I have started to read "Finding God" by Dr. Larry Crabb as part of my discipling class that I have been attending. Even the "Inside Out" book that Dr. Crabb wrote that this is a 'lost final chapter' of didn't prepare me for the connection between what he writes and the thirst of my soul. I would probably bring this all under the verse he uses to begin this personal journey of finding God.
Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
We forget too often that the Bible is not some tome of age old wisdom, stagnant in its revealing truths and mind numbing logic. We forget that the writers of the books contained within were real, and were touched by God's own spirit to write His words to the generations to follow. We look to theologians and seminary trained leaders to guide us in the wisdom that lies weeping upon its pages when all we need is to remember what it is to be Christ-followers. Seeking our Abba Father's face, that intimate knowledge to know Him and love Him. The 'traditional' church, expressed in the pages of the New Testament books, taught us that our purpose is to glorify God, to please Him, and to enjoy the blessings that are of Him forever. We have strayed into running the church according to our revelations and forgetting God's.
The modern church is attractive and powerful to the seekers and the developing faithful. We gaze upon our westernized Christianity as an thing to be dressed up and made attractive so that passersby on the street will stop to window shop and potentially come inside to buy into the gospel of love and acceptance of a turnstile God, who is standing still, turning us around as we allow. We don't hear in those 'hallowed' hallways of fine carpet and cushy seats that God is 'no respecter of persons." In the backdrop of hardships, suffering, and extreme distress we are taught to find the 'healing' power of God to make our world more comfortable and pleasant, a recreation of the Garden from whence we were bodily tossed righteously on our butts. We learn that God is there for us, not us for Him.
And, for too many within the Body of Christ, when those hardships and suffering does not pass like a bad dream, our faith lies crushed upon the floor of those same churches and God is grieved by the disservice done. Our church, created for Kingdom purpose, has become a house of our own self-serving gospels of limited passions.
In this intense struggle over the situation ruling my life's focus, I have slowly learned that the passions that are part of my humanity; the desire to be happy and the desire to influence my environment to that pursuit, are going to always be part of who I am as a broken, sinful human being. But there is hope; not a hope that will have to wait until the other side of heaven, but a hope for today. That my passion to know God deeper and more intimately can be realized step by step in the midst of hardship and pain. In fact, it is that pain that I can use to grow closer to the Abba Father.
And I have plenty of pain and hardship in my life that gives me a wellspring to wander into the desert seeking my God.
As I slowly unwrap the gaudy clothing that I have wound around myself in an effort to protect myself from the pain of a sinful world, I find myself not cutting myself off from God but Him drawing nearer as I realize that my comfortable world isn't meant to mean anything if I don't realize that it means nothing to God….He is no respecter of persons. But in that realization that I am nothing before God and He gives me meaning to Himself, I find the sound theology that Christ Himself told of.
I hope that this speaks something to someone. And I hope that you will go and get Crabb's book "Finding God." Although it is but a tool in which to realize the potential and truth of walking with God, it is a great read in which to reflect upon.
In Christ,
JIM
Tuesday, February 26
Monday, February 25
Faith
"And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him." Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
According to the New International Version bible that I have, in the commentary section, faith "needs an object and the proper object of genuine faith is God." Not for the first time, I am left feeling that something different is coming from this verse, not what the theologians in their studies have touched upon. Dr. Larry Crabb talks of this verse being the jumping point of his journey in "Finding God", his book that I am studying with the discipling group.
Faith, according to the American Heritage Dictionary (2nd college edition c1975 rev'd), is "a confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance. Belief and Trust in God. Religious conviction. A system of religious beliefs. A set of principles or beliefs." In the Japanese bible, faith is defined as "Believe and look up." While I believe that the first definition captures the essence of what faith is to me, I would narrow it down to a person rather than an idea or thing. But it seems that the church has taught us that God is more of a thing, or even an idea, that a person.
Faith is alluded to, mentioned, or written one-hundred and six times in the reference guide I used. Sure Faith is spoken of in Psalm 34:8, " O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him." (Amplified version). The frailty of human faith is referenced in Luke 22:31-38, "I have prayed especially for you [Peter], that your [own] faith may not fail; and when you yourself have turned again, strengthen and establish your brethren…… When I sent you out with no purse or [provision] bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" (Amplified version).
In 1 Timothy 1:19, Paul speaks of faith being sent to the rocks, leaving hope shipwrecked….." By rejecting and thrusting from them [their conscience], some individuals have made shipwreck of their faith. (AMP)" These are only a few of the references to faith. Faith is a topic that is as widely disagreed upon as it is discussed. Some claim that faith is a work based system brought on by salvation, others a legalistic methodology, and the emergent imagery is faith is personal, unique, and that will get us to heaven.
A friend of mine, Garry, wrote about faithfulness (the act of living faith) on his website: http://men2menministries.blogspot.com/2008/02/faithfulness.html I would check it out. But two verses he referenced stood out to me, for different reasons than what he quoted them for.
