Re-Learning... Again

It has been far too long!

Sometimes I feel like one of the most dense humans on the planet, because I seem to need to relearn things over and over and over.  Or maybe it's just that I have known things in my head for a long time, but the facts haven't traveled to my heart because my head hasn't fully accepted them yet.  Either way, I am glad the Lord is so patient, because if I were him, I'd probably be pulling my hair out over me by now!

I am also glad that I am "relearning" these things.  I'll share a brief overview of the truths that I have known forever, but have recently come to understand a bit deeper in my heart, in a way that I can apply to myself:

1. God and Jesus love me no matter what.  I started understanding what this means when I thought about my favorite person, the one I love most unconditionally.  I thought about how I feel toward them despite all their flaws and shortcomings, what I want for them, how I would treat them in the face of them doing something wrong or disappointing, etc... and I came to the conclusion that if I can feel so tenderly toward somebody, and if God tells me to always forgive and always love and always treat well, then he certainly does nothing less for me.  (I recommend doing the same mental exercise of thinking about somebody you just absolutely adore, and preferably know very well - it might open your eyes, too, if you have been in the same boat as I have)

2. Relationship is the most important thing to God.  That's why he made humans and why he sent Jesus.

3. But relationship with God is only fully experienced through obedience to him.  That way there is not only no guilt in blocking the way between me and God, but I can also be assured that when I obey, I am much more safe and protected.  God can only do so much for me, for example, when I decide to go against him and get in a fist fight with someone who has made me angry.  Additionally, when we obey, God's goodness is showcased to the world in an extremely powerful way because it so confounds and confuses the ways of the enemy.

4. I don't need to be perfect!  I can't be perfect!  The Lord does not EXPECT me to be perfect!  And, I will NEVER BE PERFECT!  And!  That is OK!  Good gracious.  Needless to say, I'll be relearning this one again next month. 

Anybody learning anything out there?  What a privilege to be able to encourage each other in all of our learning about our marvelous Lord Jesus and our Father God :)

Beth Moore Simulcast - Salt & Certainty

Point #5: We can revel in the certainty of the things we have been taught.

The point of Bible study is to know God and have a relationship with him - it's not just about knowledge!  The people of the Bible, those who wrote the Bible, KNEW Jesus - they had proof.  What theses people wrote isn't a fond hope, it is their experience, it is reality.

John 20:29
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

That means WE are blessed!!
Here's a secret about Jesus:  The more you need him, the more you will see him.

God intends to be faithful to you.  Don't you ever think he's not there for you or that he's left you.  Go to him because he will help you and give you love that nobody else will ever be able to give you.

Acts 1:1-3
3 After his suffering, he presented himself to them and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.


Imagine how trying it would have been to be with Jesus and for him to keep coming and going over this time period. It was obviously a time of testing, confirmed by the fact that it was a period of 40 days, which all over the Bible is a number that indicates testing. Here are some other 40 day testing periods of the Bible:

-The rains while Noah and his family were in the ark
-Moses' time on the mountain with God
-The spies' time scouting the land of Canaan
-Elijah's time without food
-Ninevah's time limit on repenting
-Jesus' period of tempting
-(and babies take 40 weeks to be born!)
The apostles had to live in faith and not by sight at this point as Jesus was no longer constantly with them.  BUT they had those many convincing proofs, and because they did, so do we.

I'm going to have to skip Beth's explanation of the Greek word sunalizo because I couldn't find the stuff in a concordance and I don't want to tell it wrong!  But this section was about communing with Christ constantly and spicing up life because we are intended to be "the salt of the earth."  Salt is a cleanser, a flavor-er, and a preservative.

Point #6: Jesus passed us the salt also.

It's time we become the flavor of Christ!  Let's enjoy life and be people that other people can be attracted to because of our excitement for and communion with Christ.

And finally, Point #7: We can ALSO be many convincing proofs that Jesus is alive.

Notice the reference to also??  I thought that was clever.

Think about and look for the things God has done in your life that prove him and Jesus Christ.  We, too, have proof of God because of the transformation he has worked in us, the miracles He's performed for us, His love for us that burns in our hearts and completes us.  The responsibility is now on us to show the Truth that Jesus Christ is the way, the truth, and the life and to tell everyone what he has done for us!

These were Paul's last penned words:

Acts 28:28-31
30 For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. 31 Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.

Although Paul was technically under house arrest, it says that he preached unhindered!  Do what you have to do to be unhindered to do what God has called you to do.

The last image Beth showed us was a photograph somebody had taken from the driver's seat of a truck.  It was two cowgirls galloping beside the truck on horses, but it also caught the view in the truck's side view mirror of a raging fire close behind (the simulcast took place during some really terrible fires in Texas).  Beth said it's time to get on our horses and ride to freedom with Jesus.  We don't have long on this earth, the women on the horses didn't have long until the fire caught up to them - we have to choose how we spend our time.  Let's choose to be unhindered - it is available through Christ!

The end!!!