Upon awakening, I feed our two dogs, grab a cup of coffee and then my quiet time materials and I either head to my favorite chair, or, on a beautiful morning like today, outside. What my neighbors see, they might wonder about, as I sit cocooned in a heavy pink bathroom and my Ugg slippers; I’m as content as I can be.
My quiet time is sacred to me. It is not about have tos, it is my desire to sit quietly and allow my day to start with God. I use to immediately delve into my readings, but recently have allowed myself a few minutes to just be still. It is in this stillness that my mind can shake the last doldrums of sleep and get focused on my many blessings.
A friend and I are re-reading Luke in the Bible. She thinks I’m so wise….NOT! The particular Bible I’m reading has commentary in it by Joyce Meyer. See, I read the biblical material and then read Joyce’s commentary and then formulate my thoughts that usually make their way onto paper, whether or not it is in my blog. Today though, my desire was to not react to Joyce’s message, but instead to have fresh eyes to glean from God’s perspective. There is a huge difference. Duh! No offense to Joyce, she does a great job!
So, today, as I re-read the first chapter in Luke, I was privy to the story about John the Baptist’s parents. His Dad was a priest, named Zachariah and his Mom was named Elizabeth. Both were well advanced in age. Well an angel comes along and states to Zachariah that he’s gonna be a daddy, which is something both he and Elizabeth dreamed about but had more or less given up on because of their ages. I read down to verse 18 and Zachariah says to the angel "By what shall I know AND be sure of this?"
Whoa, hit me over the head with a baseball bat (not literally!) This guy has an angel talking to him – which would be pretty magnificent in itself and then he says what is the guarantee about what is being said?!
The story goes on, that because he asked such a question, he would no longer be able to speak, until the event came to be. And until Elizabeth bore John, Zachariah was mute, in fact his first words were to proclaim the name the angel had given him for the baby.
The whole point I’m trying to make is that we too are children of God. We have direct access to God, we do not have to go through intermediaries to have a conversation with Him, which had been what I was more or less taught growing up. That is the big difference between religion and having a relationship with God. Religion states it rules with its channels, a relationship with God says come talk to Me directly. I choose the latter. I wonder if today’s "Pharisees" are chomping at the bit calling me a blasphemer!
In making my choice I am then compelled to trust that the One whom I believe to hear me, does in fact, hear my prayers. Thing is, I have to grow enough to allow that my will, may not necessarily be HIS will for me. So, my quiet time is that time when I have to allow myself to be open and let the early morning breezes blow through me ridding me of my expectations about the day. Like Zachariah, I want my guarantees that the ones I love will be safe (myself included). That my day will go along without setbacks. That I will be happy…..whoa wait a minute. None of that is guaranteed. Nowhere does it say that we get a free pass in life.
"By what shall I know and be sure of?"
What falls under this heading in your life? Certainly we want to be able to count on people to be there for us, as we need them. Certainly we want to know that our finances will outlast our lives, so that we can live debt free. Certainly we want our health to sustain us until we somehow pass from this life to the next. I don’t mean to ruin anyone’s day, but certainlies just aren’t there. And for some, who just don’t get the whole "God" thing, they don’t even have the One who is guaranteed to be there.
And that is probably the thing that worries me the most and not for my sake. I have had numerous people say "how do you know?" My challenge to them is to read the Bible. Their response back to me might fall into various categories – it is boring, it’s too long, I don’t like to read. And I can relate to all of them. I fell into those same categories. But having read it, I now understand the magnitude of riches it represents. Don’t start at the beginning, unless you want to. Start by reading the New Testament. Get a copy with the most up-to-date language, so that you don’t get lost in the "thy’s and thee’s. Who cares if someone thinks less of you for not being able to navigate through "their" favorite version. The Bible is written in many versions, and I find that the one I best related to was the one that took the passages and then broke them down relating it to more of today’s issues.
One of the biggest detractors from having the relationship with God seems to be that people think they are going to have to be "goodie two shoes." Let me say unequivocally, I am not some holier than thou type. I am still the same person I always was and will be. Too many people think that they will be going to heaven based on how they lived their lives. That mystery is spoken about in the bible and it is a fallacy. How good is good enough? You will never be good enough or be able to "do" enough. That is why Jesus said the way was through Him…..and ONLY Him. He is the key for so many of life’s rewards and we only get to know Him by reading about Him. That is why a relationship is so important, not just religion.
