Last week I was able to listen to someone talk about his faith and it was just what I needed to hear. His faith was not from a book, it was not handed down or passed along. He did not simply hear about it and accept it as true. He EXPERIENCED Jesus, and developed his faith. It was his own. That's the only kind of faith that makes sense.
When I seek God, I find Him!
I find the King of Kings, the all powerful, true, loving Father. The real, true and available Jesus. He came so that I could have fullness of life. He came not to condemn, but to love. His kingdom promises peace, love, joy and goodness. His love encompasses ALL.
THAT IS GOOD NEWS.
If I do not personally grasp why the gospel (the message of Jesus) is GOOD NEWS, I will never understand how to share it with others, nor will I ever believe that it's worth sharing.
Is it "good news" that there is God and He wants us all to belong to a certain "club" and if we don't join that club, He will personally use his infinite power to throw us into a physical lake of fire and watch us burn in torment for all eternity? Um, what is good about that?
I guess it's good for those who have joined the club and have agreed to the membership criteria (comprehend and agree with enough of the theology to be considered "in" and not "out").
What if the good news is that Jesus is the light of the world (John 1;4-5) and that He came so that we could have life to the full (John 10:10) and that He wants us to come to him like children - full of wonder and questions, embracing mystery instead of demanding intellectual understanding (Mark 10:15).
What if Jesus offers the kingdom of heaven to all of us right now, not after we die (Matthew 4:17)? And what if he promises blessings for the poor in spirit, the grieving, the meek, the persecuted (Matthew 5:3-10)?
And what if His love can't be earned because it's a free gift he wants us to simply accept (Eph 1;6-10)?
And what if he gets angry with those who claim to earn his free gift, accusing them of being hypocrites and of seeking honor among men (Matthew 6)?
And what if Jesus is the full revelation of God (John 14:6-9, John 10:30, Col 1;15) which means that all revelations of God (scripture, holy spirit, spoken words) could be viewed through the lens of Jesus and his character and truth?
And what if many things remain a mystery to us, because we are not God and our minds and imaginations remain limited (Col 4:3)
What if, when we are questioned about our faith in Jesus, we could confidently answer "I don't know" when we Don't Know!?
And what if our true measure of faith is not certainty that we have access to absolute truth and can win any argument, and answer any question, but that we are sure of what we hope for (Heb 11:1)?
Jesus is GOOD NEWS.
Jesus asked that his disciples would make more disciples by sharing the good news.
We can only share something if we have it to share.
If we walk around thinking we need to have all of the answers, then we fear we may not be able to share because someone else might out wit or out question us.
That's true.
Because Jesus didn't ask us to go out and make converts to our way of thinking. He did ask us to go and make disciples. And Peter did suggest that we always be prepared to give an account for the reason for the hope that we have (1Peter 3:15).
How can we give the reason for our hope?
We need to HAVE it to SHARE it.
Jesus is GOOD NEWS and I have no shame in sharing that! He is the reason for the hope that I have, and why would I ever shy away from sharing the reason for my hope?
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
Monday, March 2, 2015
Do we want wisdom?
Found myself in the Proverbs today.
Words from Solomon, who God blessed with unsurpassed wisdom.
Sure, I'll take some wisdom! Who wouldn't want some more wisdom?
Actually, I think if we are honest, we don't always want more wisdom. We might say we do, but do we really?
Today it really blew me away when I considered what Solomon did. If we are familiar with the story, it probably seems trivial. But, it's remarkable!
In 2 Chronicles 1:7 God says to Solomon "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." And, what does Solomon ask for? He asks for "wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people". And here is the part I found interesting today. God responds to Solomon saying "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life, but for wisdom and knowledge....it will be given you..."
The way I see it, God is granting Solomon wisdom, but if he had asked for the other stupid stuff, he probably wouldn't have gotten it! When I looked more closely at God's words to Solomon, He didn't say "Ask me for whatever you desire and your wish is my command" (like a magic genie).
So, when I was reading in Proverbs today, it struck me. It says "turn your ear to wisdom - apply your heart to understanding - call out for insight - cry out for understanding - search for it as for silver or hidden treasure...THEN you will understand and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom."
How much prayer time do we honestly spend seeking wisdom, understanding, insight, knowledge? And how much time to we spend reciting a list of wants, needs, desires, hopes and answers?
I don't think there is anything wrong with asking God for things! There are times when all we can do is cry out for God to do something, and I know He loves when we express our hearts to Him.
