Author’s note: If you are new to my blog and are interested in reading the 23.xx series, please first read the 23.01 through 23.09 in order to best get the idea of what I am attempting to communicate. They are built like chapters in a book, one building on the previous one. Consider the points made in each article to help you understand where I am coming from in hopes I can make a connection with you on your spiritual journey.
***
Is there life satisfaction in a relationship with God?
Before moving on to to other aspects of the Christian walk, I wanted to dwell on some of the points from my previous articles “Ignorance” and “Delivered… Again!”
Because of the wonder of what’s happened in my life, I am willing and able to share what I’ve learned in hope you may find it helpful in your own search for meaning in life.
***
The “I attended church” disclaimer
I grew up attending church and have identified as a Christian, yet that in itself does not mean too much. I do not believe I am fundamentally different than you who are reading this. The truth is, in relation to God, we have much more in common than we are different.
How does someone know they are leading a life of fullness in relation to God?
***
The Worthy Master
I’m looking back at the last year of my life and I noticed a stark difference to how I viewed my relationship with God from one that was confused to one that became vital.
After almost 60 years of life (and when it occurs, it is never too late), I reached a crossroads when I realized that if there was ever a master worthy to declare loyalty to, He is the Lord Jesus Christ.
If it sounds like you can develop a vital personal relationship with the Creator of the universe, that is an important part of it. Christianity is about God reaching out to His creation and our response to that invitation. Yet faith in God is much more as one develops trust in that relationship.
I put my trust and hope in many things but neglected to give God the proper place in my heart.
Maybe you share my search in life to become a student or “disciple” of a worthy master. I gravitate to a leader, person or thing which resonates with me, something that could possibly fulfill my need to be connect to greatness in this life. As a result, I found everything falling short of holding any lasting value, though vital friendships come closer than most.
***
Searching for Eternal Qualities
Back in San Diego in 1981, when I didn’t know much about evangelism and generally felt uncomfortable with strangers who were excited about anything deemed religious, I was walking out of the barber shop there on Rosecrans and was handed one of those little evangelism booklets with a schematic symbol of God at the center on the throne of a person’s heart compared to being on the outside. I could understand this God-centered concept intellectually but it took me years if not decades of shedding sin to get the idea to stick. The declared and undeclared lusts in life are a major factor how we can be blinded.
We have an innate desire to belong to something greater than ourselves, not only something greater, but something that will survive for eternity. I believe this is part of the innate sense we have because we are made in the image of God. God works in the realm of eternity. The things of God are eternal.
As humans, we have a sense of eternal nature to things such as when we experience sincere love and kindness, when we see a beautiful sunrise or sunset, when we gaze at the wonders of the stars on a clear night, perhaps a beautiful piece of music or art, or a powerful oratory.
Yet In our limited scope, a lifetime seems like an eternity (at least when we are young) and we hope our human legacy or the creations we sink our passions into, even our parenting, will have lasting effects or lasting value.
***
What about Love?
Love. The misconceptions a young navy man has about love, or, shall I write, most young people in general can “feel” eternal. “Falling in Love,” now there’s a feeling with an eternal sensation (no matter how short sighted one may be).
Through God we can discover what is truly everlasting and has eternal value, including Love.
If you are or were like me, you have tried to find things, relationships, people or causes that fill a void meant for something greater or better than yourself. As worthy as those people or things are (or are not) which I sought in my life to place on the pedestal, there was something lacking that left me with emptiness.
The emptiness is a void that only God could fill perfectly.
***
Brevity of Life
As I neared 60 years old and the sense of the brevity of life becomes more acute, course correction mistakes in life become more dire in nature. Some people call wisdom the result of getting old, yet the Bible is very clear with this recurring theme, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction” (Prov 1:7). What that means to me is: getting older doesn’t always mean getting wiser.
Why has it taken me so long to submit myself to the way of a disciple of the Lord Jesus Christ? Ego, pride, stubbornness, selfishness, I’ll plead guilty to all. Now, since I understand the purpose of God’s Law, the endeavor to refine myself becomes a conscious full time task.
Another way to look at it: the blinding effects of many sins, some that had hold of me for most of my life, having been indoctrinated into the ways of the world, personal interests, ideas of the marriage relationship, and parenting, were hard to let go of. In my old self (which I am still aware of), I would rather suffer through the dissatisfaction of surrogate want, a dogmatic belief, than to admit being wrong, but it is especially hard for one who is inclined to self-righteousness.
Once you get a grip on the idea that you are guilty of self-righteousness and can turn away from it to something vastly more reliable, you become teachable. It’s been the plan since the beginning.
***
About Studying the Bible
One metric I discovered to be true is the strong desire to connect with the Word of God everyday. Life had come to the point where I realized, the Bible had to be methodically read on a daily basis to receive instructions from the Master. What kind of disciple would not want to feed on the guidance and teachings of their master? One cannot take the course and ignore the teacher.
For a believer in Christ, Is reading the Bible the only way? The Scriptures describe the characteristics of God and His relationship with sinners and the nature of sin. Reading with a believing heart and being open to the interpretation provided by the Holy Spirit is critical in the battle. All Scripture is useful to help “fully equip [you for] all good works.” (2 Timothy 3:17).
If you are not familiar with the Bible, I suggest reading the “Gospels” first, perhaps The Gospel of John since it has been called “the Gospel for the wretched man”. Gospel means “good news” and The Gospels are four witnessed accounts of Jesus’ ministry. They are composed of books named after the authors: Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. The Gospels are located at the beginning of the New Testament.
New to the Bible? You are bound to have a lot of questions. It helps to have a study Bible with a study companion book. It’s good to involve yourself in a friendly and supportive study group that recognizes the Bible as an authoritative, inerrant and inspired Word of God.
In a good group study you can learn cultural and historical contexts of the writings, how parts of the Bible are interconnected, get other people’s points of view, how they have applied the knowledge in their lives, and some accountability. Without taking the time to learn for yourself, you’ll risk end up understanding or believing a critic’s opinion or only a narrow portion of the Scripture (even if it comes from a pulpit) rather than discovering the truths declared by God in the Bible for yourself.
The entire Bible should be understood as a whole for a developing Christian to benefit from what it has to offer. The Old Testament and the New Testament points to Jesus Christ. The Gospels are important since they are first hand accounts and records of the eye witness accounts of Jesus’ life, His power, His sacrificial death on a cross, His resurrection and His ascent back to heaven.
***
Grow in the knowledge of who God is
Being a Christian is not a form of personal development, a study of philosophy, or a study by meme. Living a life of a Christian is in concert with the Jesus of the Bible, from which comes a growing knowledge of God’s Righteousness, judgment and lovingkindness.
As a Christian, even one who grew up attending a church and had spent many years in a good bible study, the discipline of personal study (in order to seek alignment with God’s will) did not automatically become a discipline, while other pursuits in life were placed in higher priority.
I finally realized that I was, in no uncertain terms, an ignorant self-righteous person who thought I was living the life of a Christian, being ignorant of the penetration and gravity of the Law set forth in the Ten Commandments. Looking back, I felt as though I was a Christian in name only.
My view of life made a paradigm shift when I began to strive to seek out to understand Jesus as Lord, the key to the foundation and fulfillment of a developing Christian.
CKY
***
Copyright © 2023 ChallenYee.com All Rights Reserved.