"Since we are surrounded by so many examples of faith, we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up."(Hebrews 12:1) Version unknown. I can live this verse, being surrounded by the mighty spiritual men that I gather with once a month in a discipling class, and every other month in a men's study class. Faith is not only an individual expression but is bound by noticeable and definable boundaries that are common to all.
But, and I guess this is my point for today, there is a solid, logical, and unmovable expression of what faith is for each of us who call Christ our King. It was sent to me via the Worthy Ministries email/devotion for today:
One day a passerby saw a homeless man on the roadside. He stopped for a moment to hand him some loose change and casually said "God bless you, my friend”.
"I thank God," said the homeless man, "I am never unhappy."
"What do you mean?" the passerby asked.
"Well," he said, "when the sun is out, I thank God -- when it rains, I thank God. When I am full, I thank God and when I am hungry, I thank God. And, since God's will is my will, and whatever pleases Him pleases me, why should I say I am unhappy when I am not?"
The man looked at him in astonishment and asked, “Who are you?”
"I am a King," said he.
"Where, then, is your Kingdom?" asked the man.
"In my heart." The homeless man replied.
Faith is the expectation of what we yet cannot see, the realization of the temporariness of what we have to endure, and the hope that wells within our hearts no matter the raging storms outside. We live, in faith, the realization of God's promise:
"Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 40:10 Ver. Unknown)
According to the New International Version bible that I have, in the commentary section, faith "needs an object and the proper object of genuine faith is God." Not for the first time, I am left feeling that something different is coming from this verse, not what the theologians in their studies have touched upon. Dr. Larry Crabb talks of this verse being the jumping point of his journey in "Finding God", his book that I am studying with the discipling group.
Faith, according to the American Heritage Dictionary (2nd college edition c1975 rev'd), is "a confident belief in the truth, value, or trustworthiness of a person, idea, or thing. Belief that does not rest on logical proof or material evidence. Loyalty to a person or thing; allegiance. Belief and Trust in God. Religious conviction. A system of religious beliefs. A set of principles or beliefs." In the Japanese bible, faith is defined as "Believe and look up." While I believe that the first definition captures the essence of what faith is to me, I would narrow it down to a person rather than an idea or thing. But it seems that the church has taught us that God is more of a thing, or even an idea, that a person.
Faith is alluded to, mentioned, or written one-hundred and six times in the reference guide I used. Sure Faith is spoken of in Psalm 34:8, " O taste and see that the Lord [our God] is good! Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) is the man who trusts and takes refuge in Him." (Amplified version). The frailty of human faith is referenced in Luke 22:31-38, "I have prayed especially for you [Peter], that your [own] faith may not fail; and when you yourself have turned again, strengthen and establish your brethren…… When I sent you out with no purse or [provision] bag or sandals, did you lack anything?" (Amplified version).
In 1 Timothy 1:19, Paul speaks of faith being sent to the rocks, leaving hope shipwrecked….." By rejecting and thrusting from them [their conscience], some individuals have made shipwreck of their faith. (AMP)" These are only a few of the references to faith. Faith is a topic that is as widely disagreed upon as it is discussed. Some claim that faith is a work based system brought on by salvation, others a legalistic methodology, and the emergent imagery is faith is personal, unique, and that will get us to heaven.
A friend of mine, Garry, wrote about faithfulness (the act of living faith) on his website: http://men2menministries.blogspot.com/2008/02/faithfulness.html I would check it out. But two verses he referenced stood out to me, for different reasons than what he quoted them for.
"Since we are surrounded by so many examples of faith, we must get rid of everything that slows us down, especially sin that distracts us. We must run the race that lies ahead of us and never give up."(Hebrews 12:1) Version unknown. I can live this verse, being surrounded by the mighty spiritual men that I gather with once a month in a discipling class, and every other month in a men's study class. Faith is not only an individual expression but is bound by noticeable and definable boundaries that are common to all.
But, and I guess this is my point for today, there is a solid, logical, and unmovable expression of what faith is for each of us who call Christ our King. It was sent to me via the Worthy Ministries email/devotion for today:
One day a passerby saw a homeless man on the roadside. He stopped for a moment to hand him some loose change and casually said "God bless you, my friend”.
"I thank God," said the homeless man, "I am never unhappy."
"What do you mean?" the passerby asked.
"Well," he said, "when the sun is out, I thank God -- when it rains, I thank God. When I am full, I thank God and when I am hungry, I thank God. And, since God's will is my will, and whatever pleases Him pleases me, why should I say I am unhappy when I am not?"
The man looked at him in astonishment and asked, “Who are you?”
"I am a King," said he.
"Where, then, is your Kingdom?" asked the man.
"In my heart." The homeless man replied.
Faith is the expectation of what we yet cannot see, the realization of the temporariness of what we have to endure, and the hope that wells within our hearts no matter the raging storms outside. We live, in faith, the realization of God's promise:
"Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand." (Isaiah 40:10 Ver. Unknown)
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