In my last blog I believe I used the phrase "steeping in the scriptures." I got to thinking about what that phrase could mean and how it related to our pursuit of Christ.
When tea steeps it is immersed in hot water. The hot water, by way of being in direct contact with the tea, ends up taking on the characteristics of the tea. Color, flavor, and nutrition are all affected by the tea. The water becomes something other than what it started out as.
When we are steeped with the words of God, we take on its characteristics. These are the roots put down by the river of which scripture speaks. The words of God permeate everything we do, but notice our lives must be the right temperature for it to really have an effect on us. Jesus relates this in a parable about soil types and where seed is scattered. Try brewing tea in cold water or even in lukewarm water. It doesn't work. If you allow yourself to be steeped in the scriptures, you will be changed. You will take on the characteristics of the scriptures, and by default the characteristics of Jesus.
Discipleship is steeping in the Word. Being immersed in scriptures will color all that you see. When you can see everything through the filter of scripture the voice of God becomes clearer.
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Hefty, Hefty, Hefty.... Wimpy, Wimpy, Wimpy
I don't have a lot of time so this will probably be short, sweet, and to the point. I hope so, at least, because if I wander to much it won't have a point...
Do you remember those commercials for the Hefty trash bags? I was thinking about Bonhoeffer and how tough his faith had to be. I realized that his faith was typical of the martyrs and probably some of the other giants of the faith. The ultimate realization though was that he drew his strength from the Bible. You don't hear him refer to this author and that author too often. Sure he has a few scholars to whom he refers, but it's minor. No, he quotes the Bible over and over again. In Life Together he won't back down from major prescriptions of scripture.
This is very counter to most of the sought after authors of our day. Each one quotes five others who quote each other who've drummed up five others who support their position. Now don't get me wrong, I think God speaks through a lot of today's authors, but we've got to be steeped in the Word to pull the right instead of the wrong out of the books.
All I know is the more scripture I read the more God talks.... Through everything at that point. He talks through relationships, books, scriptures, life experiences, music...., etc. He only talks, though, if we've learned to recognize his voice through the study of scripture. We must get to know him before we can recognize his voice amongst the many others.
That's it. Gotta work. If I think about this later I'll have another post. Mind is working overtime right now.
Do you remember those commercials for the Hefty trash bags? I was thinking about Bonhoeffer and how tough his faith had to be. I realized that his faith was typical of the martyrs and probably some of the other giants of the faith. The ultimate realization though was that he drew his strength from the Bible. You don't hear him refer to this author and that author too often. Sure he has a few scholars to whom he refers, but it's minor. No, he quotes the Bible over and over again. In Life Together he won't back down from major prescriptions of scripture.
This is very counter to most of the sought after authors of our day. Each one quotes five others who quote each other who've drummed up five others who support their position. Now don't get me wrong, I think God speaks through a lot of today's authors, but we've got to be steeped in the Word to pull the right instead of the wrong out of the books.
All I know is the more scripture I read the more God talks.... Through everything at that point. He talks through relationships, books, scriptures, life experiences, music...., etc. He only talks, though, if we've learned to recognize his voice through the study of scripture. We must get to know him before we can recognize his voice amongst the many others.
That's it. Gotta work. If I think about this later I'll have another post. Mind is working overtime right now.
Sunday, March 01, 2009
I want it difficult
Why do we continue to try to make Christianity easy for people?
I've heard Christians I well respect make comments that we should not glorify being poor. I just have a hard time listening to Jesus' many words about devotion to him and think we can be anything but poor.
My sister recently quoted verses on her facebook. "Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 'If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not aboe to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, "'This man began to build and was not able to finish."' Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Ge who has ears to hear, let him hear.'"
Off the top of my head there are some others, also. Jesus tells the crowds if anyone wants to be his disciple they must first go, and sell everything they have, and give it to the poor, then come and follow him. He tries to discourage those trying to follow him by saying birds have nests and foxes have holes but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. The rich young ruler wants to know what he must do to be saved and Jesus replies go and sell everything you have and then come and follow me. He adds on to the laws these people already have. He tells them they cannot divorce, if they divorce they've made their wife and adulterer, and if anyone marries a divorced woman he is also an adulterer. Go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, if someone asks, give. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Be more righteous than the hypermoral. When someone asks for your coat, give them your shirt also. Whatever bodypart causes you to sin, cut it off, for it's better to enter God's kingdom without a bodypart than to be cast out because of it.
