Living Object Lesson

For years I have used the word demonstrative to describe the way God deals with me.  God demonstrates Himself, His thoughts and His mind to me, often in quite expressive and tangible ways. Another way I’ve described it is that He delivers deep lessons in visual ways so that I don’t miss the point of the message. Living object lessons. For example, tree limbs through my windshield as a response to my angry words, *being stuck in an elevator to make a point about listening to Martha, a plague of fowl cholera on our chickens to hammer home a message on taking my position of authority, or as with my post on my health crisis, He reveals through chastisement His disapproval for my hating life.  I have countless object lessons which reveal deep spiritual truths.

Christ did this repeatedly when He was here among us.  He would give living parables to potential disciples, because quite simply, we relate to a good story.  Tell me about the molecular structure of an atom in relation to fueling a rocket (hahaha, I can’t even give a real example), and I am lost. But talk about something that is familiar in my life, and I get it!  More than that, show me something in my life that costs me – and I am not likely to forget it for quite some time.

For me, the word demonstrative has always meant presenting a grand display and outward demonstration, a visual representation—which is essentially correct.  One of the definitions is: characterized or established by demonstration. But the other day, while writing a post, I saw that there was a hidden message for me in this very word. This word that I’ve been using quite freely, had an additional meaning that I’d never seen before.

Isn’t this the way of God?! We think one thing is going on, and in reality there’s quite a bit more. God’s truths are multifaceted.  When I looked up demonstrative in the dictionary, an additional meaning was: affectionate, warm, loving, friendly, emotional, expressive, open, effusive…  So, though I was completely right in my word choices, I had no idea how deeply true that choice was. God wasn’t just demonstrating something as real or true; He was demonstratively expressing His heart to me. He was affectionately, effusively, and warmly loving me! Truly amazing! He wasn’t simply delivering a message; He was infusing the moments with His passionate love to communicate to me. He was demonstrating LOVE!

For me this is huge, because I often call Jesus, Teacher, and can neglect to remember Him as Lover.

So how will I relate this deeply personal revelation to your life? Very simply. He’s moving to communicate in each and every disciple’s life. It might not be like He speaks to me (actually, I’m sure it isn’t).  Why would He speak to you using my vernacular? We all are very unique and He is an expansive God.  His thoughts towards you will be delivered handcrafted for you.

These messages might not come daily or even weekly, but they are so powerful and packed with meaning, that we need time to process them.  As a disciple, listen to your moments.  Hear His voice in the wind. He’s speaking in each of our circumstances to reveal Himself to our hearts.  It is too easy to excuse our situations as happenstance. But if we look into the Father’s eyes for understanding, then His demonstrative messages will become the effusiveness of love, rather than just mere demonstration.

I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from My Father I have made known to you.
John 15:15 NIV

* The sign in the image for this post reads:
WARNING
Please Do Not Jump in the Elevator
Jumping in the elevator will cause safety devices to operate which will disable and stop the elevator. Persons jumping in the elevator may be held responsible for damages!

Though this image wasn’t taken in the elevator God chose to use for my object lesson, it appears this sign might have been posted for others with their own object lesson (smile!).