But today I am reminded that God promises wisdom and understanding. He promises that if we seek HIM we will find HIM.
James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously without finding fault."
Wisdom is not just knowledge, but understanding and discernment. The ability to make wise decisions. Seeking wisdom is seeking God himself, not just "the answers". When we seek God for the sake of seeking HIM and not just "answers" he promises us wisdom.
But I think we often want a crystal ball or a magic genie, and not more of God himself. We want to fill our minds and hearts with answers and solutions and plans instead of wanting to fill our minds and hearts with the revelation of God himself.
But the very thing we crave and desire - to fill our hearts and minds - can be met by seeking God. He delivers. And when we find him, we find everything.
Love
Purpose
Truth
Identity
Direction
When we find that love, purpose and truth, it guides our decisions, plans and actions. It transforms our own desires into His desires which are PURE and free from pride, selfishness, greed, and fear.
That's what we get when we seek Him! We get the desires of His heart! It may not always match the desires of our own hearts. But, He can change our hearts to be like His. That's what I really want!
But, in order to believe this, I need to believe that He is Good.
I need to believe that He is trustworthy.
Otherwise, I simply hold on to my own desires, plans and hopes and desperately pray for Him to conform to what I demand Him to be and do for me.
Is that the God I really want? A God who leaves it all up to me? Or do I want a God who has proven to be all loving, all powerful, all trustworthy, all true, and beyond my wildest imagination of complexity?
I want more of him, and less of me - whatever that looks like.
If any part of me is transformed to be more like Him and more like the me he created and designed me to be for His purpose - that is my greatest JOY!
I want more of Him. That's what I seek.
I wonder what would have happened if Solomon had asked God for something else like power? Or if he had asked for wisdom with a selfish motive, rather than a desire to lead people and honor God?
Words from Solomon, who God blessed with unsurpassed wisdom.
Sure, I'll take some wisdom! Who wouldn't want some more wisdom?
Actually, I think if we are honest, we don't always want more wisdom. We might say we do, but do we really?
Today it really blew me away when I considered what Solomon did. If we are familiar with the story, it probably seems trivial. But, it's remarkable!
In 2 Chronicles 1:7 God says to Solomon "Ask for whatever you want me to give you." And, what does Solomon ask for? He asks for "wisdom and knowledge, that I may lead this people". And here is the part I found interesting today. God responds to Solomon saying "Since this is your heart's desire and you have not asked for wealth, riches or honor, nor for the death of your enemies, and since you have not asked for a long life, but for wisdom and knowledge....it will be given you..."
The way I see it, God is granting Solomon wisdom, but if he had asked for the other stupid stuff, he probably wouldn't have gotten it! When I looked more closely at God's words to Solomon, He didn't say "Ask me for whatever you desire and your wish is my command" (like a magic genie).
So, when I was reading in Proverbs today, it struck me. It says "turn your ear to wisdom - apply your heart to understanding - call out for insight - cry out for understanding - search for it as for silver or hidden treasure...THEN you will understand and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord gives wisdom."
How much prayer time do we honestly spend seeking wisdom, understanding, insight, knowledge? And how much time to we spend reciting a list of wants, needs, desires, hopes and answers?
I don't think there is anything wrong with asking God for things! There are times when all we can do is cry out for God to do something, and I know He loves when we express our hearts to Him.
But today I am reminded that God promises wisdom and understanding. He promises that if we seek HIM we will find HIM.
James 1:5 says "If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously without finding fault."
Wisdom is not just knowledge, but understanding and discernment. The ability to make wise decisions. Seeking wisdom is seeking God himself, not just "the answers". When we seek God for the sake of seeking HIM and not just "answers" he promises us wisdom.
But I think we often want a crystal ball or a magic genie, and not more of God himself. We want to fill our minds and hearts with answers and solutions and plans instead of wanting to fill our minds and hearts with the revelation of God himself.
But the very thing we crave and desire - to fill our hearts and minds - can be met by seeking God. He delivers. And when we find him, we find everything.
Love
Purpose
Truth
Identity
Direction
When we find that love, purpose and truth, it guides our decisions, plans and actions. It transforms our own desires into His desires which are PURE and free from pride, selfishness, greed, and fear.
That's what we get when we seek Him! We get the desires of His heart! It may not always match the desires of our own hearts. But, He can change our hearts to be like His. That's what I really want!
