It's impossible to put something above your god.
Firstly, we have this idea that a "god" is a deity. A "god" is an idol. An "idol" can be anything we love too much. It can be entertainment. It can be fashion. It can be vanity in any form. It can be a material thing. It can be a relationship. It can be your family.
It should be God.
What you focus on the most, what you treasure most, what you put first in your life; that is your god. That is your idol. That's where God should be in your life.
The reason it's impossible to put something above your god is because the moment you do, it becomes your god. You are never without one; you always have one. Or several. It's anything that comes first. It's idolatry.
And God should be the only god in your life. He should be the only thing we worship. He shouldn't have competition. He should be solely above everything else, undisputed and unquestionably first.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Overlooked Blessings
It's the little things that make our days pleasant.
Sure, there comes along a huge occurrence that truly makes our day (or week/month/year/etc.), but what about the days between them? The days when nothing in particular makes our day?
Those are the days worth treasuring, because they're easy to forget. The big changes, they stick with us; we don't have to try to remember them.
God wants us to be happy, so He sends us flowers ("Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.") every day. He wants us to be happy, so He sends us blue skies. He wants us happy, so He works through the words of friends, family, or strangers. He wants us happy, so He spends the day with us.
And more than that, He wants us happy, so He made us able to appreciate the flowers, the birds, the sounds, the skies, the beauty of His creation.
He pervades our day with little blessings, blessings we overlook, blessings we don't even comprehend or notice . . . And these things that we don't necessarily notice; they add up until they have made our day brilliant. And we don't even know why our day was wonderful. It's because God made it. It's because God put the beauty in it. It's because God was there.
Sure, there comes along a huge occurrence that truly makes our day (or week/month/year/etc.), but what about the days between them? The days when nothing in particular makes our day?
Those are the days worth treasuring, because they're easy to forget. The big changes, they stick with us; we don't have to try to remember them.
God wants us to be happy, so He sends us flowers ("Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.") every day. He wants us to be happy, so He sends us blue skies. He wants us happy, so He works through the words of friends, family, or strangers. He wants us happy, so He spends the day with us.
And more than that, He wants us happy, so He made us able to appreciate the flowers, the birds, the sounds, the skies, the beauty of His creation.
He pervades our day with little blessings, blessings we overlook, blessings we don't even comprehend or notice . . . And these things that we don't necessarily notice; they add up until they have made our day brilliant. And we don't even know why our day was wonderful. It's because God made it. It's because God put the beauty in it. It's because God was there.
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Study Notes on Purity and Spiritual Cleansing
To anyone who may read this, this isn't necessarily meant to be read publicly. If you read through it and get something from it, that would be a blessing to me, but that's not the intent of this particular post.
Thanks.
Thanks.
- Zechariah 3 (notably 3-5, and 9-10); a vision of Joshua.
Just as He can take away the dirty clothes of our soul, He can cover us in purity, and cleanse us with His blood to make us whiter than snow.
What are some ways He's cleansed us since our repentance/salvation?
What has He changed in our hearts?
- Acts 9:3-18; the conversion of Saul.
God's response was "But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name.'" (15-16)
So here we have Ananias, who basically told Jesus, "You've got the wrong guy; don't you know he could arrest me or have me killed for believing in You? He's evil," whereas He responded with, essentially, "You don't know my plans. I've made him clean, and I've chosen him."
Saul didn't choose to follow Jesus. Jesus chose for Saul to follow Him. Not only that, Jesus already claimed possession of the person most notoriously known for persecuting Christ.
Just as Saul didn't choose the grace that would befall him, he didn't choose the suffering that serving Christ would entail, but he learned to greet it with joy (Romans 5). But again, he didn't choose it, God chose him for it.
- Acts 10:15; And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.”
Peter's response to the "sheet" was similar to Ananias' response to hearing he was to meet Saul; "Are you sure you have the right animals? I don't think you really want me eating this stuff."
God's response was the same at the core of it; "I've chosen it, I've made it clean, I've said it's good, just believe that it's good."
What are some ways we know we've been "made clean," and are no longer common? *Biblical examples of cleansing/restoration/washing:
- Psalm 51; cleanliness, repentance, and restoration.
- 1 Corinthians 6:9-11; we were sinners in the worst of ways, but we have been washed, sanctified, and justified by Christ.
