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Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly."
Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.
There’s a story Jesus told of a father having two sons, and went to each of them asking of them to work in his vineyard, the first said, I will not, but later did, the other said yes, but changed his mind and didn’t.
Which of the two Jesus asked, did the will of the father?
Pondering on this story, I think it might be possible to come to a conclusion based upon a religious math that has no power to change ones heart.
In this story it appears that perhaps this all unfolded within a day, maybe so, but then again, let’s put that aside for now.
How often does it have to be repeated, the miracle of grace, the blowing of the wind-His breath, moving invisibly touching us in ways imperceptible to our senses, and yet there He is doing the impossible.
Putting myself in this story which really is not that hard to imagine, I am heading in one direction, adamantly fixed in doing my own thing, wanting to have nothing to do with God, and BAMM, out of nowhere, I somehow find myself going in a direction, in a way, that seems to be not of my choosing.
What’s that all about?
The bible talks about the mystery of godliness, and in a nut shell, I think this touches upon this story. When, where, how long was it before the son sensed a change in course, something totally unknown and yet powerful, like a small rudder turning a huge ship effortlessly in a new direction?
The sheer beauty of this staggers the imagination, yet man always wants to boil down what only God can do, into a formula, or steps, to follow.
Like time-lapse photography, God sees the beginning from the end. What seems to us to be a tortuously long process is but an instant in his eyes, and it’s all beautiful (see link below). Unfortunately, there is no way to escape that tortuous process.
Rich
Jesus said, "You're not listening. Let me say it again. Unless a person submits to this original creation—the 'wind-hovering-over-the-water' creation, the invisible moving the visible, a baptism into a new life—it's not possible to enter God's kingdom. When you look at a baby, it's just that: a body you can look at and touch. But the person who takes shape within is formed by something you can't see and touch—the Spirit—and becomes a living spirit.
There’s a story Jesus told of a father having two sons, and went to each of them asking of them to work in his vineyard, the first said, I will not, but later did, the other said yes, but changed his mind and didn’t.
Which of the two Jesus asked, did the will of the father?
Pondering on this story, I think it might be possible to come to a conclusion based upon a religious math that has no power to change ones heart.
In this story it appears that perhaps this all unfolded within a day, maybe so, but then again, let’s put that aside for now.
How often does it have to be repeated, the miracle of grace, the blowing of the wind-His breath, moving invisibly touching us in ways imperceptible to our senses, and yet there He is doing the impossible.
Putting myself in this story which really is not that hard to imagine, I am heading in one direction, adamantly fixed in doing my own thing, wanting to have nothing to do with God, and BAMM, out of nowhere, I somehow find myself going in a direction, in a way, that seems to be not of my choosing.
What’s that all about?
The bible talks about the mystery of godliness, and in a nut shell, I think this touches upon this story. When, where, how long was it before the son sensed a change in course, something totally unknown and yet powerful, like a small rudder turning a huge ship effortlessly in a new direction?
The sheer beauty of this staggers the imagination, yet man always wants to boil down what only God can do, into a formula, or steps, to follow.
Like time-lapse photography, God sees the beginning from the end. What seems to us to be a tortuously long process is but an instant in his eyes, and it’s all beautiful (see link below). Unfortunately, there is no way to escape that tortuous process.
Rich
3 comments:
Good stuff again, Bro. We should Skype more often eh?!! :-)
Dave,
It feels like we're miner's discovering His heart of gold, don't you think?
I am so greatful for those time lapse moments when Father allows us to see far beyond tortuously long process we seem to be locked into.
Without that, I think we would be prisoners of time.
Rich
Amen. >:D<
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