But, in order to believe this, I need to believe that He is Good.
I need to believe that He is trustworthy.
Otherwise, I simply hold on to my own desires, plans and hopes and desperately pray for Him to conform to what I demand Him to be and do for me.
Is that the God I really want? A God who leaves it all up to me? Or do I want a God who has proven to be all loving, all powerful, all trustworthy, all true, and beyond my wildest imagination of complexity?
I want more of him, and less of me - whatever that looks like.
If any part of me is transformed to be more like Him and more like the me he created and designed me to be for His purpose - that is my greatest JOY!
I want more of Him. That's what I seek.
I wonder what would have happened if Solomon had asked God for something else like power? Or if he had asked for wisdom with a selfish motive, rather than a desire to lead people and honor God?
Friday, February 6, 2015
Steal and Kill and Destroy
My hope is that I would never waste one single breath of my life dreading the future.
Because, I believe that we live in a battle between good and evil. And, if I surrender for even a fleeting moment to dread and worry, then I have given victory to the evil one.
I believe that John 10:10 is truth. It quotes Jesus saying "The thief comes ONLY to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
Jesus refers to the evil one as "the thief". The crazy thing is, I invite him in sometimes. Who, in their right mind, would invite a thief in and let him hang around? That's insane. But, I have done it plenty of times.
He is so good! He is also referred to in the bible as "Father of lies". He is so good at getting me to believe lies. And, maybe one of his most successful schemes is to get me worrying about the future.
I can remember when my two girls were babies.
Oh, I can clearly recall the joy I felt when Alli, at the age of three, would give love to her baby sister. She would hug her and squeeze her and sometimes I could see that she had to practice restraint to refrain from squeezing her too hard while hugging her. She would actually be gritting her teeth while saying "Ohhhhhhh, I love you!" Meanwhile, just when I thought my heart couldn't explode with any more joy, there was Liv! Her toothless smile so big that her big fat cheeks would squish her eyes shut.
I would look at them and think, "It can't get any better than this! I need to freeze time! I can't contain the joy of this moment, and I don't want it to slip away." And, it's true that I couldn't freeze time, and the moment would slip away. But, there I would be, in a moment of pure joy, feeling like I could understand the presence of God and his goodness and heaven on earth and the fact that I was standing on holy ground in His presence......and I would allow the enemy to invade!
It would start with a quick panicked feeling that something this good can't last. Then I would find myself worrying that something terrible might happen to one of my girls some day. Then I would slowly let my mind drift 5 years into the future...10 years....15 years.... And, before I knew what was happening I would find myself dreading the future.
Although my baby girls brought me moments of ecstatic joy, they were both independent and strong willed and not what you would call "easy". So, I would allow my imagination to drift far into the future and dread what they might be like as teenagers. I did that way too often. I can recall so many times just looking at them and thinking "when you girls are 15 and 12, life is going to be hell in our home." I hate that I ever spent any time thinking that. But,I did. And, I am certain it was the thief coming to steal my joy.
How stupid I was!
Because, my girls are now 15 and 12.
And I am experiencing the same moments of pure joy when I am around them. I love hanging out with them more than I ever have! I thought I would look at babies and longingly wish for those days. Nope. I do not. I see babies and honestly don't even miss when my girls were that age because I am enjoying them SO MUCH as they are right now, blossoming into young ladies!
Being a parent is super scary! Right now I have a baby who has her driver's permit and will be getting her license. She has a boyfriend, got her first "real job", and is talking about her plans for college. I have another baby who is an adventure-seeking, independent, unpredictable soul and she will be entering the teen years where there are lots of opportunities for "adventure".
Sometimes, I am tempted to dread the next 10 years and worry about how it could possibly all play out without major disappointments or even catastrophic mistakes!
But, I resist that temptation whenever I am strong enough and have enough clarity of mind. And, instead I CHOOSE to rest in the truth of what Jesus said, as recorded in John 10:10. Jesus wants us to have life to the FULL. Worry and dread are not ways to have life to the full.
At the risk of sounding a bit morbid, I am dying. We are all dying. We just don't know when. It is possible that this year, or this day, could be my last one on earth. What a shame it would be to spend my last days imagining or dreading a future that I am not even going to see. Who knows? None of us do. We only have today. And, God promises us mercies fresh each morning and everything we need for today. He doesn't say, "I come to give you joy for next year..." We have to wait and receive that gift when it's given to us.