- Titus 3:3-7; we were foolish, disobedient, slaves to sin and the flesh, but God cleansed us not through our works or righteousness but through Christ, so that we become heirs.
- 1 John 1:5-9; God is purity in pure form. There is nothing impure about Him. There is no darkness in Him, only light. If we walk in the light (like He's in the light), Jesus' blood cleanses us of all impurities.
- Romans 5:8-11; we were still sinners when He died for us. We were enemies of God. We have been reconciled by His blood; we have been made clean.
- * Galatians 5:19-25; works of the flesh vs. fruit of the Spirit.
- Romans 12:1-2; we are no longer common because we are not conformed to this world; we're "in" and not "of" the world (as John 17 says).
- John 13:3-18; Jesus washing the feet of the disciples (awesome example, but lengthy passage).
- Matthew 23:25-28; two of the seven woes; washing the outside of a cup dirty on the inside, and whitewashed tombs, full of uncleanness.
If we're clean, we don't shy away from God. We are made presentable before Him if we're clean. Genesis 3:8-10, Adam and Eve hid from God because they were naked. They had dirtied themselves and were afraid of Him, just as a small child is afraid of their father after doing something they were instructed specifically not to do. Our spirit instructs us what we should do through convictions given to us by God. We know to do right by the urging of God within us; we don't do right because the flesh is a weed, a bowl over the light, a fox in the vineyard, a voice screaming while the spirit whispers.
1 John 3:19-21 says God knows our hearts, and if our hearts condemn us, God will all the more (we hide as Adam and Eve did in the Garden). Through Christ, we have confidence and reassurance in His presence; we are washed and cleansed; we are presentable before Him. We are not ashamed nor afraid, because Christ's blood has cleansed our heart.
1 John 3:19-21 says God knows our hearts, and if our hearts condemn us, God will all the more (we hide as Adam and Eve did in the Garden). Through Christ, we have confidence and reassurance in His presence; we are washed and cleansed; we are presentable before Him. We are not ashamed nor afraid, because Christ's blood has cleansed our heart.
How can we live so that others know we're saved, or who we belong to? ** (John 13:35)
How can we live so that others want to join and have fellowship in Christ? **
How can we execute a "viral" discipleship, as Matthew 28:19 says we should?
- ** 1 Peter 3:1-4
These verses outline the conduct of a wife, and say she should be subject to her own husband. These instructions are obviously focused on women, but are applicable to any of us, regardless of our marital or relationship status.
We shouldn't try to draw in people by how we look or dress; our adorning isn't to be external, as in hair style, jewelry, clothing, etc. This is enticing; this honors the flesh.
We are to be submissive, respectful, and pure in conduct so that others may be "won". We are to draw others in by adorning our hearts with righteousness and cleanliness; things that can only come from God. This is attraction; this honors the Spirit.
Who we are in secret, the "hidden person of the heart," is the aspect of us that will truly attract people to the faith (the inside of the cup, Matthew 23:25-26; a clean, pure, attractive heart).
We shouldn't try to draw in people by how we look or dress; our adorning isn't to be external, as in hair style, jewelry, clothing, etc. This is enticing; this honors the flesh.
We are to be submissive, respectful, and pure in conduct so that others may be "won". We are to draw others in by adorning our hearts with righteousness and cleanliness; things that can only come from God. This is attraction; this honors the Spirit.
Who we are in secret, the "hidden person of the heart," is the aspect of us that will truly attract people to the faith (the inside of the cup, Matthew 23:25-26; a clean, pure, attractive heart).
Friday, March 29, 2013
Good Friday
The last two or three weeks have been of absent-mindedness on my part.
I seem to lack "fervor" in the things i've been meditating on.
But this day, roughly two millenia ago, my Savior died for me. And He died for you. Broken souls, unworthy and filthy beings, hopeless people . . . All of us. We were truly hopeless without Him.
But in my seeming absence of passion, i'm reminded of the Passion of Christ. He was stressed to the point that He was sweating blood. This is something that happens to mortals, though not often. Facing death isn't enough to cause it. He knew what awaited Him after the torture, after the beatings, after the crucifixion, after the death . . . He knew what awaited Him when His Father would forsake Him, when He would bear the shame and penalty for every sin you and i have ever committed, when He would be face-to-face with Satan who would be laughing and mocking, beating and tormenting Him.
