I like to think, a lot. I also like people to think as well ... so I hope you enjoy my thoughts.
This one is for Amy Elizabeth ... because its taken waaaay too long!! ; )
I have been thinking a lot on how my mind can either seperate me from knowing Jesus or can bring me closer to knowing Him. Its quite the topic actually. I like to think I can help people jump into the depths of Jesus. Can I really? I seek Him and I find Him in crazy ways, and He shows me many things that I never knew that I could know. But am I just giving people what I think about Jesus or am I taking them straight to the word and saying this is what Jesus says about God and what He is all about. I think that I do a pretty good job of that but in our society we are individuals, being proud of our own opinions that we form and proud of our race, whatever that is, and our political views and what we are accomplishing in this world ect... ect... Be loud and proud is what I see as an underlying theme in our society. I think that it's ok that we can think whatever we want about any topic we want, because it's our free will. Although it sometimes can affect other parts of our lives, in either a postive or negative way.
After stating that, I think its a terribly wrong way to live when getting to know Jesus. As I think about the things that I already know and what I want to know, I can't help but think, am I missing Jesus b/c I want to have my own opinons and my own thoughts on things? Am I allowing myself to be conformed to the likeness of Christ if I keep persuing my own opinions on how the gov't should be run, or how the poor should be treated, or what kind of people I need to be nice to and which people I shouldn't really care about? Are my "grand ideas" getting in the way of me fully knowing Jesus? Or am I saying "Jesus, you can have it all."
Am I "throwing off EVERYTHING that hinders" as it says to in Hebrews 12:1,2? I actually read an amazing verse for maybe the first time (a small chance that it was the second time) in Joshua. It is right after the fall of Jericho and the Israelites were stealing from God, of course after he told them not to. Oh Israelites, ha. Joshua 7:10-12 says, "The Lord said to Joshua, "Stand up! What are you doing down on your face? Israel has sinned; they have violated my covenant, which I commanded them to keep. They have taken some of the devoted things; they have stolen, they have lied, they have put them with their own possessions. That is why the Isralites cannot stand against their enemies; they turn their backs and run because they have been made liable to destruction. I will not be with you anymore unless you destroy whatever among you is devoted to destruction." --- my emphesis added.
That's a pretty good word right there! What in my life is devoted to distruction? What kind of distruction am I allowing in my life? Yes, I do understand we are in the world, but that does not mean we can just take the "everyone else does it" view and run with it. God clearly states that He can't be around anything that is devoted to distruction. It is not his nature, therefore He will not abide with it. This is not taking away is omnipresence, I think this statement enhances it. God has boundaries, and He will not live near sin, it is not His nature, He cannot do it. So again, what in my life is hindering me from seeing the face of Jesus, hearing his voice and being ridiculously connected to him? Is it what I'm watching, b/c my eyes are the window to my soul. Is it what I'm listening to b/c the ears are a door to the heart. Is it the condition of my heart? Am I filled with bitterness, pride, self reliance? What is it to you? What in your life, is hindering the completion of holiness your inner most being? And why, why do we think that we can get away with just saying "oh this one time won't hurt" when clearly, it does because a man reaps what he sows, in every situation. I encourage you to throw EVERYTHING off that hinders, so that anything that causes distruction in your life will not hinder you from having a passionately deep relationship with the King of Kings.
