| | Let me say to you that I will make no promises about future blogs since it has been a year since I've left anything on this site. Anyway, God is teaching me something. God is not a Genie in a bottle. He doesn't always give us the quick answer, wish or quick fix. I used to always think that it was weird when Jesus spoke in riddles. I used to think, "why does he make things seem complicated or am I missing anything?" Now I think (emphasis on "I think") I know why Jesus spoke in riddles and complex analogies. And I don't think that it has to do with us or teachers knowing the Greek or biblical background better (though I've had 2 years of Koine Greek and several biblical background classes). But God speaks to the common man, even the one with out an education. What Jesus is saying is, "...seek and you shall find. Knock and the door will be opened." (Matt. 4:7-8) OR "But if from there you seek the LORD your God, you will find him if you look for him with all your heart and with all your soul." (Deut. 4:29).
You have to seek. It is interesting because in Romans 3 it says something to the effect that "there is no one who seeks, there is no one who does good." And this is also true. So how can both be true. Well no one can seek enough and no one can do good enough to reach God on their own. But if we'll just run with the little voice in our head that says, "just read a sentence in my Bible today... just put aside 5 minutes for Me in your busy day. Just be open to hearing my voice no matter where it comes from. Just seek me in the way that you currently can right now... just do something going towards me... just go .0001 percent of the way toward me. And I will go the rest of the 99.9990 percent of the way toward you..." "Come near to God and He will come near to you..." (James 4:8) Oh and for you strict Calvinists (I used to be one) just in case you are thinking that I left out the biblical theological idea that it is not up to us, but God loved us first. I didn't. God's sovereignty in all is biblical and true. If it were not the truth, there would be no way that we could even go .0001 of the way toward God.
But this is a process. This is a painful process. It is about having a relationship with the living God of the universe! And relationships are always messy. Not because God is messy, but because we are messy. And there are always ups and downs. And there is no "love at first sight-happily ever after" with us toward God. We doubt. We get hurt. We blame God. We look for other gods when things are going well for us. This seems to be human nature. And sometimes God doesn't rescue us from the trial. And sometimes we don't get what we want. But God sometimes allows us to go through the trial because we grow and understand what really matters with out getting the quick fix or answer. We become more desperate for Him and dependent on Him. Then we'll know what it means "to know Christ and the power of His ressurection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death, and so somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Philippian 3:10-11). Then you can "consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance" (James 1:2-3).
So seek Jesus with all of your heart and He will show up through the thick and the thin!
Scott
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| | Posted 6/7/2008 5:21 PM - 68 Views - 6 eProps - 3 comments
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