This is what I know and can unequivocally be assured of!
Looking up!~
Barb
My quiet time is sacred to me. It is not about have tos, it is my desire to sit quietly and allow my day to start with God. I use to immediately delve into my readings, but recently have allowed myself a few minutes to just be still. It is in this stillness that my mind can shake the last doldrums of sleep and get focused on my many blessings.
A friend and I are re-reading Luke in the Bible. She thinks I’m so wise….NOT! The particular Bible I’m reading has commentary in it by Joyce Meyer. See, I read the biblical material and then read Joyce’s commentary and then formulate my thoughts that usually make their way onto paper, whether or not it is in my blog. Today though, my desire was to not react to Joyce’s message, but instead to have fresh eyes to glean from God’s perspective. There is a huge difference. Duh! No offense to Joyce, she does a great job!
So, today, as I re-read the first chapter in Luke, I was privy to the story about John the Baptist’s parents. His Dad was a priest, named Zachariah and his Mom was named Elizabeth. Both were well advanced in age. Well an angel comes along and states to Zachariah that he’s gonna be a daddy, which is something both he and Elizabeth dreamed about but had more or less given up on because of their ages. I read down to verse 18 and Zachariah says to the angel "By what shall I know AND be sure of this?"
Whoa, hit me over the head with a baseball bat (not literally!) This guy has an angel talking to him – which would be pretty magnificent in itself and then he says what is the guarantee about what is being said?!
The story goes on, that because he asked such a question, he would no longer be able to speak, until the event came to be. And until Elizabeth bore John, Zachariah was mute, in fact his first words were to proclaim the name the angel had given him for the baby.
The whole point I’m trying to make is that we too are children of God. We have direct access to God, we do not have to go through intermediaries to have a conversation with Him, which had been what I was more or less taught growing up. That is the big difference between religion and having a relationship with God. Religion states it rules with its channels, a relationship with God says come talk to Me directly. I choose the latter. I wonder if today’s "Pharisees" are chomping at the bit calling me a blasphemer!
In making my choice I am then compelled to trust that the One whom I believe to hear me, does in fact, hear my prayers. Thing is, I have to grow enough to allow that my will, may not necessarily be HIS will for me. So, my quiet time is that time when I have to allow myself to be open and let the early morning breezes blow through me ridding me of my expectations about the day. Like Zachariah, I want my guarantees that the ones I love will be safe (myself included). That my day will go along without setbacks. That I will be happy…..whoa wait a minute. None of that is guaranteed. Nowhere does it say that we get a free pass in life.
"By what shall I know and be sure of?"
What falls under this heading in your life? Certainly we want to be able to count on people to be there for us, as we need them. Certainly we want to know that our finances will outlast our lives, so that we can live debt free. Certainly we want our health to sustain us until we somehow pass from this life to the next. I don’t mean to ruin anyone’s day, but certainlies just aren’t there. And for some, who just don’t get the whole "God" thing, they don’t even have the One who is guaranteed to be there.
And that is probably the thing that worries me the most and not for my sake. I have had numerous people say "how do you know?" My challenge to them is to read the Bible. Their response back to me might fall into various categories – it is boring, it’s too long, I don’t like to read. And I can relate to all of them. I fell into those same categories. But having read it, I now understand the magnitude of riches it represents. Don’t start at the beginning, unless you want to. Start by reading the New Testament. Get a copy with the most up-to-date language, so that you don’t get lost in the "thy’s and thee’s. Who cares if someone thinks less of you for not being able to navigate through "their" favorite version. The Bible is written in many versions, and I find that the one I best related to was the one that took the passages and then broke them down relating it to more of today’s issues.
One of the biggest detractors from having the relationship with God seems to be that people think they are going to have to be "goodie two shoes." Let me say unequivocally, I am not some holier than thou type. I am still the same person I always was and will be. Too many people think that they will be going to heaven based on how they lived their lives. That mystery is spoken about in the bible and it is a fallacy. How good is good enough? You will never be good enough or be able to "do" enough. That is why Jesus said the way was through Him…..and ONLY Him. He is the key for so many of life’s rewards and we only get to know Him by reading about Him. That is why a relationship is so important, not just religion.
This is what I know and can unequivocally be assured of!
Looking up!~
Barb
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