And He did not turn away, He did not flee, He did not hesitate to offer Himself for us.
Like a lamb to the slaughter He was silent.
He did not so much as offer a word to avoid what was coming.
No, instead He looked at the crowd and said "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
Instead, He turned to the man on the cross beside Him and said "today you will be with Me in Paradise."
Instead of you. Instead of me. In our stead.
As my favorite secular author described it in "The Traveller," which i highly recommend,
"Those eyes. Those eyes. My God, they’re so—they’re so hurt! Like a father who’s been beaten by his own children. Yet who still loves his children. Who’s been set upon by loved ones and stripped and beaten and nailed and humiliated!"*
*Matheson, Richard (2011-09-27). Steel: And Other Stories (p. 185). Macmillan. Kindle Edition.
I seem to lack "fervor" in the things i've been meditating on.
But this day, roughly two millenia ago, my Savior died for me. And He died for you. Broken souls, unworthy and filthy beings, hopeless people . . . All of us. We were truly hopeless without Him.
But in my seeming absence of passion, i'm reminded of the Passion of Christ. He was stressed to the point that He was sweating blood. This is something that happens to mortals, though not often. Facing death isn't enough to cause it. He knew what awaited Him after the torture, after the beatings, after the crucifixion, after the death . . . He knew what awaited Him when His Father would forsake Him, when He would bear the shame and penalty for every sin you and i have ever committed, when He would be face-to-face with Satan who would be laughing and mocking, beating and tormenting Him.
And He did not turn away, He did not flee, He did not hesitate to offer Himself for us.
Like a lamb to the slaughter He was silent.
He did not so much as offer a word to avoid what was coming.
No, instead He looked at the crowd and said "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
Instead, He turned to the man on the cross beside Him and said "today you will be with Me in Paradise."
Instead of you. Instead of me. In our stead.
As my favorite secular author described it in "The Traveller," which i highly recommend,
"Those eyes. Those eyes. My God, they’re so—they’re so hurt! Like a father who’s been beaten by his own children. Yet who still loves his children. Who’s been set upon by loved ones and stripped and beaten and nailed and humiliated!"*
*Matheson, Richard (2011-09-27). Steel: And Other Stories (p. 185). Macmillan. Kindle Edition.
Monday, March 25, 2013
Proverbs 12:1
I decided to pick a verse from Proverbs at random to study.
Maybe there was something subconscious going on from Sunday's evening service, but i'd already forgot those verse numbers . . .
I chose 12:1.
"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid."
That one was mentioned last night.
Whoever loves discipline (or "instruction" in some translations) loves knowledge.
Who doesn't want to be smarter? We all love knowledge. But to become smarter, we have to know where we're wrong. We can't increase in intelligence without having made mistakes. We can't become wise without knowing our foolishness.
To gain knowledge, we have to find out what we know, but more importantly we have to find out what we don't know.
We can't be spoon-fed everything in life; we have to take leaps of faith (faith if not acted on is dead), make displays of independence (or else it does not prove itself), express our individuality (or we fade into the crowd). Then we seek counsel.
We can be instructed beforehand. Honestly, though, you can read and read and read about driving a car. The first time you're in the driver's seat, though, that instruction is out the window. You have to get accustomed to the vehicle, and have an experienced driver there beside you to guide you. And try not to wreck as you learn not as much from what they say but from what you feel. They can say how things work for them, but they are not you.
But here's where it gets hard.
Correction.
It's easy to tell someone how to do something they don't know how to do.
How easy is it to be told how to do something you're unfamiliar with? Or how about something you already know how to do?
Not as easy that way.
What if it's someone pointing out flaws or insufficiencies?
I received some criticism a couple months back that was pretty rough. It chafed me. I wanted nothing more than to rebuke them and say "You know, i've seen and been told of your faults and they outnumber mine," but i refrained. I wish i had out of wisdom or patience or grace or some sort of fruit of the spirit. But no. I was tired and couldn't think of how to eloquently (now that word's stuck in my head) word it so as to twist the dagger with as few words as poignant as possible.
The following day, i got home from work and went to writing my letter.
Wrote out about three or four pages of pointing out the flaws of the person who had given me criticism (most of which wasn't even my account but from others). I was furious.
I read back through and realized something.
