to see and hear Jesus.  Yes, it’s true some came just to check out the sideshow… “Come on Jesus, heal the sick, raise the dead, or go walk on some water!  My cousin Fred here doesn’t believe you can do it.”

But it wasn’t just the magic tricks that kept them around.  No… it was His words, plain and simple… a message of forgiveness, reconciliation and hope.  No one had ever spoken to them like that before.  And no one had ever challenged them to take a straight path to the Father.  No one ever showed them how… certainly not the religious leaders of the time.

But Jesus was different.  He not only talked the talk, but he walked the walk… by showing them how to pray, how to treat each other and even how to feel about themselves.  He was one of them, and he proved it by talking with the lowest of citizens, by visiting with the hated tax collectors and even by touching the forsaken leapers.

For the first time, someone, (besides their own mothers), loved them for who they were.  He made them feel special… showed them how they could be a part of something bigger than themselves.  He told them about a kingdom, not of this world… a place where they would be treated like royalty.  And although they couldn’t quite grasp it yet, He explained to them that it had already begun… in their hearts.  He said the world would no longer be the same… not just because of the man standing before them, but more importantly, because of the kingdom that would change their hearts, forever.

For about three years, He did this.  And then one day, the man was gone.  But for the last 2000 years, the kingdom Jesus spoke of is still alive and well… and the memory of His short earthly gig lives on.  In fact, the impact of His message was so profound; He has become the most often spoken name throughout history.

Think about it.  Probably within a one-mile radius of where you’re standing right now, there are at least ten to twenty people calling out that name… right now.  Some of them are sincerely praying, others… not so sincerely calling out.  But whether it’s in deep meditation or if it’s someone’s favorite swear lingo, there is no other name, or person that’s ever been called upon more in the history of the world.

Go ahead.  Tell me about your arguments for not believing in what the Bible says about Jesus… that he was just a nice guy that liked to talk about flowers and heaven, and somehow throughout time, we crazy Christians, with our rose colored glasses and power trip agendas have made him into this messianic superhero that we have, today.

Well, at least you gotta admit… that’s some serious testosterone there… that could keep a story like that flying for two millennia.  I mean, really… if only I could write a song that people can’t get out of their heads, for say… a day, I’d be happy.  Yet, look at how long Jesus’ message lasted.

He drew people to His side when He walked the earth, and He’s still doing it, today.  So what is it about Jesus that has made Him such an icon, a staple of life, for so many, especially in Western society? 

Well, I realize it’s over-simplifying a complicated issue to try and condense Jesus’ message into two words… but here we go:  “Stay connected”… that’s it… just “stay connected to the Father”.

I think it’s safe to say, for someone who probably never played an instrument, Jesus really knew how to jam with God.  Whether He was raising someone from the dead or drawing circles in the sand, Jesus and the Father were in constant communication.  And those who were closest to Him knew it.  They were drawn towards the intimacy of His relationship with the King.  Like a single lit candle in a darkened room, they couldn’t turn away, because they knew that they’d be lost without it.

To live our lives with that kind connection to the King should be the goal of any Christian who’s serious about his or her relationship with God.  Jesus showed us by example that staying connected is essential to living above the garbage that life throws at us.  It makes perfect sense that being connected to the source of life is the best way to enjoy this life… and the best way to be victorious over all our trials, temptations and tribulations.

Well, why is it so hard then, to live this way?  Why is it so difficult to stay on the straight and narrow?  In fact, if you’re like me, then you have to admit that staying connected is not as easy as it sounds.  So, as a result life gets a little cloudy at times and we don’t always see God’s plan in everything we do.  It’s not always that easy to jam with God, because we think it’s up to us to stay in tune, keep the music playing… or worse… time for a little solo tour.

Well… we can talk about how sin is the problem here, and once again… you wouldn’t get an argument from me.  But instead of just blaming it all on the “S” word, let’s think about why we sin.  Isn’t it because we think that we need to?  When we come to those forks in the road and we decide to go solo, we’re usually saying something like this to God… “I know what you said about this, but… well right here, right now, I need to do it my way, because I really think it’s the best for me.”

So, as the negotiations bounce back and forth in our brains, we eventually convince ourselves how important our immediate desires are.  And voila!  We’re suddenly… unconnected, and free falling. 

Renowned Psychologist, Abraham Maslow studied the subject of human needs and desires.  He created a pyramid that describes the hierarchy of needs in five stages.  They are; physiological, safety, belonging & love, self-esteem and finally self-actualization.  Now, that last one is not an everyday term for most of us… so let me give you a working definition. 

Self-actualization is the strong need to make the most of our unique abilities and to strive to be the best we can be.  Here are some of the traits of people who are self-actualized: 

• They embrace the facts and realities of the world rather than denying or avoiding them. 
• They are spontaneous in their ideas and actions. 
• They creatively seek ways to make their dreams and visions into realities. 
• They are interested in solving problems, especially the problems of others. 
• They feel a closeness to people and generally appreciate life.
• They laugh at themselves, when they make mistakes, but they’re also sensitive and sympathetic to other people’s shortcomings and misfortunes.
• They have an internal sense of morality, in spite of external circumstances or surroundings. 
• They are objective and judge others without prejudice.
• And finally, they have a need to transcend their human existence.

