Chewing Gum

Would you give up gum for God?

But wait, we're not under the law!

We try to pull so far away from the Mosaic law, that the attitude ends up being, "Hey! I can do such and such, the Bible doesn't say I can't!" People ask the common question of how far is too far. How much can I get away with and still be a Christian. How much can I do and still get into heaven.

First things first, we are NOT justified (saved) by ANY work that we do, it was entirely paid for by Christ AND we do not keep our salvation by ANY work that we do, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit. However, that does not mean there is nothing to obey. Jesus humbled Himself in obedience to the Father, to the point of death, on the cross. (Philippians 2:8) Did you know that He didn't have to do it, He had a choice to obey or not? I'm so glad He did obey.

This falls under the category of sanctification. That is the process of being conformed to the image of Christ. This is about your soul. Your spirit was recreated brand-new at the new birth, but your soul was not. Your soul takes a lifetime to be changed (Philippians 1:6). Some submit to this change more readily than others, and as such, we have some Christians that are matured and are walking in victory and are able to minister to others, and then we have some that the world can't really tell are saved.

This sanctification process is purely done by the Holy Spirit, we take no credit whatsoever, but we are involved in submitting to it. Submission--that is a word many people don't like to hear. It has negative connotations. We don't like being told what to do. My own five-year-old told us a few months ago that she couldn't wait to grow up, because then no one could tell her what to do. This was said very matter-of-fact, and not in a rebellious, reactive tone. It was funny to us, but we explained to her that every single one of us is under authority at all times. We don't reach a place in life where we are free from that. You may be under the authority of a husband, a boss, a pastor, the law/government of your country, and always God.

So when I ask if you would give up gum for God, I really mean, are you fully, whole-heartedly submitted to Him, to do His will, in all things, whether it is specifically spelled out in scripture or not.

So many want to question the alcohol issue. Rather than thinking of yourself, think of others. Will it ruin your witness if you have a drink? Will it cause someone around you to stumble? (Romans 14:21) Will it lead you to temptation, perhaps to overindulge, or fall in another area? You are more likely to give in to things when your senses are dulled.

What about movies? It seems we all have our standard and those that watch worse than us, we judge, those that don't watch what we watch are prudes. Our standard should be the Bible, not our own made-up rule. See Philippians 4:8 and Proverbs 13:20 fits, too. What are you filling your mind with? The mind is transformed by whatever it is filled with, good or bad. (Romans 12:2 is an example of the good.) We felt convicted a few years ago to cut way, way back on movies. We don't go around telling everyone they are sinning for watching movies. That is called legalism. If it comes up in conversation I will tell a friend what we have decided. Sometimes it makes an impact, other times not. That is between them and God, not them and me.

One question in these extra-biblical areas is dependence. Do you rely on, look to, and/or crave such and such more than God? This can apply to a lot of things, food, coffee, alcohol, music, video games, books, shopping, hanging out with certain friends, and on and on. This may sound really strange, but that's what music was for me, for a very, very long time. Music was my escape. I always reached for music when I was feeling down. I depended on it to bring peace and joy to my life. I don't so much anymore. It wasn't that I decided to use my willpower and break this in my life, I didn't make any rules for myself, but rather as I study God's Word more and more and learn His ways and learn of His character, it is easier and easier to trust Him, and I find myself less and less reaching for my music. I will put on music now simply for praise and worship, to focus on Him, no longer myself. Very occasionally I will put on some music just for fun. I don't go around telling others not to listen to music, this is just between me and God. It was my heart that was in the wrong.

I love what Mark Driscoll said once, that we have liberties, but some of us need to give up those liberties. It's not about nitpicking over whether the Bible allows it, the question really is, does God want you doing it. In order to be conformed to the image of Christ, you are going to have to shed some things. (Romans 8:29) The Bible says not to be conformed to this world. (Romans 12:2) Jesus is trying to prune you, so that you can bear more fruit. (John 15:2)

This brings me to my post the other day on John 15:5. We cannot do any of these things in our own power, it is only through Christ's power. So, I ask you again, would you give up gum for God? If He asks you to, He will give you the ability to.