Basically, what Jesus has to say is hard. Hard to do, hard to hear. I've heard to many people explain away whatever commands they don't want to follow. Jesus warns us early on, and over and over.
"I'm not calling you to a life of luxury. I'm calling you to die with me. Take up your cross. Your torture device. Come love people even though it hurts. Throw off all that hinders. Money, pride, possessions. It turns out you can only have one master. I died so you could choose what that master would be. I want you to choose me, but I'm warning you. It ain't easy. I'll ask more from you than you have to give. Just when you think you've given all you can and can't make it any further, I'll ask you to keep giving and keep following. You can't do it. period. You aren't capable. I am. That's why I ask this. I'm capable, therefore I can get you there. Submit. Become a slave willingly to me, so you don't have to be enslaved in sin anymore."
I'm tired of easy. I'm tired of doing it myself. I'm tired of people trying to make this easy.
When it's easy we don't need Jesus. He didn't come for the healthy, but for the sick. Guess what. We're all sick. We're all dying. Some of us are just willing to admit it and admit we need help.
I'm choosing to die with you, Jesus. This Lent will remind me to die daily. I will die daily so the impossible is possible. I will die to my will so that I may follow yours. I will kill all the self to allow you control.
Make me a servant. Humble and meek.
I've heard Christians I well respect make comments that we should not glorify being poor. I just have a hard time listening to Jesus' many words about devotion to him and think we can be anything but poor.
My sister recently quoted verses on her facebook. "Now great crowds accompanied him, and he turned and said to them, 'If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. For which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? Otherwise, when he has laid a foundation and is not aboe to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, "'This man began to build and was not able to finish."' Or what king, going out to encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and deliberate whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks for terms of peace. So therefore, any one of you who does not renounce all that he has cannot be my disciple. Salt is good, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is of no use either for the soil or for the manure pile. It is thrown away. Ge who has ears to hear, let him hear.'"
Off the top of my head there are some others, also. Jesus tells the crowds if anyone wants to be his disciple they must first go, and sell everything they have, and give it to the poor, then come and follow him. He tries to discourage those trying to follow him by saying birds have nests and foxes have holes but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head. The rich young ruler wants to know what he must do to be saved and Jesus replies go and sell everything you have and then come and follow me. He adds on to the laws these people already have. He tells them they cannot divorce, if they divorce they've made their wife and adulterer, and if anyone marries a divorced woman he is also an adulterer. Go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, if someone asks, give. Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you. Be more righteous than the hypermoral. When someone asks for your coat, give them your shirt also. Whatever bodypart causes you to sin, cut it off, for it's better to enter God's kingdom without a bodypart than to be cast out because of it.
Basically, what Jesus has to say is hard. Hard to do, hard to hear. I've heard to many people explain away whatever commands they don't want to follow. Jesus warns us early on, and over and over.
"I'm not calling you to a life of luxury. I'm calling you to die with me. Take up your cross. Your torture device. Come love people even though it hurts. Throw off all that hinders. Money, pride, possessions. It turns out you can only have one master. I died so you could choose what that master would be. I want you to choose me, but I'm warning you. It ain't easy. I'll ask more from you than you have to give. Just when you think you've given all you can and can't make it any further, I'll ask you to keep giving and keep following. You can't do it. period. You aren't capable. I am. That's why I ask this. I'm capable, therefore I can get you there. Submit. Become a slave willingly to me, so you don't have to be enslaved in sin anymore."
I'm tired of easy. I'm tired of doing it myself. I'm tired of people trying to make this easy.
When it's easy we don't need Jesus. He didn't come for the healthy, but for the sick. Guess what. We're all sick. We're all dying. Some of us are just willing to admit it and admit we need help.
I'm choosing to die with you, Jesus. This Lent will remind me to die daily. I will die daily so the impossible is possible. I will die to my will so that I may follow yours. I will kill all the self to allow you control.
Make me a servant. Humble and meek.
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