So, today I want to recognize the crafty thief who wants to steal my joy, and turn my back on him. I don't even need to fight him off, I just have to let him know he is not welcome. I'm protected by my loving Father who is much more powerful than any evil scheme. And I rest happily in that love.
And I smile at my awesome girls and enjoy every moment I have with them.
Because, I believe that we live in a battle between good and evil. And, if I surrender for even a fleeting moment to dread and worry, then I have given victory to the evil one.
I believe that John 10:10 is truth. It quotes Jesus saying "The thief comes ONLY to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."
Jesus refers to the evil one as "the thief". The crazy thing is, I invite him in sometimes. Who, in their right mind, would invite a thief in and let him hang around? That's insane. But, I have done it plenty of times.
He is so good! He is also referred to in the bible as "Father of lies". He is so good at getting me to believe lies. And, maybe one of his most successful schemes is to get me worrying about the future.
I can remember when my two girls were babies.
Oh, I can clearly recall the joy I felt when Alli, at the age of three, would give love to her baby sister. She would hug her and squeeze her and sometimes I could see that she had to practice restraint to refrain from squeezing her too hard while hugging her. She would actually be gritting her teeth while saying "Ohhhhhhh, I love you!" Meanwhile, just when I thought my heart couldn't explode with any more joy, there was Liv! Her toothless smile so big that her big fat cheeks would squish her eyes shut.
I would look at them and think, "It can't get any better than this! I need to freeze time! I can't contain the joy of this moment, and I don't want it to slip away." And, it's true that I couldn't freeze time, and the moment would slip away. But, there I would be, in a moment of pure joy, feeling like I could understand the presence of God and his goodness and heaven on earth and the fact that I was standing on holy ground in His presence......and I would allow the enemy to invade!
It would start with a quick panicked feeling that something this good can't last. Then I would find myself worrying that something terrible might happen to one of my girls some day. Then I would slowly let my mind drift 5 years into the future...10 years....15 years.... And, before I knew what was happening I would find myself dreading the future.
Although my baby girls brought me moments of ecstatic joy, they were both independent and strong willed and not what you would call "easy". So, I would allow my imagination to drift far into the future and dread what they might be like as teenagers. I did that way too often. I can recall so many times just looking at them and thinking "when you girls are 15 and 12, life is going to be hell in our home." I hate that I ever spent any time thinking that. But,I did. And, I am certain it was the thief coming to steal my joy.
How stupid I was!
Because, my girls are now 15 and 12.
And I am experiencing the same moments of pure joy when I am around them. I love hanging out with them more than I ever have! I thought I would look at babies and longingly wish for those days. Nope. I do not. I see babies and honestly don't even miss when my girls were that age because I am enjoying them SO MUCH as they are right now, blossoming into young ladies!
Being a parent is super scary! Right now I have a baby who has her driver's permit and will be getting her license. She has a boyfriend, got her first "real job", and is talking about her plans for college. I have another baby who is an adventure-seeking, independent, unpredictable soul and she will be entering the teen years where there are lots of opportunities for "adventure".
Sometimes, I am tempted to dread the next 10 years and worry about how it could possibly all play out without major disappointments or even catastrophic mistakes!
But, I resist that temptation whenever I am strong enough and have enough clarity of mind. And, instead I CHOOSE to rest in the truth of what Jesus said, as recorded in John 10:10. Jesus wants us to have life to the FULL. Worry and dread are not ways to have life to the full.
At the risk of sounding a bit morbid, I am dying. We are all dying. We just don't know when. It is possible that this year, or this day, could be my last one on earth. What a shame it would be to spend my last days imagining or dreading a future that I am not even going to see. Who knows? None of us do. We only have today. And, God promises us mercies fresh each morning and everything we need for today. He doesn't say, "I come to give you joy for next year..." We have to wait and receive that gift when it's given to us.
So, today I want to recognize the crafty thief who wants to steal my joy, and turn my back on him. I don't even need to fight him off, I just have to let him know he is not welcome. I'm protected by my loving Father who is much more powerful than any evil scheme. And I rest happily in that love.
And I smile at my awesome girls and enjoy every moment I have with them.
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
The Appetite Grows By Eating
Wow! Haven't posted in so long.
I was just in my bathroom and I looked at my two color-coordinated towels, as I do pretty much every time I use the bathroom. And, as is usually my habit, I straightened out the blue towel which resides on the outer towel bar and wondered how it is that I straighten it every time I wash my hands, yet it always ends up uneven and haphazard the next time.