Work

My husband pointed this out to me the other day. In reference to II Thessalonians 3:10, "If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat." We always think of this in context of labor and that is the context in which it was written, but perhaps it could also apply to our study of God's Word. Jesus said He is the Bread of Life (John 6) and He is the Word made flesh (John 1), so we are to eat His Word (see Ezekiel 3 & Revelation 10). But it takes work (diligence - see II Peter 1:5-11 & Hebrews 11:6) to get the food to eat. It takes study to dig out the truths of God and digest them. I'm not saying they are so hidden and obscure, but it takes more than a surface, cursory read to reveal them and get the nourishment from them.

This leads me to something a friend said the other day. She was pointing out that we each need to get revelation for ourselves. We can't rely on our pastor's revelation (although that is helpful, I'm not discounting that), or our friend's, but the truth of God's Word has to come alive to each and every one of us, in order to be effective in our lives. She compared it to eating someone else's food, after they had already eaten it--you don't get any nourishment from it, they already did! That is gross, but really good. Think about the baby bird sitting there with it's mouth open wide, waiting for the mommy bird to chew up the worm and spit it into it's mouth. Many of us go to church that way, saying, "feed me, feed me, chew on it for me, half digest it, and then give it to me." Sermons at church should be a springboard for your own study, NOT your sole nourishment. If so, you are eating someone else's food. They got the full nourishment from it, you are getting a by-product.

Homeschooling has taught me this well, the person doing the research is the person doing the learning. Many times we homeschool moms do a lot of research to teach our kids a lesson and we learn a lot, but the kids don't really. I have learned that it is much better to lead my kids through research, so that they themselves are the ones learning. This is the same with us and church. The pastor is doing the study, getting the revelation, and then passing it on to us. It is easily forgotten if we do not apply it, use it, study it further.

It's time to get to work.

Verse for Today

Jeremiah 18:7-10

The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it.

Where does America fit into this scenario?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Psalm 100
Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all the earth!
Serve the Lord with gladness;
Come before His presence with singing.
Know that the Lord, He is God;
It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves;
We are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
Enter into His gates with thanksgiving,
And into His courts with praise.
Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.
For the Lord is good;
His mercy is everlasting,
And His truth endures to all generations.



Thanksgiving was officially proclaimed as a national holiday by President Abraham Lincoln on October 3, 1863. Here is a portion of his speech:

No human counsel hath devised, nor hath any mortal hand worked out these great things. They are the gracious gifts of the most high God, who, while dealing with us in anger for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy... I do, therefore, invite my fellow citizens in every part of the United States, and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday in November next as a day of Thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in heaven.

I wish you all a happy Thanksgiving and pray that you never forget the Source of all your blessings!

What I Study

I realize that this blog has become a bit more of "What I Preach" than "What I Study." So I thought I would draw back the curtain and show you what I am studying.

I looked up all the verses in the Bible that mention the word race. I wrote the verses down on index cards that spoke to me, and put them on my bathroom mirror. I wanted to meditate on them (see Joshua 1:8 and Ps. 1:1-3) and let them sink in further. That was very fruitful. It seems, for me, that when I do that, is when some of the best revelation comes.

With those being the theme verses, every day in my study time, I look up related topics. One day it is obedience, another day rewards, then blessings, crowns, fruit, fear of the Lord, outer darkness (this one may seem strange, but it is related), judgment Seat of Christ, abide, and overcome--so far! Wow! I didn't even realize how many topics I had come up with until I made this list.

