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?
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