Showing posts with label God. Show all posts
Showing posts with label God. Show all posts

Friday, September 28, 2007

You Talkin' To Me?!?/Introduction

A series about God speaking to us and us learning how to hear Him.

God speaks to us constantly, but do we hear Him? There are many reasons we don't hear God speak. He speaks "God" and we speak "human", so we don't understand Him. Many don't look or listen for His voice because they never thought about God speaking to them (unless they blow it and He gets really mad). Many don't think they are that important for God to speak to them. They're just another one of the billions of humans alive on this planet. Many believe that God gave us brains, so our job is to "figure it out". Others would rather not "bother" God.

Whatever our reasons (or excuses for that matter) are, that doesn't stop the fact that God made us, and He made us in His image, because He wanted and still wants someone to talk to, befriend, and hang-out with. The Bible says that God no longer calls us servants, He calls us friends (John 15:15). The rest of the verse says this is because He has told us his plans. Isn't that exactly what friends do? They communicate. They let each other in on their plans. "What are you doing today?" "Wanna hang-out later?" They ask the question and then not only wait for a response, they expect one! The Bible also says in Psalms 139:16 that God has planned out our days. He not only knows what we are going to do, but He has a cool day laid out already for us. However, if we don't listen to or catch His plans for our day, we are stuck with living out our plans/our day. God's plans are not only higher than ours, they are good plans, plans to prosper us and not harm us, plans to give us a hope and a future (again from the Bible, Jeremiah 29:11 to be exact).

Ask someone who calls themselves a Christian about their relationship with Jesus and sooner or later many will explain it as a "personal relationship". I myself, have a personal relationship with Jesus. But how "personal" can one be if they never communicate? Even "prayer" has often become one-sided, us telling God our problems, asking Him to help. I believe prayer is to be two-sided. Not just telling God about our situation, but also finding out what He thinks about it. Prayer, to me, is finding out what God is saying to me and what He wants me to do.

So I want to help. I believe this is one reason why I exist. Why God made me. I have this "calling" so to speak, to help others connect once again to God. I say "once again" because originally we were connected! Look at Adam and Eve. And I think it is vital to look at them, because if someone wants to figure out why something was made, they need to go to the original. ie, if we want to figure out why we are made, we need to look at Adam and Eve, the originals.

So, I am starting this "You Talkin' To Me?!?" blog series because I want to try and help whomever learn how to "speak God" again. Like Adam and Eve did in paradise. I think one of the best ways to learn is through other's experiences. If we find out how others communicate with God, how others have heard His voice we might see how He has been or is currently trying to communicate through us. I think I like the word "communicate" better than "talk to" because when we say "talk to" we tend to think of hearing someone speak out loud. Yes, God does speak that way (so I've heard) but more often than not He chooses other ways. "Like what" you say? Well check this ongoing series out and you may see.

Monday, September 3, 2007

Don't get off your "donkey", get on it!

Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a donkey. (Mark 11:1-11)

"...you will find a colt there, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here." (verse 2)

Jesus is so cool and amazing! No one rides an unbroke donkey! No one just takes someones donkey without an explanation. Jesus was not only cool and amazing, He was different too! He rode a donkey "no one has ever ridden" before. He did things in ways never done before. I feel this is what Jesus wants His church (us) to do too! I think He was modeling it for us.

"Some people standing there asked 'What are you doing, untying that colt?'" (verse 5)

If you do things differently, you will get questions, stares and opposition. Notice the opposition came from those who were just "standing there". It's always the ones doing nothing that question those doing, or trying to do something. Also note that when the disciples told those questioning them what Jesus told them, the people let them go. I don't need to become defensive because I do things differently. I just need to tell others that ask or oppose, what Jesus told me to do (that means, of course, that I have to know what Jesus wants me to do and how He wants me to do it.) Besides, when Jesus plans something, no man or thing can stop it...unless by our inactivity, we don't try and do what He's told us to.