They were right. At least to some extent. Perhaps even still more than many would suspect.
I hated correction.
I'm still not wise, nor will i ever be in my own words.
But the correction thing; that's gotten much easier in the last few months.
Who it comes from doesn't matter as much as whether or not they're right.
I'm going to list three things my pastor said to do when receiving correction:
Maybe there was something subconscious going on from Sunday's evening service, but i'd already forgot those verse numbers . . .
I chose 12:1.
"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid."
That one was mentioned last night.
Whoever loves discipline (or "instruction" in some translations) loves knowledge.
Who doesn't want to be smarter? We all love knowledge. But to become smarter, we have to know where we're wrong. We can't increase in intelligence without having made mistakes. We can't become wise without knowing our foolishness.
To gain knowledge, we have to find out what we know, but more importantly we have to find out what we don't know.
We can't be spoon-fed everything in life; we have to take leaps of faith (faith if not acted on is dead), make displays of independence (or else it does not prove itself), express our individuality (or we fade into the crowd). Then we seek counsel.
We can be instructed beforehand. Honestly, though, you can read and read and read about driving a car. The first time you're in the driver's seat, though, that instruction is out the window. You have to get accustomed to the vehicle, and have an experienced driver there beside you to guide you. And try not to wreck as you learn not as much from what they say but from what you feel. They can say how things work for them, but they are not you.
But here's where it gets hard.
Correction.
It's easy to tell someone how to do something they don't know how to do.
How easy is it to be told how to do something you're unfamiliar with? Or how about something you already know how to do?
Not as easy that way.
What if it's someone pointing out flaws or insufficiencies?
I received some criticism a couple months back that was pretty rough. It chafed me. I wanted nothing more than to rebuke them and say "You know, i've seen and been told of your faults and they outnumber mine," but i refrained. I wish i had out of wisdom or patience or grace or some sort of fruit of the spirit. But no. I was tired and couldn't think of how to eloquently (now that word's stuck in my head) word it so as to twist the dagger with as few words as poignant as possible.
The following day, i got home from work and went to writing my letter.
Wrote out about three or four pages of pointing out the flaws of the person who had given me criticism (most of which wasn't even my account but from others). I was furious.
I read back through and realized something.
They were right. At least to some extent. Perhaps even still more than many would suspect.
I hated correction.
I'm still not wise, nor will i ever be in my own words.
But the correction thing; that's gotten much easier in the last few months.
Who it comes from doesn't matter as much as whether or not they're right.
I'm going to list three things my pastor said to do when receiving correction:
- Consider the source; are they qualified, and are they trying to help?
- Ask yourself "is it accurate?" If so, what can i learn, what can i gain, and how can i apply it?
- Take it under advisement and seek counsel from a trusted friend.
Saturday, March 9, 2013
He Makes All Things New
This came to me while listening to "My Soul Longs For You" by Misty Edwards.
"Behold, I am making all things new.”
Many know this quote well. It's from Revelation 21:5. A lot of people going through recoveries from eating disorders and depression and various emotional/traumatic issues use this verse.
It's a wonderful quote, it truly is. And it is hopeful.
But notice how He doesn't say "I will make all things new," as the verses surrounding this one imply things that will happen, not things that are happening.
"He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
He will dwell with us. We will be His people. He will wipe away our tears . . . But He is making all things new.
Entropy, the second law of thermodynamics, states that all things break down over time. But here, the Word of God says something that seems to go against what is a law of physics.
It seems a contradiction. It seems one must be false if one is true. I'm not a physicist or a person of high intellect, so i can't say that one of those is wrong and present evidence to support such a claim . . .
God is making all things new. He is. Right now, as i'm typing this, not just some things, but all things are. Yet a law of physics says that all things are breaking down, getting old, and falling apart.
Entropy is actually one of the most interesting ideas supporting a young earth--and universe, for that matter. But i won't go there today.
God is making all things new . . . By means of entropy.
Your skin. It's new. You're in a constant state of shedding. What's on the surface is dead skin, and what's underneath, working its way to the surface, is the new. You're being made new from the inside out.
Trees lose their leaves and crops in the Fall. In the Spring, they grow new leaves, and the crops they drop begin to sprout. He's making the trees new.
