“Father please show me my sin.”
I like to know how things will work out. In my studies of psychology I have always favored
the behavioral approach. If I can adjust
the behavior then the heart will follow.
Sometimes this works. Often it
just makes me look manipulative and controlling.
God is not an “if then” proposition. If my approach is to think that if I follow
the right pattern things will work out as I wish them to then I am terribly
wrong. God does not want my formula for
following he wants my faith and obedience.
He wants me to realize that there are no set patterns but only him and
my following him.
I cannot hope to put into place a system for following
Christ. Although get up and follow
Christ is a simple pattern that one could argue is a system, this is not the
point. There is no formulaic response to
understanding God. I challenge anyone to
apply that to his or her spouse and see how it turns out. From where I sit I can count six different
systematic theologies. All of them can
teach me things about God that are important to understand. None of them can tell me who God is.
God demands a relationship with me based on my knowing him
and following him. He already knows
me. It is up to me to either follow and
learn to know him or to think I know and fail in my following. I begin with this thought to ponder that some
of the things Jesus said had much more depth than I have given them.
When Jesus spoke with Nicodemus he addressed this. He told the Pharisee “Don’t be surprised when
I tell you that all must be born from above.
The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you don't
know where the wind comes from or where it's going. That's the way it is with
everyone born of the Spirit.”
We can see the effect and impact of the wind but there is no
formulaic way to say what the wind will do or where it will go. We can generalize and talk about past
observations but we cannot say the exact pattern to follow to be wind.
How many times did Jesus do things that amazed people and
then comment on their need for faith? We
should not be surprised when things happen that require faith for them to
happen. If I am to follow Christ more
closely I must give up my desire for a road map and to know the way and simply
follow.
This terrifies me.
Then again that is what faith is for.
That is the essence of following someone.
Wishing you joy in the journey,
Aramis Thorn
Mat 13:52 So Jesus said to them, "That is why every writer
who has become a disciple of Christ’s rule of the universe is like a home
owner. He liberally hands out new and old things from his great treasure
store."
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