Joy. Pure, simple, yet explosive joy. Maybe it was the pure exhaustion of the last two days mixed with a sense of accomplishment of what we had just done, but I think it had more to do with the amazing revelation that had come to us. It was Sunday night around midnight and a group of about ten of us had read the Bible, almost cover to cover in one weekend. (we skipped a few books since it was physically impossible to read it all in a weekend due to time.) It was exhausting but some of the most pure revelation I've ever had. There is an amazing beauty to the story of the Bible. Its so rare that we are able to experience it in its entirety in a short amount of time. So often I feel like the Bible is like a huge painting, usually we are standing so close that we are only seeing a small part of the larger picture. That small picture is beautiful but often we feel like we are missing something. Like this section of the picture just doesn't fit the other sections we've seen.
Reading the whole Bible is like looking over the whole picture. We remember it so much better, and while we lose a lot of the details, we get a better glimpse of the larger story. So it was at the end of this weekend of reading the Bible that I got such a better glimpse of the grand love story. The Old Testament can look like a book full of wrath and anger, but when we look at the large story we see the love and pursuit of God. We see a Father who so desperately wants to be with His kids and will do anything He can to be with them. You see a story full of the creation rejecting the Creator, of God coming to man and saying "Even though you turn away from me, even though you reject me and destroy my creation, I am here. If you turn to me I will save you." It's the story of faithfulness.
Old Testament laws make so much more sense when you come at the perspective of a loving father looking out for His children. God telling His children to wipe out nations makes so much more sense when you see what happens when they don't. The teachings of the New Testament make so much more sense when you see the relation between them and the Old Testament. It was an awesome experience. It's not often that you get done with spending a weekend full of reading a book and want to do it all over again. But when you see the depth of revelation that can be had by seeing the Bible in its entirety you can't help but want more. You can't help but want more revelation.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
More than the Experience...
Am I living for the experience of life or for the purpose of life? It's a question that will ultimately determine the focus of our lives. Are we willing to give up the desires and the feelings--the experiences, to live for something that is so much more glorious and important than the present moment?
Looking back on my life I am sorry to see how many times I was focused on having the experience of something instead of having a purpose for having that experience. Much to my dismay I see that so often my relationship with God is based off of this experience mentality. I worship God because I want the experience of His presence, not because He deserves every ounce of praise I can give Him. I go on a mission trip for the experience of a new culture and the stories I'll have to tell.
What a horrible and empty way to live.
Experiences won't satisfy.
They only leave us void and under the illusion that the next one will give us the "high" we are so desiring. What if we threw off the lie of living for the sake of experience and started living for the purpose of our creation. To glorify God. What if instead of waking up in the morning and thinking What's the best experience I can have today or How can I get the most pleasure out of this day; We woke up and said "ok God, what is Your will for me today."
Sometime's God's will is for us to do something amazing and exciting, and sometimes it will be the most boring and monotonous thing you could think of, but its for His glory. The best experience we could ever possibly have is the moment where we come into the presence of the living God and He looks at us and says "... 'Well done, good and faithful servant!..." (Matthew 25:23)That is what I want to work towards.
It's not wrong to do cool stuff but if thats all we are focused on how are we bringing glory to God? Maybe the only purpose of the experience is to witness the beauty of God's creation, so when we see it lets make sure we praise Him for it. Maybe it's to hang out with friends, then lets make sure we uplift and encourage those friends.
In everything may we live with purpose and love. May love be the experience of our lives. Love with purpose, love with passion, love with action. Corinthians 13:4-7 talks about what love is: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
That is a list of actions, a list that requires work and purpose. You don't just experience protection, you have to have a purpose to protect. You don't just have an experience of trust, you to have a reason to trust. My challenge, to live a life that is full of loving purpose. Love God, Love Others, Love Yourself.
Looking back on my life I am sorry to see how many times I was focused on having the experience of something instead of having a purpose for having that experience. Much to my dismay I see that so often my relationship with God is based off of this experience mentality. I worship God because I want the experience of His presence, not because He deserves every ounce of praise I can give Him. I go on a mission trip for the experience of a new culture and the stories I'll have to tell.
What a horrible and empty way to live.
Experiences won't satisfy.
They only leave us void and under the illusion that the next one will give us the "high" we are so desiring. What if we threw off the lie of living for the sake of experience and started living for the purpose of our creation. To glorify God. What if instead of waking up in the morning and thinking What's the best experience I can have today or How can I get the most pleasure out of this day; We woke up and said "ok God, what is Your will for me today."
Sometime's God's will is for us to do something amazing and exciting, and sometimes it will be the most boring and monotonous thing you could think of, but its for His glory. The best experience we could ever possibly have is the moment where we come into the presence of the living God and He looks at us and says "... 'Well done, good and faithful servant!..." (Matthew 25:23)That is what I want to work towards.
It's not wrong to do cool stuff but if thats all we are focused on how are we bringing glory to God? Maybe the only purpose of the experience is to witness the beauty of God's creation, so when we see it lets make sure we praise Him for it. Maybe it's to hang out with friends, then lets make sure we uplift and encourage those friends.
In everything may we live with purpose and love. May love be the experience of our lives. Love with purpose, love with passion, love with action. Corinthians 13:4-7 talks about what love is: Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
That is a list of actions, a list that requires work and purpose. You don't just experience protection, you have to have a purpose to protect. You don't just have an experience of trust, you to have a reason to trust. My challenge, to live a life that is full of loving purpose. Love God, Love Others, Love Yourself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)