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Usher, Augustine, Jesus, and You

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I can't win, I can't reign
I will never win this game
Without you, without you.

I am lost, I am vain,
I will never be the same
Without you, without you.

I won't run, I won't fly
I will never make it by
Without you, without you.

I can't rest, I can't fight
All I need is you and I,
Without you, without.... You!
                               —From Without You

Usher gets it. I get it.

Do you get it?

I’m fairly confident that Usher penned these lyrics with a soul mate in mind, but he reveals the true nature of the human heart, which is reflected in a man named Augustine who REALLY gets it:

Fecisti nos ad te et inquietum est cor nostrum donec requiescat in te.

Translation: 

You have formed us for Yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they find rest in you.

This great confession from St. Augustine goes back over 1500 years, but it sure sounds a lot like the lyrics from Usher - wouldn’t you agree?  And even though Usher and Augustine lived ages and ages apart, they both echo the basic fact that we all have holes in our hearts of differing sizes and shapes that can only be filled with realities that match the identical configurations of our needs.

For example, I have an entertainment shaped hole in my life, so I seek out experiences that satiate my desire to laugh and be amused.

I also have a sports patterned hole that changes during the year from a football to a basketball to a baseball.

And, like you and the other 6,999,999,998 people on the planet, I have a gap in my heart that is bigger than all of time and space combined.  I tried to change the shape of the hole so I could fill it with stuff I already had, but that only amounted to realizing that the need I had is as big as eternity itself.

I came to the gripping comprehension that my heart was going to remain restless until I found rest in Him.  To be human is to walk this earth as yearning “enfleshed”!  That is until we find our respite in a relationship with the God who became flesh so He could die for our sins and give us eternal life.   

I remember the day I went from a “without Him” life to a “with Him” existence.

Now I can win, I can reign
I will forever win this game
With You, with You.

I was lost, I was vain
But His love will always be the same
With You, with You.

I can run, I can fly
I will always make it by
With You, with You.

I can finally rest, I can fight
All I needed is You and I,
With You, with.... You!

And here’s the most amazing part of all:

"All those who love me will do what I say. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and live with them when the Father sends the Counselor as my representative--and by the Counselor I mean the Holy Spirit - he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I myself have told you" (John 14:23;26, NLT).

Jesus is telling us that as believers, we have the amazing privilege of having God live inside us. And did you notice He used the word “we”? The fact is, when we trust Christ, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit make their home in our heart. That's when the gap gets filled, and we never need be restless again.

So now instead of an empty cavern as the dwelling place of my soul, God has built a palace for the Trinity in which He abides.

I have a heavenly Father, so no matter what our earthly father is/was like, we have a perfect and unconditionally loving One who will never leave us or forsake us.

We have a Savior in Jesus who is both God and human, which means there is no temptation or trial we can go through that He hasn't been through already, and He gives us omnipotent power to conquer it.

We have a Spirit living inside us who is none other than God Himself, which means we are never, ever, alone. He is always there to cheer, comfort, encourage, guide, and a hundred other things that only God can do.

If you are feeling Usherish or Augustinish today and Without You is the unfortunate soundtrack to your life, open the door of your heart to Jesus and let Him show you what it is like to change the tune to With Him.

And remember that all your friends who live life alienated from their Creator have a hole in their hearts as well.  Tell them about the God who moves in and brings a peace beyond understanding when they place their trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.

Without You or with You, God…the choice is ours!

 

The fact that all people have a God shaped hole in their hearts should give us great boldness in THE Cause of making disciples who make disciples.  Don’t be fooled by people who seem to have life’s loneliness problem solved apart from Jesus Christ.  Look for opportunities to let the love of Christ radiate into the dark places of their lives so you can share the gospel with them.

Father, thank You for this reminder that without You, our hearts are indeed empty and lonely.  Please give us a fresh perspective on what life is truly like with You, and let others be drawn to respond to the gospel because of the contentment and joy they see in us. 

Revelation 3:20. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”

Check out Dare 2 Share’s new website gospeljourney.com. It’s a great resource to help you share your faith with your friends.