Food for thought..

As  a result of my commitment to Lent, I have been doing more Bible reading than I was doing previously. I have a plan that I am following so that is helping. As I read everyday and do a little art in my Lent journal.. God is revealing things to me. I sense that He is answering questions that I did not realize I had..opening up scripture in new ways. This should hardly be news to me since I have been a Bible reader for the last 38 years, but there have been seasons where I could not open it up and I felt dried up and lost. This short season has changed all that.. my spirit is being renewed by focusing on the Lord, His word, my art and desiring to change some bad habits and patterns that keep me from trusting Him fully. My faith feels stronger.. I have more hope and there are some answers to prayer that I believe are coming.

One of the passages that God used during this last week, was from the last chapter of John.. you know the one, where Jesus appears to his disciples after the resurrection and says ” Come and have breakfast.” I have always enjoyed the down to earth flavor of that passage. He fried fish for them.. no sermon.. just food and fellowship. In this same chapter He asks Peter three times if he loves Him. Peter gets a little annoyed but says yes every time. What is this all about? Some people see it linked to Peter’s denial of Jesus.. since that happened three times. I can see that possibility, but I see much more. Jesus answered Peter three times.. He told Peter to  feed His lambs, take care of His sheep and feed His sheep. Some translations say tend or shepherd my sheep. What does this mean? For me it means that if I love the Lord I am going to care for, encourage, and comfort His people. There can be no excuse for not doing this including disillusionment, cynicism, and old wounds. It was a word I needed to hear. Anyone who attends church and interacts with other believers long enough will have reasons for pulling away and licking their wounds. Yet if I am understanding this passage correctly, we don’t have that option. “IF YOU LOVE ME…Feed my sheep!” Wow.. I got it Lord and thanks for making it so clear:)

So grateful for a God that reveals Himself through the scriptures and that cares enough about us to communicate with each one of His sheep in a personal way.

Easter is coming!!

 

 

 

 

God’s Heart

I am surprised by the way people see God. Since I love to talk about Him and have many friends who believe in Him, these conversations happen frequently. Our perception of who He is comes through teachings, life experience, scripture, and our own imaginations. It is very easy to fall into disillusionment and begin to think of Him in a way that reinforces our own negativity. It is also easy to find scripture to back this up.

No one has the final word when it comes to scripture interpretation. We can read study Bibles and commentaries..we can attend Bible Studies and Seminary classes..we can listen to sermons and read books..all of these things teach us, but in the end we may still only see through a glass darkly. Where do we go from there? Call on the Holy Spirit..the spirit of the living God who wants to reveal truth to us. He is the real interpreter and it brings Him pleasure to open our eyes to the goodness of God.

I find myself praying for God to reveal Himself to those around me. That is the only way they will really know Him. He is so often misrepresented by those who claim to know Him. His character is often misunderstood by those who believe they understand Him. Our only hope is knowing that He desires to come close to us..to show us His amazing love and grace without the help of well-meaning people. In the same way we desire to be known..really known, He has that same desire. 

 “And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.”