Anyways, my train of thought went something like this. "I love the colors in this bathroom...I think it's my favorite room in the house when it comes to decor and colors...I love these towels...I'm so glad we have them...They were a Christmas gift from my parents a few years ago when we lived in our apartment and our nice thick towels were never drying in our tiny bathroom so we got these giant, quick-dry towels in colors that make me happy...I love that my towels match my shower curtain...I remember this summer looking for a towel to replace this blue one because we somehow ended up with some bleached out spots on this one....but I couldn't find an exact replacement and didn't want to mess up the set...but I looked...and I looked...online...in stores...how did i even find time to do that?...And why did it seem important then, but now that seems ludicrous when this towel is perfectly fine, aside from a few light spots that simply make them look like a well loved towel that gets used..."
Yes, all of those thoughts went through my head in about 5 seconds as I dried my hands.
Here is something that occurred to me.
See, we are in the middle of a family decision that will greatly affect our finances. It's very likely that our income will be decreasing by more than half. We trust that God is leading us and we know He will provide, so we aren't worried, but we know that the adjustment is not going to be easy. So, it's on our minds as we move forward.
That was not the case a few months ago. We were just getting ourselves in a position financially where we could start to anticipate a surplus and start to build up some savings.
I entitled this post "The Appetite Grows By Eating" (A quote by some random French dude) because I think it is so true! When I was feeling like our finances allowed for me to have more, I craved more. I had an appetite for stuff. Since we could afford it, and my purchases are usually pretty frugal, I bought some stuff. Comforter covers for our beds, a rug for my room, chairs for our living room. Ok, all of these were thrift store or garage sale purchases, but that is definitely NOT the point. The point is, the more I fed my craving, the more I noticed things that I wanted. My appetite was growing.
We are super spoiled by our parents for Christmas. This past year was no exception. My parents asked what we wanted, and I had no problem coming up with a list! I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that, but it's interesting. I'm a fairly content person, and I found myself seriously wanting the things on my list.
My appetite was growing because I was feeding it.
The same thing happens with food. A few months ago, I went on a weekend retreat with a bunch of high school and middle school kids. We were provided with three meals a day, and there was plenty of food. However, it is my habit to eat smaller meals more frequently. So, when I went to the meal times during this retreat, I would pile up a lot more food than usual onto my tray because I didn't want to find myself hungry a little while later, having to wait until the next scheduled mealtime. I'm weird like that. Anyways, I ended up eating way more than normal at every single meal. Well, when I got home, I found that I was not satisfied with my usual breakfast of one egg on a slice of toast. I wanted two eggs and two slices of toast. My appetite had grown because I fed it!
So this is what occurred to me today while thinking about my towels. I need to be very thoughtful about what appetite I am feeding. Think about it. As a follower of Jesus, it is my desire to know Him more and to receive His power through the holy spirit. So, I have an appetite for MORE Jesus. What am I doing to feed that appetite? And, if the appetite grows by eating, then wouldn't it follow that the more of Jesus I get, the more of Him I will want?
YES!
That's exactly how it works. Spiritual disciplines like praying, listening for the voice of God, reading scripture, praising Him,etc can sometimes feel like they take a lot of effort. Some people get discouraged because they believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, and they want to have a surrendered life to Him, but they find themselves neglecting that relationship day after day after day, feeling a sense of disappointment and guilt instead of fullness and peace. I think it can take some effort at times to discipline our spirit and our body to seek God. But....I know first hand that when you feed that appetite, it GROWS! And when you find out who God really is and you connect with Him in spirit, you can't get enough!
Jesus identified himself as the "bread of life". He knew what he was talking about.
I heard a sermon once about feeding on Jesus. It was so interesting. The gist of it was this: If you are hungry, do you want to sing about food? Read about food? Talk to others about food? Hear someone teach you more about food? Maybe. But, ultimately, you want to eat the food! And that is what Jesus talks about. He is the bread of life. He offers us fullness and satisfaction beyond anything we can imagine. And, it's great if we sing about him, talk to others about him, listen to teachings about him, read about him....but...eventually we need to feed ourselves...and He is the bread that will satisfy. And once we taste this bread, our appetite will grow!
Yay. Felt good to blab on my blog again.
I was just in my bathroom and I looked at my two color-coordinated towels, as I do pretty much every time I use the bathroom. And, as is usually my habit, I straightened out the blue towel which resides on the outer towel bar and wondered how it is that I straighten it every time I wash my hands, yet it always ends up uneven and haphazard the next time.
