3-in-1

I've been making an efort to read my bible/pray/take some quite time every morning... In my quiet time this morning I read John 7. This chapter begins with Jesus' brother's telling Him that He should go to Judea so that His disciples could see the miracles that He was doing because "no one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret" (vs. 4). Verse 5 tells us that at this time Jesus' brother's didn't believe in Him.

I can sense a bit of sarcasm in Jesus' brothers voice as they spoke to Him: "Come on Jesus, you want to be popular, right? You want everyone to follow you, right? You should go to the biggest event in town and show your stuff off. This is your opportunity Jesus. Show the crowds what you got!" They figured this was the best time for Jesus to show Himself off. Of course, Jesus knows their hearts and tells them it was not the right time.

I love Jesus' response in verse 6. Jesus says: "The right time for me has not yet come; for you any time is right. " (emphasis added by me) Ouch! Jesus' brothers didn't get it (or more specifically, they didn't get Jesus). As I was reflecting on this, it made me think: How often am I like Jesus' brothers? How often do I think I know what God's timing is? How often do I rush into things because the time seems right? How often does Jesus need to rebuke me and say: "The right time has not yet come"? How often do I get mad at God for not acting at the right time?

I want to be sensitive to God's leading and I want to follow His timing. I am learning that in order to do this I need to be in constant communion with God, I need to be aware of His constant presence with me and I need to be listening for His still small voice. How do you stay sensitive to God's leading so that you can follow His timing?

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Over the last year I have learned a LOT about changes that I have needed to make in my life. I have learned about how to be a better communicator, how to be a better listener, how to handle conflict in healthier ways, how to differentiate myself and a whole host of other good things. Lots of these things are a constant learning process, which can always be improved upon...

Learning about these things has been good BUT real change isn't going to happen unless I actually put these things into practice, right? A big part of putting these things into practice is first dealing with my thought life (specifically faulty thoughts and beliefs). Jud Wilhite in his book "Eyes Wide Open" says: "Change won't last until we take control of our thought life and replace destructive thoughts with biblical ones" (pg. 125). I have found this to be absolutely true in my life, in many shapes and forms.

Before I can I truly bring about real change in my life I have to first deal with the faulty beliefs/thoughts that have led to my unhealthy patterns/ways of doing things. The Bible has a lot to say about this. Romans 12:2 says: "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." Transformation starts in the mind, with a different way of thinking. To bring about this transformation of the mind we must actively take control of our thoughts today. We can't be passive or lazy about them. This involves hard work, a conscious effort to change how we think (I like doing things consciously, making decesions and thinking about what we are doing.)

A big part in overcoming faulty and destructive thoughts is being able to recognize them. The way we do this is by taking our thoughts and comparing them to the truth (God's word). Jesus told us that the truth will set us free... We have to remember what God says about us. When I hear a voice in my head saying that I am not worthy and God doesn't care about me, I counter that by speaking God's Word to myself. I have to remind myself of passages that override the faulty thoughts that play in my mind. Passages like Romans 8:1-2 which says "there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death." and Romans 8:38-39 which says: "For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." In doing this I let God’s word establish what is true and what is not true for me.

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Speaking of truth...

I just finished reading Angry Conversations with God, a book I would highly recommend to anyone... This book has got me thinking. How do I think of God? What are my misconceptions about the 'person' God is?

I think my 'god' is a cliche speaking, patting on the head, "you're so pitiful I'll pretend to love you so that the world seems better" kind of god. Which is not true at all, but the unfortunate reality of how my mind imagines God to be...

The first step in changing that idea, though, is realizing that it's just that. An idea. Not reality.
What's your god like?