Things die . . . How is He making all things new if things are dying right now? By entropy. Things die, they break down to their core materials. Dead plants rot into dark compost, fertile soil for new plants to thrive in. Animals die, they decompose and fertilize the ground. Even the waste/leavings of animals feeds the ground to nourish the plants so the animal that consumes the plants will have something to eat. He's making all things new by breaking down and building again.
Same goes for broken lives; scarcely has someone changed the world that did not at some point change their heart because of a broken life. It may've been something that drove them to a certain career or field of study, but it often comes from a tragedy that seems to be tearing apart someone's life.
He picks up the pieces of a broken soul and makes something more beautiful than before with them.
Ever seen a great painter paint (i've had the opportunity to watch my dad, the best painter i've ever seen, many times)? Ever try to figure out what they're painting right after they start? It's hard. In fact, they're not looking at the detail they're working on at that moment, but instead they see a picture that's already there . . . But if you're watching their hand/brush, you're going to be left thinking "This isn't going to work out, this isn't going to look very good." But if you could see the picture before it's painted like the painter can, you'd see that the current detail may be minute and not look like anything but a blotch, but it's part of a big picture soon to be revealed.
When God lets us fall apart or break down, He's washing the canvas, so to speak, in order to have a clean slate to work with. I've said it before and will say it again, He's an artist. All of creation is a work of art, and so is whatever trial you may be facing.
Are you watching the Painter's hand as He paints what seems to be random strokes, or are you willing to trust that He has a finished masterpiece in mind already?
He is making all things new. In nature. In the cosmos. In me. In you.
"Behold, I am making all things new.”
Many know this quote well. It's from Revelation 21:5. A lot of people going through recoveries from eating disorders and depression and various emotional/traumatic issues use this verse.
It's a wonderful quote, it truly is. And it is hopeful.
But notice how He doesn't say "I will make all things new," as the verses surrounding this one imply things that will happen, not things that are happening.
"He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away."
He will dwell with us. We will be His people. He will wipe away our tears . . . But He is making all things new.
Entropy, the second law of thermodynamics, states that all things break down over time. But here, the Word of God says something that seems to go against what is a law of physics.
It seems a contradiction. It seems one must be false if one is true. I'm not a physicist or a person of high intellect, so i can't say that one of those is wrong and present evidence to support such a claim . . .
God is making all things new. He is. Right now, as i'm typing this, not just some things, but all things are. Yet a law of physics says that all things are breaking down, getting old, and falling apart.
Entropy is actually one of the most interesting ideas supporting a young earth--and universe, for that matter. But i won't go there today.
God is making all things new . . . By means of entropy.
Your skin. It's new. You're in a constant state of shedding. What's on the surface is dead skin, and what's underneath, working its way to the surface, is the new. You're being made new from the inside out.
Trees lose their leaves and crops in the Fall. In the Spring, they grow new leaves, and the crops they drop begin to sprout. He's making the trees new.
Things die . . . How is He making all things new if things are dying right now? By entropy. Things die, they break down to their core materials. Dead plants rot into dark compost, fertile soil for new plants to thrive in. Animals die, they decompose and fertilize the ground. Even the waste/leavings of animals feeds the ground to nourish the plants so the animal that consumes the plants will have something to eat. He's making all things new by breaking down and building again.
Same goes for broken lives; scarcely has someone changed the world that did not at some point change their heart because of a broken life. It may've been something that drove them to a certain career or field of study, but it often comes from a tragedy that seems to be tearing apart someone's life.
He picks up the pieces of a broken soul and makes something more beautiful than before with them.
Ever seen a great painter paint (i've had the opportunity to watch my dad, the best painter i've ever seen, many times)? Ever try to figure out what they're painting right after they start? It's hard. In fact, they're not looking at the detail they're working on at that moment, but instead they see a picture that's already there . . . But if you're watching their hand/brush, you're going to be left thinking "This isn't going to work out, this isn't going to look very good." But if you could see the picture before it's painted like the painter can, you'd see that the current detail may be minute and not look like anything but a blotch, but it's part of a big picture soon to be revealed.
When God lets us fall apart or break down, He's washing the canvas, so to speak, in order to have a clean slate to work with. I've said it before and will say it again, He's an artist. All of creation is a work of art, and so is whatever trial you may be facing.
Are you watching the Painter's hand as He paints what seems to be random strokes, or are you willing to trust that He has a finished masterpiece in mind already?
