“When the Bible is primarily seen as a depository of divine principles for life, it fundamentally changes the way we engage God and his Word. Rather than a vehicle for knowing God and fostering a communion with him, we search the Scriptures for applicable principles that we may employ to control our world and life. This is not Christianity; that is Christian deism. In other words, we actually replace a relationship with God for a relationship with the Bible. If one has the repair manual, why bother with the expense of a mechanic?” (With by Skye Jethani)
Do you agree with the above? I am not sure I would of understood the above writing years ago much less agreed with it. I would of been more of the B-I-B-L-E belief of it being the “Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth”. I would of missed it as being a love story for us as opposed to just a divine manual with proper principles to be lived. I feel we so often miss, and or fight, just learning more about God and nurturing the intimate relationship we have with him. As said above, we look at the Bible as a repair manual with very little need or desire to be with the mechanic. We want what needs to be fixed fixed. We want a life which may seem to be out of control controlled with us being able to control it. We want good results and following the manual will give us those results right???
As Christians so many of us move through our days, and life, missing JUST RELATIONSHIP with our Heavenly Father. We fight the idea of just having relationship and feel it should and needs to be more. What that means and really looks like I am learning. I can tell you however my prayers are different than they used to be. Once they were more of a list of requests with some gratitudes mixed in. Now my prayers have become conversations in which my honest and raw feelings are shared and heard by the One who is always there and loves me with a love like no other. It is safe. It is real. It is honest. It is hard. It hurts. It feels good.
So, I will end with the thought and/or suggestion of moving through your days focusing more on being WITH God, hand in His, and in relationship WITH the One who most wants relationship with us. That is such a CRAZY and mysterious gift too great not be opened every single day.
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