This is after meditating on the topic of Spirit, Soul, and Body for at least the last year. The two topics are intertwined (that of our race, and that of our three-part being). I am studying to find the balance between God's grace and His justice. This idea was brought up to me a couple years ago, when I read The Kingdom, Power, and Glory by Chuck and Nancy Missler. I can say that this study has been exciting to me and a lot of things are making sense now. Our behavior here on earth does matter. Salvation is not an end, but a beginning. I will be writing a series of posts on this topic after Christmas.

So, I ask you, "How is your race going? What has God saved you from? And what did He save you for?"

Without Me

John 15:5b

"...without Me, you can do nothing."

This is one of my favorite verses. It tells me that God is not expecting me to do everything in my own power. It tells me that He sent His Son to empower me. This reminds me also of Matthew 11:29-30.

What are you trying to do in your own power? Is there an area of your life that you have not surrendered to Christ? Because God gave us free will, it is human nature to be independent and do it all ourself. Some of us have an even stronger bent toward that, since we did so much for ourselves, growing up. Some of us have overcome great hardships, and poverty, with hard work (which is very commendable), but this makes us even less likely to look to God for strength.

I try my best to relate this to my children. Rather than telling them to obey, I tell them they can't obey, in their own willpower. I tell them they need to pray and ask God to help them obey. I don't want them to grow up and think they are righteous because they do everything right (that is what the Pharisees did, and Jesus rebuked them). I want them to know their righteousness is not their own, it is Christ's. It is a free gift that we do not deserve. (If you want to know more about using this in your parenting, I encourage you to read Shepherding a Child's Heart, by Tedd Tripp.)

I will be referring to this post more in the future, as I am going to write a lot on the topic of obedience (probably after Christmas). So please, remember--without Him, you can do nothing.

Functional or Dysfunctional

Functional comes from the root word function, meaning the natural or proper action of anything. Dysfunctional then means the opposite, the unnatural or improper action of anything. We see dysfunction all around us in this world, families with dead-beat dads, people in codependent relationships, enablers, manipulators, parents having to take care of adult children, grandparents having to care for grandchildren because the parents are not capable, and on and on and on. Relationships that are unnatural and improper.

We are so accustomed to dysfunction that we let it carry over into our relationship with God. Is your relationship with God unnatural and improper?


Q -

1. Do you go to church because of whom you're married to, or dating, or because your parents make you?

2. Are you in a relationship with God as long as the going is smooth, but once it gets rough, you bail?

3. Do you read your Bible to feel good?

4. Do you go to church to get an emotional high?

5. Do you put your trust in any person (spouse?) or thing (job?) more than God?

6. Do you ask others for prayer, because you feel their faith is stronger than yours?

7. Do you seek out encouragement from others to pull you out of your discouragement?

8. Do you pray only when you have a problem?

9. Is your faith based on tradition or conviction?

10. Are you content to be spoon fed God's Word, relying on hand-my-down revelation from others?




A -

1. God wants you to seek Him because you are responding to His Word, not just because of whom you're married to or dating, or what rules your parents have.

2. God wants you to be committed in the good times and bad (He promised we would face persecution - II Timothy 3:12). He is not the one that causes any bad thing in your life. See James1:17 and John 10:10.

3. He is looking for those that diligently seek Him (Hebrews 11:6), not just reading the Word to feel good, but reading to get to know Him, to find out His will, to gain an awe and reverence, a proper fear of the Lord, to be motivated by obedience--that is when we will gain true wisdom from His Word (Proverbs 9:10).

4. Going to church and being emotionally uplifted is totally fine, but to be seeking after a feeling is wrong. We are not to be driven by our emotions. Romans 8:6 says that to be carnally minded is death. Being carnally minded is being controlled by what you feel.

5. God want us to trust completely in Him and not place any one person (spouse) or thing (job) above Him, that becomes idolatry. Proverbs 3:5, Jeremiah 17:5-10

6. Having others pray for you is totally fine and scriptural, but don't ever feel that God won't listen to your prayers. Don't ever feel like your faith is too small. Jesus said faith as small as a mustard seed can move mountains (Matthew 17:20). Faith comes by hearing the Word (Romans 10:17), you have the answer before you to release the faith that He has already placed on the inside of you (Romans 12:3).