He is making all things new. In nature. In the cosmos. In me. In you.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Enduring Faith
Something my pastor said earlier this evening that has apparently taken root in my heart already.
He mentioned that John had faith that couldn't be shaken by things of this world, not even death, and said his prayer is that those in the congregation he leads have a faith like that; faith that makes them stand like a green tree in a desert, as that draws attention and people want to be by it and want whatever it is that causes the tree to remain healthy.
But this got me thinking; most trees in deserts are mirages.
The tree doesn't know it's fake, because it's just a trick our mind plays on us.
In thinking about this, i realized that the same applies to his idea of Christians being healthy trees in the desert. A lot of us perceive others to be strong and healthy in their spiritual work, but the abundance and strength of the tree is merely a mirage we convince ourselves of. Many of those who appear to have a closeness to God don't have it in all actuality. It takes proximity to realize this. Upon closer examination of the lives of the "healthy," we see that their spiritual prosperity is an illusion.
And i'm not saying i'm holy or righteous or closer to God than anyone else. I may simply be the tree that doesn't realize i'm unhealthy. Most of us who think we have a flourishing spiritual life, when it all comes down, don't. If it takes harsh criticism of me, so be it. Examine me so that you can see where i'm real and where i'm fake, then point it out to me.
I have faith that my faith would endure any storm life can throw at me, but so does everyone who claims dependence on God . . . How many actually do?
Thousands came to hear Jesus preach when He fed them by means of a miracle. The next day, when there were no miracles performed, the people were not fed, they faced a very short spiritual drought, they faltered and turned away. They wanted God now, without regard to tomorrow. They required constant nourishment of their spirit to be healthy. I want to be one of the few in that crowd who were satisfied with what He's already given me, so that i can endure tomorrow.
I want to be real.
I want a faith that endures.
I want to be close to God.
I want to love God with an intimacy that transcends limits of mortality.
I want to be tested.
I want to need Him. I need to need Him.
I don't want to be a mirage.
I want to be a tree with a taproot, not one of these Texas oaks with roots that sprawl about the surface. I want one root, one source, one truth, one faith, one hope, one supply, and i want it to run deeper than can be measured, down to the water that never dries up.
I want the enduring, timeless, living water.
He mentioned that John had faith that couldn't be shaken by things of this world, not even death, and said his prayer is that those in the congregation he leads have a faith like that; faith that makes them stand like a green tree in a desert, as that draws attention and people want to be by it and want whatever it is that causes the tree to remain healthy.
But this got me thinking; most trees in deserts are mirages.
The tree doesn't know it's fake, because it's just a trick our mind plays on us.
In thinking about this, i realized that the same applies to his idea of Christians being healthy trees in the desert. A lot of us perceive others to be strong and healthy in their spiritual work, but the abundance and strength of the tree is merely a mirage we convince ourselves of. Many of those who appear to have a closeness to God don't have it in all actuality. It takes proximity to realize this. Upon closer examination of the lives of the "healthy," we see that their spiritual prosperity is an illusion.
And i'm not saying i'm holy or righteous or closer to God than anyone else. I may simply be the tree that doesn't realize i'm unhealthy. Most of us who think we have a flourishing spiritual life, when it all comes down, don't. If it takes harsh criticism of me, so be it. Examine me so that you can see where i'm real and where i'm fake, then point it out to me.
I have faith that my faith would endure any storm life can throw at me, but so does everyone who claims dependence on God . . . How many actually do?
Thousands came to hear Jesus preach when He fed them by means of a miracle. The next day, when there were no miracles performed, the people were not fed, they faced a very short spiritual drought, they faltered and turned away. They wanted God now, without regard to tomorrow. They required constant nourishment of their spirit to be healthy. I want to be one of the few in that crowd who were satisfied with what He's already given me, so that i can endure tomorrow.
I want to be real.
I want a faith that endures.
I want to be close to God.
I want to love God with an intimacy that transcends limits of mortality.
I want to be tested.
I want to need Him. I need to need Him.
I don't want to be a mirage.
I want to be a tree with a taproot, not one of these Texas oaks with roots that sprawl about the surface. I want one root, one source, one truth, one faith, one hope, one supply, and i want it to run deeper than can be measured, down to the water that never dries up.
I want the enduring, timeless, living water.
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