Anyways, my train of thought went something like this. "I love the colors in this bathroom...I think it's my favorite room in the house when it comes to decor and colors...I love these towels...I'm so glad we have them...They were a Christmas gift from my parents a few years ago when we lived in our apartment and our nice thick towels were never drying in our tiny bathroom so we got these giant, quick-dry towels in colors that make me happy...I love that my towels match my shower curtain...I remember this summer looking for a towel to replace this blue one because we somehow ended up with some bleached out spots on this one....but I couldn't find an exact replacement and didn't want to mess up the set...but I looked...and I looked...online...in stores...how did i even find time to do that?...And why did it seem important then, but now that seems ludicrous when this towel is perfectly fine, aside from a few light spots that simply make them look like a well loved towel that gets used..."
Yes, all of those thoughts went through my head in about 5 seconds as I dried my hands.
Here is something that occurred to me.
See, we are in the middle of a family decision that will greatly affect our finances. It's very likely that our income will be decreasing by more than half. We trust that God is leading us and we know He will provide, so we aren't worried, but we know that the adjustment is not going to be easy. So, it's on our minds as we move forward.
That was not the case a few months ago. We were just getting ourselves in a position financially where we could start to anticipate a surplus and start to build up some savings.
I entitled this post "The Appetite Grows By Eating" (A quote by some random French dude) because I think it is so true! When I was feeling like our finances allowed for me to have more, I craved more. I had an appetite for stuff. Since we could afford it, and my purchases are usually pretty frugal, I bought some stuff. Comforter covers for our beds, a rug for my room, chairs for our living room. Ok, all of these were thrift store or garage sale purchases, but that is definitely NOT the point. The point is, the more I fed my craving, the more I noticed things that I wanted. My appetite was growing.
We are super spoiled by our parents for Christmas. This past year was no exception. My parents asked what we wanted, and I had no problem coming up with a list! I'm not saying there is anything wrong with that, but it's interesting. I'm a fairly content person, and I found myself seriously wanting the things on my list.
My appetite was growing because I was feeding it.
The same thing happens with food. A few months ago, I went on a weekend retreat with a bunch of high school and middle school kids. We were provided with three meals a day, and there was plenty of food. However, it is my habit to eat smaller meals more frequently. So, when I went to the meal times during this retreat, I would pile up a lot more food than usual onto my tray because I didn't want to find myself hungry a little while later, having to wait until the next scheduled mealtime. I'm weird like that. Anyways, I ended up eating way more than normal at every single meal. Well, when I got home, I found that I was not satisfied with my usual breakfast of one egg on a slice of toast. I wanted two eggs and two slices of toast. My appetite had grown because I fed it!
So this is what occurred to me today while thinking about my towels. I need to be very thoughtful about what appetite I am feeding. Think about it. As a follower of Jesus, it is my desire to know Him more and to receive His power through the holy spirit. So, I have an appetite for MORE Jesus. What am I doing to feed that appetite? And, if the appetite grows by eating, then wouldn't it follow that the more of Jesus I get, the more of Him I will want?
YES!
That's exactly how it works. Spiritual disciplines like praying, listening for the voice of God, reading scripture, praising Him,etc can sometimes feel like they take a lot of effort. Some people get discouraged because they believe that Jesus is who He claimed to be, and they want to have a surrendered life to Him, but they find themselves neglecting that relationship day after day after day, feeling a sense of disappointment and guilt instead of fullness and peace. I think it can take some effort at times to discipline our spirit and our body to seek God. But....I know first hand that when you feed that appetite, it GROWS! And when you find out who God really is and you connect with Him in spirit, you can't get enough!
Jesus identified himself as the "bread of life". He knew what he was talking about.
I heard a sermon once about feeding on Jesus. It was so interesting. The gist of it was this: If you are hungry, do you want to sing about food? Read about food? Talk to others about food? Hear someone teach you more about food? Maybe. But, ultimately, you want to eat the food! And that is what Jesus talks about. He is the bread of life. He offers us fullness and satisfaction beyond anything we can imagine. And, it's great if we sing about him, talk to others about him, listen to teachings about him, read about him....but...eventually we need to feed ourselves...and He is the bread that will satisfy. And once we taste this bread, our appetite will grow!
Yay. Felt good to blab on my blog again.
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