This thought from yesterday has stayed with me: All the wrong things that we believe about ourselves and our world because there are voices that are stronger in our minds than the voice of God, even though intellectually we have the better, more accurate answers per the “holy Book” of God, the Bible.
We know the Sunday School lesson, we attended the seminar, we got the degree, we just didn’t get the truth imbedded deeply in our hearts.
Many of us stop at merely being introduced to the truth, acquainted with the truth, studying the truth. After all truth is not nearly so dangerous and risky if we are holding it as opposed to truth gripping our souls.
But that is not nearly enough.
We must hear and believe the voice of God as expressed in his words above all other sources of communication.
The words have to be real in the small and the vital areas of our lives before we can embrace the big picture God paints.
And how do we do that?
Precedent. Previous experience. Pertinent experience.
Previous experience in the ways of the words of God.
We believe God for how we relate to the people around us. We see what God does in us and in them. We don’t pay back insult for insult. Relating properly to those around us in our words and in our deeds helps us to believe our theology. We see God work in the small and vital areas of our lives because we obeyed, we lived his truth, then we will see God operate on the larger canvas.
If I don’t trust God on the issue of forgiveness, then I will undermine my ability to trust God when facing death. I will undermine “the heaven effect” in my life. What I mean by that is the reality of heaven will change my life now. Heaven will be more than just someplace I hope to go someday. Many older Christians are afraid to die because they have undermined their faith in the small yet vital areas of their lives.
Pertinent experience.
All of us have “that one thing.” We do the Christian life pretty well, especially if graded on the curve, check, check, check-check. Doing good. . .until. . .that one thing. We don’t control our tongue. Our thought life plows into a sexual fantasy. We smoke that Visa card with things we cannot afford. We exclude people from our lives who are different or who do not “add something” to our happy plan for living.
But God will call us to that one thing, you, me, everybody. Look at the “certain ruler” in Luke 18.
Check — Did not commit adultery
Check — Did not murder
Check — Did not steal
Check — Did not bear false witness
Check — Honored his father and his mother
Check, check, check, check, check. Oh, yeah, honey, I can see the pearly gates swinging wide.
“What’s that, Jesus?”
But Jesus brought up that one thing that was holding him back. Jesus wasn’t addressing being rich in general; he was speaking to the one thing that kept this man from following him.
(Luke 18:18-22 NKJV) Now a certain ruler asked Him, saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (19) So Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. (20) “You know the commandments: ‘Do not commit adultery,’ ‘Do not murder,’ ‘Do not steal,’ ‘Do not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother.'” (21) And he said, “All these things I have kept from my youth.” (22) So when Jesus heard these things, He said to him, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”
Back to now being able to hear God, being able to not say things that contradict his thoughts toward us. Sometimes a person may not be able to see her beauty because of the way she treats others. Downgrade the beauty of others, can’t see the beauty God sees in me. Can’t tolerate failure in others, can’t receive mercy and grace.
Maybe he doesn’t have the courage to develop a passion because he can’t trust God to be there if he fails because he doesn’t trust God in everyday things. The shadow of God, the refuge he offers, the safety net he throws out for his children, is not seen on a moment’s notice but becomes gradually visible in the mundane, the daily workings of our lives, how we love or don’t love our neigbor is a good place to start. We don’t have to look for a safety net when a crisis hits; we already know it is there; daily experience in listening to God and trusting him with my life, embracing his truth, living it, having my eyes opened to his strong arm of protection.
Live the words in the little things; hear God’s voice in the big things.