7. Getting encouragement from those around you is part of the purpose of the church (Hebrews 10:24-25), but if you are relying on them more than God, you are wrong. David encouraged himself, reminding himself of God's promises, when he was at a particularly low, depressed state (I Samuel 30:6).

8. Prayer is for so much more than giving God our laundry list. Prayer is a conversation with God, we talk to Him, He answers us with His Word. Praise and thanksgiving should be a much higher priority than asking for things. There is a time and place for requests, but that is not all prayer is. See how the prayer starts and ends that the Lord taught to his disciples in Matthew 6:9-13, with praise.

9. The more you spend time in God's Word, with a pure motive of submission to it, you will move away from tradition to conviction.

10. It's time to get out of the highchair, start feeding yourself, start digging into the solid food (truths, revelation) of God's Word for yourself, and He will reveal wisdom to you. Hebrews 5:12-14, read in the New Living Translation.




I hope you will allow the Holy Spirit to use this strong word to teach you. I don't mean any of these things to condemn you, but rather convict. How do you know the difference? Condemnation pulls you away from God, conviction pulls you closer. We all need to examine our motives and heart from time to time. Some of you have pure hearts, some of you just don't know any better. We have all been at one of these places at one time or another. It's time to grow up. I have actually seen people that live a life of spiritual immaturity and dysfunction and as a result have a hell-on-earth life. They are saved, but they do not walk in victory. God wants better for you.

Error

Recently I wrote that we shouldn't expect any minister to be 100% accurate in their teaching because they are fallible humans. You can click here to read that. Also, I wrote that it is really the Holy Spirit that uses their words and the Word of God to reach people. We must not lose sight of that.

I am reading Tortured for Christ by Richard Wurmbrand, the founder of The Voice of the Martyrs. He said something very interesting regarding Communist Russia. He says that there were a few "token" churches that were allowed to remain, to present some semblence of false freedom to the West. The same thing happens in present-day China. The ministers of these churches were to inform the secret police of all Christian activity. If they did not, they were removed (and imprisoned) and replaced. These "ministers" had to preach sermons that were favorable to the state, sermons about Communism. But they had to include some scripture, and the people could sing old hymns. This bit of scripture ministered to the people.

He writes:

"People in China today are converted under the influence of men whom they know to be traitors. They know that they will tell the secret police about their conversions. They must hide their faith from the very one who gave them this faith by his corrupted sermon."
[Emphasis mine.]

This was good for me to hear, confirmation that it doesn't even really matter how corrupted, or off base, or in error, a preacher is. The Holy Spirit can use, even that, to reach someone and draw them into the knowledge of Christ.

Obviously, if we, in our free country, know of a preacher that is way off base, we can choose not to attend their church, we can warn others, we have choices. It does matter, in that sense, we can't become enablers of error. There are consequences for apostasy. Their sin will find them out. We don't have to be the instrument of judgment, but we do need to watch that we are not offended.

One such minister I can think of, fell into serious error. He pastored a huge mega-church, and then it dwindled to a few hundred, practically overnight. Why? Because he told his church that he had changed his position on one of the core beliefs, listed in my post yesterday. He has reaped many times over for his error.

This helps me have a little perspective and not be so picky when I hear something preached that I disagree with. I need to focus on the majority of what I do agree with. Of every minister I can think of that I disagree slightly with, I know that their heart is right, they have the same purpose I have, to reach the lost, they hold to the same core beliefs of Christianity, and are not in cult territory. And it reminds me to be very thankful I don't live in a Communist or Islamic country and have to take my faith underground.

I encourage you to click on the links I have included. You can receive a free copy of Tortured for Christ. You can check out the work that The Voice of the Martyrs is doing and see what you can do to help.

