I am getting ready to start an on-line Bible Study with Bible Gateway. The Study is called The Path To The Cross. I opted for the accompanying study book and began reading it today to prep for the first video class next week. At the end of the reading prior to the video, the study book asked two questions.
The first was what I thought a life of passionate obedience and faithful devotion to God looked like.
The question brought to my mind two verses from the Bible, one from the Old Testament and one from the new. The first was Micah 6:8
"He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God."
Wow, sounds simple. I thought about it, though. I must take every thought and action and hold it to the light of this verse. Are they just, even if my worldly mind does not feel just response is required? Are they merciful, even in the face of the unmerciful? And, are they humble even if the humility goes against what I feel I deserve. Not as easy as the few words of the Lord's requirements.
The second verse was from the Book of Romans, Chapter 13, verse 8: "Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, 'You shall not commit adultery,' 'You shall not murder,' 'You shall not steal,' 'You shall not bear false witness,' 'You shall not covet,' and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law."
Another wow, when you really think about it. Every thought and action must now be exposed to the light of love. They must be totally loving regardless of the thoughts or actions that my own are prompted by from another, another maybe not so loving.
The second question was equally thought provoking. It wanted to know what sacrifices might be required in order to obey God and love Him with all my heart, soul and strength? My list started pretty quickly.....1) My pride, 2)The self-importance of my desires, 3)My personal opinion, 4)My personal vengeance, 5)My goals, my wants, my desires. Basically the "My" part of life. Sacrifices really are uncomfortable when they invade your personal space.....
If you feel the tug, share your comments or personal observations on the two questions.
Saturday, February 29, 2020
Sunday, February 23, 2020
Just This Side of Understanding
Do you ever read something, scripture in particular, and feel that there is something there you just don't understand?
It is good to contemplate those things. It may be that God wants you to look deeper, to reach into His Word and pull things together, to pray and meditate about the passage that puzzles you. If that be the case, the Holy Spirit will reward your efforts with new understanding.
It may also be that you are not ready at this point in your faith; that you are yet to have the ability to understand that which escapes you. It may that you are, as God said to me this morning, "You are just this side of understanding." I believe that is part of our faith; the part that says even if I don't understand, I believe and trust.
If we get all tied up in having to understand every little (or big) thing, we can miss a lot that God has for us on the road that we are traveling. At times we have to be an Abraham....just pack up and head out to a place He will (at some point) show us. This can be physically, vocationally or theologically. Jesus told His disciples, when they were brought before the courts, not to worry about what they would say, that The Holy Spirit would speak through them. Do you think that they really understood? I don't and I doubt they did when it happened, because they were "just this side of understanding."
God tells us "My thoughts are not your thoughts." I am just happy when God decides I am ready for something knew and opens my mind and understanding just a bit! So, I keep reading and praying and listening. I can't imagine what it will be like to cross over to the side of understanding and be illuminated by all of God's Glory, to worship the Source of all knowledge, to understand the bottomless love and compassion of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, to give eternal thanks to my Savior.
Its all just over there....
It is good to contemplate those things. It may be that God wants you to look deeper, to reach into His Word and pull things together, to pray and meditate about the passage that puzzles you. If that be the case, the Holy Spirit will reward your efforts with new understanding.
It may also be that you are not ready at this point in your faith; that you are yet to have the ability to understand that which escapes you. It may that you are, as God said to me this morning, "You are just this side of understanding." I believe that is part of our faith; the part that says even if I don't understand, I believe and trust.
If we get all tied up in having to understand every little (or big) thing, we can miss a lot that God has for us on the road that we are traveling. At times we have to be an Abraham....just pack up and head out to a place He will (at some point) show us. This can be physically, vocationally or theologically. Jesus told His disciples, when they were brought before the courts, not to worry about what they would say, that The Holy Spirit would speak through them. Do you think that they really understood? I don't and I doubt they did when it happened, because they were "just this side of understanding."
God tells us "My thoughts are not your thoughts." I am just happy when God decides I am ready for something knew and opens my mind and understanding just a bit! So, I keep reading and praying and listening. I can't imagine what it will be like to cross over to the side of understanding and be illuminated by all of God's Glory, to worship the Source of all knowledge, to understand the bottomless love and compassion of the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, to give eternal thanks to my Savior.
Its all just over there....
Saturday, February 15, 2020
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
