I couldn’t wait to see him. When I heard he was coming to our church to speak, I was so excited!  I marked my calendar almost a year in advance. I even volunteered to serve at the conference. I secretly wanted to be in charge of the green room, but instead I was given a sign and sent outside to be a greeter. But I didn’t care! I was just happy to be there! And when Ravi Zacharias finally stood up to speak, I soaked up every word from the back row of the auditorium!

Ravi is one of my heroes of the faith! I’ve read several of his books. I’ve listened to every podcast and sermon of his I can find. There are many gifted speakers out there. But there’s a difference between being gifted and anointed. Ravi is anointed. The Lord just speaks so powerfully through him.  It is very evident that Ravi is a man who spends a great deal of time with the Lord. He speaks with such wisdom and humility. He’s in his 70’s and has given his life to serving the Lord. There’s just something so beautiful about someone who has run the race of life and clung to the Lord for the long haul. As I sat there listening to him, I wondered what it was about Ravi that I loved so much.

Then it hit me.

What I love so much about Ravi Zacharias is the Lord in him.

I love the Lord in him! 

Then I had another thought. I gave up four hours that night to serve at a conference to see a man who knows and walks before God. Yet I know and have access to the same God that Ravi knows. Sadly, sometimes I put more effort into going to see a man who knows God rather than spending time with the God that man knows!

Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with going to listen to precious Godly saints. God can speak powerfully through them and they can be such a blessing. But nothing—absolutely nothing should be more important than our own personal time alone with God.

I’ve been reading in Acts this past week and have been convicted by the disciples’ boldness and dedication to Christ.

“When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Acts‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭

I love that verse! People saw the boldness of Peter and John and took note that these men had been with Jesus.

A lot of times I get caught up in a some kind of spiritual checklist I think I have to DO in order to be a good Christian. I’m realizing it’s a lot less about what I DO, and a lot more about WHO I’m with.

It’s less about doing things FOR God and a lot more about being WITH God.

We will never be our best for God until we give God our best! And He wants more than our good deeds. He wants US!

And when He has us and we have Him, the things we do for God are so much sweeter.

Or maybe we are getting it backwards. We need the with before the do. 

Before we go out and DO things for God, we must first learn how to be WITH God. 

You know if you hang around someone long enough, you’ll start to look like them. You’ll act like them. Talk like them. Pick up their mannerisms and habits. Their interests will become your interests.

If you hang with the world, you’ll look like the world. 

The same is true with the Lord. If you start hanging around Him, spending time in His Word and in prayer, you will start to look like Him. You’ll act like Him. Talk like Him. Pick up His mannerisms and habits. His interests will become your interests.

If you hang with the Lord, you’ll look like the Lord. 

And people will look at you with astonishment and take note that you have been with Jesus.

People who hang with Jesus are a beautiful site to behold! Ravi is one of them! And you can be too!

So mark your calendar! Make plans to go see Him! And you know what else is so cool about hanging out with the Lord?

You always get “green room” access!