Religion

I had a little discussion with my kids the other day about world religions. It started because my son learned some things in history about the Catholic church. He had negative view of Catholism after this. Now, there are many things that the Catholic church is wrong about, but I told him we do share many core beliefs with them.


I started a little brainstorm and made this impromptu chart. I don't claim that it is 100% accurate, or all-inclusive. I believe it is a good idea to be aware of the differences between religions. The world is becoming more and more deceptive. People like Glenn Beck and Oprah talk about God and the Bible, but do you know if they believe in the same God you do? Do your own homework. I'll include some links at the bottom.


I wanted to make this into two columns, but can't figure out the spacing. My blog is so narrow anyway, it would be hard to read. So I will label them instead.


[Left column]

Christians believe in/that (includes Catholics, Protestants--Baptists, Methodists, Lutheran, Presbyterian, Episcopalian, and Non-Denominatioal):

Trinity
God is 3 persons in 1
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal
Jesus is the Son of God
Holy Spirit is a person
Virgin birth
Heaven
Hell
Salvation by grace
We become godlike (Christlike)




This does not mean that all Catholics are saved, but many are. For that matter, there will always be some in every one of these groups that are not saved, including evangelical churches. But in general, these churches hold to these core beliefs. In general, the Catholic church does push a lot of external things, like Hail Marys, going to Confession--more so than being saved by grace, but they do recognize that Jesus died on the cross to atone for our sin, that we cannot earn that. In general the Protestant churches do preach more about grace than the Catholic church, but then again, many of them are in error of keeping your salvation by works. There are errors in probably every church, but we have this common ground, of core beliefs, of things that your eternal destiny depends upon. Also, like I mentioned above, we do live in a deceptive world and I have heard lately of particular Methodists, Episcopalians, and even Evangelicals that are erring, falling away, into apostasy, and do not hold to these core beliefs anymore.


[Right column]

Cults, False Christians believe in/that (includes Jehovah's Witnesses & Mormons):

No trinity
1 God, but not 3-in-1
Jesus is not God, but a creation
Jesus is equal with Lucifer (JW)
Jesus was a man that became God (Mormons)
Holy Spirit is a force, not a person (JW)
They will become gods to rule a kingdom (Mormons)
Heaven is limited (JW)
Salvation by works
No hell (JW) (Mormons think hell is temporary)
People become gods (Mormons)




We need to realize that we do not have any common ground with Mormons and Jehovah's Witnesses. The lines are becoming very blurry. Mormons even call themselves Christians, but their people are urged not to trust the Bible, because if they did, they would realize how far off from Christianity they are. They hold to many of the same morals, but Christianity is more than a moral code. They talk a lot of similar talk, but when you dig, you realize they are not in some little error about a fringe belief, but have very twisted core beliefs, things that their eternal destiny hangs upon.




After I made the left and right columns above, I decided to address other various religions below.
Other World Religions:

-Judaism - 1 God, true God, waiting for their Messiah, salvation by works (more and more Jews are coming to the knowledge that Jesus is their Messiah, though, and getting saved.)
-Islam - 1 god, Allah, saved by works
-Buddhism - many gods, saved by works
-Hinduism - many gods, saved by works, reincarnation is based on how well they lived their life and they will probably reincarnate several times before they reach the highest state they are all hoping for (their equivalent of heaven).
-New Age - they are god
-Atheist - no god
-Agnostic - God is unknowable, He is far removed and not personal


I know I didn't list every possible religion, but the major ones are here at a glance. There are others, but they will fall into categories that I have already spelled out.

Notice how deception can be so subtle. The devil likes to take something from the Bible and twist it ever so. There is plenty of scriptural evidence that we are being conformed to the image of Christ, which means we are being changed (sanctification) all the time, to be more and more Christ-like. (Now, some people submit to this change more so than others. I know we can all think of examples of Christians, that are not very Christlike.) The Mormons believe that Jesus and the Father were once men and became gods, and they, too, can become gods. New Agers believe that they are part of the "divine" and they are god. Which is the truth? And why? I cannot stress how important it is to know what you believe, and why you believe it.





