“You get what you go for.”

So many times we don’t even realize what we “go for”. I would claim that many christians go for “second hand revelations”, “second hand experiences” and “second hand stories”. We (I totally include myself here) forget that our God is a relational and personal God. He has a perfect personal story for each and every one of us. Sometimes it’s hard to believe this even though it’s a common phrase. Because of this I think we have forgotten to really meditate over this statement in order to truly understand what it means.

Second hand revelations

I personally love to watch podcasts. Well, sermons. It’s entertaining, I don’t feel bad that I’m kind of watching TV and I can take something out of it. Most of the time. If I’m motivated, I even take notes. Then I am totally satisfied with myself.

Happy that I spent time with God,  I go on with what I was doing.

What I have realized a few days ago is that I believed something wrong. I didn’t spend time with God. Not personal time. I listened to someone who for sure had spent time with God but I myself only listened to this “second hand revelation”. I could totally learn something out of his revelations and things he had learned and understood. But I was consuming and not discovering. I decided that for the next few weeks I wouldn’t listen to any podcast. I just wanted to bring myself into a position of discovering and spending time with my God. To get to know him more personally. This brings me to the next point.

Second hand experiences

You grow through the things you have experienced – good and bad things. How could “second hand experiences” fully grow you into your potential when someone else had to go through a process and you only consume the product. If you want to understand the quality and price, you have to experience everything. Not that I’m telling you to try out all the bad things or things you have always wanted to do and now  you have a reason to do so. Rather want I encourage you to ask God where the next journey of his can lead you to experience his love, greatness and craziness. I’m convinced that when it is written in Romans 8:28 “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him…” it also means that through experiences we have made, the product turns out good. The way may have taught us how hard and challenging life can be but the product shows how great God is. So let’s get ready for your own God experiences and a little spice in your life. It’s called the Spirit of God. Let’s give him the room to let us experience God in his fullness.

Second hand stories

Isn’t it more fun to be a part of a story than only listening to it? When I hear crazy Godly led moments and stories, most of the time, I wish I could have been a part of it. Sometimes I’m glad I wasn’t. And I also love to share those already shared stories and honestly I wish I could share some of those that are mine. It would even be more authentic to share a story that was mine.

What I have learned and realized is that if I want to get to know Jesus I need to seek him and spend time with him. Not a “Jesus-experiencer”. – Jesus. I can spend time with a “Jesus-sharer” to be encouraged by the stories which give me a desire to spend time with Jesus. If you spend time with someone – you naturally get stories.

How to spend time and experience Jesus

If you thought that I would tell you how I spend time with him and experience his love, craziness and good stories, you should start reading my blog post again. That would be a “second hand revelation”, “second hand experience” and maybe “second hand story” in one. I want you to seek the Lord, challenge yourself and enjoy it.

I want you to go for a “first hand”personal relationship with it’s own stories, experiences and revelations.