Quite a list… eh?  Wouldn’t it be nice to say that we all live at the top of Maslow’s pyramid?  Well… truthfully, I can’t say that I do.  I like to think that I do, but I know that all my intentions and actions don’t always make it to the top floor… if you know what I mean.

But I try not to feel too bad about it.  I realize that most of us are all in the same boat.  You see, what’s interesting to me about the shape of a pyramid is how the base and lower sections cover a lot of area, while the pinnacle takes up very little real estate.  But this is obviously by design, because our base needs require more time and energy in order to create a structurally sound character.

Let me tell you a little story about me.  You see… as of this writing, I am still making tents for a living, (that’s Christian-ese for… I work at a job that pays my bills, but I really wish I were doing something else.)  My real hopes, dreams and visions always center on musical and the artistic endeavors.  This is what keeps me pushing onward.  This is my desire, a need… if you will, a need to see my art actually become what I have envisioned it to be.  This sounds a lot like what Maslow had to say about this subject.

He said… “A musician must make music, an artist must paint, a poet must write, if he is to be at peace with himself.  What a man can be, he must be.  This is the need we may call self-actualization,,, it refers to man’s desire for fulfillment, namely to the tendency for him to become actually in what he is potentially:  to become everything that one is capable of becoming…”

But, just to ascend to that level of human development can never be a goal, in and of itself.  If that were the case, then Jesus would have been known only as a great man, who did some pretty wild things.  But we know that all of the renaissance babies that were born out of his ministry were the result of one thing… love.  That makes all the difference, because love was the real reason why Jesus did what He did.  Well, since we’ve already determined that God is Love, then now we can see why it’s so important to… “stay connected” to Love.

Look at Jesus’ life and ministry.  Now there’s a guy who dwelt at the pinnacle, basically all the time.  And even though Jesus had wants and desires just like the rest of us, you never saw Him worried about his physical needs, or even His own well-being.  Remember these words? 

“So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’  For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.  But seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”  (Matthew 6:31-33 NIV)

There it is.  Jesus ascended to the pinnacle of self-actualization in everything He did, because He “stayed connected” to the Father.  The result was, whatever He desired, actually became manifest.  There was no waste, no spinning His wheels.  Everything was in tune.  He made every gig count.  And whether He was communicating with the Father or if He was dealing with some ballistic dude in a graveyard, it was memorable and full of purpose.  Every action, every word, every breath became… something.  Talk about living in the moment.  Every moment had a life of it’s own.

This is why the writer in the Gospel of John waxed poetic as he pondered all the works and accomplishments of Jesus.  John says, “…The world itself wouldn’t have room for the books that would be written.”  Yet to understand why Jesus was so self-actualized is to understand another very important and well-known scripture… “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes on Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life.”  (John 3:16)

It’s clear that in everything that Jesus did, the motivation was love.  He did nothing without love, because love was the reason He did it… love for them, love for us, love for God’s Kingdom, and ultimately love for the King.  Maybe now you can see why I talk so much about love.  

Yes, there’s no doubt that Jesus accomplished a lot in those three short years of His earthly ministry.  But dig this.  Although He spoke the most wondrous and profound words of all time, He never wrote a book.  Although He motivated more people throughout the course of history, He never held a political office.  Even though He inspired countless songs and hymns, He never wrote a song of His own, and without ever caring about earthly gain, Jesus fathered millions of success stories, with scores of fortunes laying homage to His name.

So what really keeps me going is the realization that the same love, that motivated Jesus, is alive in me.  His kingdom is at work, to perfect and complete that which concerns me.  And whether I continue to make tents or not, is not the real issue.  Because if Jesus never had a hit single, I won’t worry as much about seeing my own dreams and visions become actualized.  Instead, I’ll live my life knowing that Love will manifest my hopes and dreams in ways I would never have thought possible.

 

Jammin exercise:                           Our days are just a series of actions and reactions.  As we experience everything that life presents to us, we respond in different ways.  For this exercise, commit one day, (from the moment you wake up to the moment you close your eyes to sleep), to be aware of every action you take, as life starts throwing stuff at you.  Think about Maslow’s pyramid and categorize each response.  How did you treat your loved ones as you left for work?  How did you answer that quirky co-worker that always seems to get under your skin?  What did you do or say when that guy cut in front of you during your rush hour drive home? 

Perhaps someone will forget to include you in his or her plans.  You will feel left out and unappreciated.  How will you react? 

Where will your responses fall?  Are most of them in the bottom three levels of the pyramid?  Think about what shape forms out of all your responses, collectively.  Do they resemble the shape of a pyramid?  Jam with God about all this.

Say… “God, show me how to not react out of my basic needs… how not to be so concerned about my safety and comfort zones.  Show me how to not be clouded by my needs for love and self-esteem, but show me how to transcend all these needs and how to stay connected, with you, so that all these things will ultimately follow me, instead of me following after them.

Wow… that’s some powerful jamming!  This kind of tune can be life changing.  Come on!  Pack your bags… we’re moving on up.  Hey guess what?  Notice how much better the view is from up here?