Resources:


Great site that explains what Mormons believe and what the Bible says. Also includes numerous testimonies of people that have left the Mormon church. The owner of this site was on the inside and came out, so he is truly knowledgable about what the Mormons believe. This man tries to reach all the Mormons he can. He spoke with Glenn Beck recently, the information is on his blog.




Blueletterbible.org has information on both Mormonism and Jehovah's Witnesses. Click here for that link.


A great book on the topic is The Handbook of Today's Religions by Josh McDowell.

Verse for Today

Jeremiah 17:5-10

⁵ Thus says the LORD:

“ Cursed is the man who trusts in man
And makes flesh his strength,
Whose heart departs from the LORD.
⁶ For he shall be like a shrub in the desert,
And shall not see when good comes,
But shall inhabit the parched places in the wilderness,
In a salt land which is not inhabited.

⁷ “ Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
And whose hope is the LORD.
⁸ For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters,
Which spreads out its roots by the river,
And will not fear when heat comes;
But its leaf will be green,
And will not be anxious in the year of drought,
Nor will cease from yielding fruit.

⁹ “ The heart is deceitful above all things,
And desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
¹⁰ I, the LORD, search the heart,
I test the mind,
Even to give every man according to his ways,
According to the fruit of his doings.

Verse for Today

Psalm 91

¹ Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
³ For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
⁵ Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
⁶ Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
⁷ Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
⁸ Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.

⁹ If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
¹⁰ no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
¹¹ For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
¹² They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
¹³ You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!

¹⁴ The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
¹⁵ When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
¹⁶ I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.” (NLT)

How Often

I'm going to revisit this issue of getting by on attending church once a week, with no devotional or study time during the week. I know there are a lot of you out there, because I was one of you. For 29 years of my life, I belonged to that club.

I want to make some comparisons for you.

Food

How well would your body do on one meal a week? This is what your soul is getting at church, and during your own study. Is your soul malnourished? Is your soul barely surviving? (John 6:35)

Education

How well would you do in school (say high school, or college) if you went to class just once per week? This is the effort many of us are putting in to learning the things of God. (Proverbs 10:14)

Relationship

How well would your marriage do if you and your spouse only spent time together one day a week? This is the amount of time a lot of us want God to be content with. (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

Your justification is in no way dependent on how much or how often you spend time with God. Your salvation is a free gift from God, it is based on what Christ did for you. Bible study is 1) to feed your soul, 2) a way for you to learn God's ways, the way His kingdom works, and His plan for your life, and 3) the way to be in relationship with God--this is what you were created for.

Your Need

I realize with my last post on transformation that many of you don't see a need for transformation. Many of you are saying, "I'm a pretty good person, I go to church, I pay my tithes, I'm not perfect, but my life is good." You read your Bible here and there, you pray here and there, you don't see a big need to spend more time.

I was visiting with a friend the other day and she was describing her walk with God, saying it's getting a lot closer. She described many of her years that she just didn't really see her need for God. She was saved, she went to church every week, but she wasn't conscious of her need.

Another friend of mine describes her life, for the most part, as being fairly smooth, a life with bumps, but none too great that she could not solve in her own strength. She says,

"That is not to say I didn't have a good relationship with God. I did. I just didn't feel the need to rely on Him for my daily strength. He was a wonderful add-on to my life; an important part but not the only part. In fact, being married had actually decreased my dependence on God. Honestly, [my husband] had become my all-in-all; and Jesus was someone we taught our kids about and someone we worshipped on Sundays."

Is God an add-on to your life? Or is He your all-in-all? Is Jesus someone you teach your kids about and worship on Sunday? Or is He the reason you are who you are, the reason you can get up each day, the reason you can do anything you do?

This occurred to me while I was finishing up my post on Transformation, that a large group of you are very content to leave God on the sidelines, fitting Him in conveniently to your life here and there.

It is my passion to communicate to you what an incredible thing you're missing out on. Daily time in God's Word will change your life, but what if you don't see the need for change? I guess there's not much I can say.

Or perhaps I'm too focused on the intellectual pursuit of study and that turns people off. Perhaps I need to communicate more of the relationship side of Christianity. I admit, I LOVE to learn. And Bible study, as an educational pursuit, is my passion. So maybe I need to change my approach a bit.

I just finished reading Beyond Belief to Conviction by Josh McDowell. This part really stuck out to me (it is not a direct quote, I have paraphrased):

You are saved and so you belong to God--you are adopted into His family. Jesus says, "I know you and love you so very much, just for who you are. I know every thought and motive, every desire of your heart. I even took on human flesh and tasted first-hand all the joys and pains of the life you lead. But...I want you to know me."

God doesn't want you to go to his Word to simply learn the rules of the Christian life. The Word is not just to inspire you to live better, He wants you to see His Word as an open door to His heart, a way to know Him for who He is.

Do you want to know Him? If you don't even care about change or transformation, if you are really quite happy in your life, do you at least want to get to know God? Would it hurt you if your child didn't care anything about getting to know you? What if your child just looked at you as a ticket to things, to toys, to college, to a car, etc.? That is how a lot of us view God. He is our ticket to heaven, we only come to Him when we need things. Other than that, we don't want to get to know Him. But He wants you to know Him, so much so, that this is the primary reason He sent His Son to die, to remove the barrier between you and Him, your sin. This is the very reason He's given us His Word, to reveal Himself to us. So that we can know Him. It's all about relationship. It starts now, we don't wait till we get to heaven.

Ponder these verses.

Jeremiah 9:23-24

Thus says the LORD:
“Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom,
Let not the mighty man glory in his might,
Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
But let him who glories glory in this,
That he understands and knows Me,
That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness,

judgment, and righteousness in the earth.
For in these I delight,” says the LORD.

Psalm 95:10-11

The Israelites did now know God, so they did not enter His rest. (Canaan--this is the victorious, abundant Christian life, not heaven.) [My paraphrase.]

Jeremiah 24:7

Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him, should not perish, but have eternal life. [And what is eternal life? It is not living forever, but knowing God! See below.]

John 17:1-3

Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said, "Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You, as You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He shall give eternal life to as many as You have given Him. And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent."

It is all about relationship. How's your relationship with Him? Is it a daily pursuit, or weekly, or just every once in a while, or just when you need something? Don't wait until crisis hits, to start building that relationship.

Transformation

Swallowtail Caterpillar on Fennel in my garden.

Adult Swallowtail on Basil, in my garden, right after we released it.

My children and I like to bring Swallowtail Caterpillars in from the garden, so that we can watch them make a chrysalis and transform into a butterfly. It never ceases to amaze me, even after watching so many times.

One thing I have noticed is that they are voracious eaters! I'm not even sure they sleep. They just eat and eat and eat! I guess they need a lot of energy to transform.

Philippians 1:6 says that God began a good work in you, and it will not be complete until the day of Christ's return. God wants to transform you. This is one of the reason's He sent His Son.

Would you like more peace, more joy, more freedom from bondage, sickness, depression, fears, anxieties, strongholds? Do you sometimes wish you were a different person? That is what God's Word will do for you. When we eat it, it changes us. John 6:35 says that Jesus is the bread of life. Whoever eats of it will never hunger. John 1:1-14 tells us that Jesus is the Word made flesh. So if we are to eat of the bread of life, we are to ingest the Word of God.

If we want transformation, we need to be like that caterpillar, and eat and eat and eat.

The Bible doesn't use a picture of a butterfly, but it does speak of being like a baby. I Peter 2:2, "Desire the pure milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby." Babies eat almost as much as caterpillars do! They eat all the time!

How often are you eating God's Word? How you change, transform, and grow will be in direct proportion to how much and how often you eat.