GETTING DEEPER IN THE WORD OF GOD AND A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS.

7/2/2019

AS I LOOK BACK ON MY CHRISTIAN LIFE, THERE ARE TIMES THAT I SHAKE MY HEAD. I FEEL LIKE I SHOULD HAVE BEEN WAY MORE ACTIVE IN MY EFFORTS TO SEEK GOD, TO GROW IN GOD, AND TO SHARE THE JOY OF A LIFE FOCUSED ON HIM MUCH EARLIER IN MY LIFE. THE THING THAT I AM LEARNING IS THAT I SPENT A LOT OF TIME LISTENING TO SERMONS, AND LEARNING GENERALITIES ABOUT CHRISTIANITY RATHER THAN GOING TO THE SOURCE; GOD HIMSELF AND HIS WORD. I SPENT TIME TALKING TO GOD AND PRAYING, BUT IT WAS DEFINITELY SPORADIC. I FIT HIM IN AS NEEDED, BECAUSE I WAS BUSY LIVING MY LIFE AND DOING THINGS. I WOULD TRY TO READ THE BIBLE, AND FIND MYSELF NOT SURE WHERE TO START. USUALLY I WOULD GO TO ONE OF THE GOSPELS, OR RANDOMLY OPEN A PAGE AND READ A SECTION, HOPING FOR ENLIGHTENMENT, OR GOD’S DIRECTION. THEN, I WAS BACK INTO MY LIFE, AND MY LITTLE WORLD. AS I LOOK BACK, I CAN’T BELIEVE THE TIME I WASTED NOT PRIORITIZING MY RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD, AND LETTING HIS LOVE AND POWER SHAPE AND GROW ME AS A MAN. THEN, IN HIS LOVE AND HIS MERCY, HE WOKE ME UP ! HE ASKED ME A QUESTION, “ARE YOU READY TO TRUST ME JIM, AND GET BUSY LIVING FOR ME…..WANTING TO KNOW ME FROM THE DEPTH OF YOUR HEART “ ?

SET YOUR MIND ON THINGS THAT ARE ABOVE, NOT ON THINGS THAT ARE OF THE EARTH. Colossians 3:2

THE LORD YOUR GOD IS IN YOUR MIDST, A MIGHTY ONE WHO WILL SAVE; HE WILL REJOICE OVER YOU WITH GLADNESS; HE WILL QUIET YOU BY HIS LOVE; HE WILL EXULT OVER YOU WITH LOUD SINGING. Zephaniah 3;17

ONCE I MADE THE DECISION TO PUT GOD AS THE NUMBER ONE PRIORITY IN MY LIFE, EVERYTHING BEGAN TO CHANGE. I BEGAN TO CHANGE. MY RELATIONSHIP WITH HIM TRANSFORMED INTO 24/7/365. I COULDN’T STOP TALKING TO HIM ! I WAS SO DESPERATELY THIRSTY TO KNOW HIM, AND UNDERSTAND HIM THAT I BEGAN PRAYING FOR HIM TO SHOW ME HOW. HE DIDN’T TAKE LONG :) SOON I WAS SPENDING A GOOD PART OF MY WEEK IN SEVERAL DIFFERENT MEN’S GROUPS, BUT THEY WERE WAY DIFFERENT THAN BIBLE STUDIES. THEY WERE FILLED WITH GUYS WHO WERE VERY DIVERSE, BUT HAD ONE MAJOR THING IN COMMON: EVERYONE WAS BURNING WITH A DESIRE TO BE CLOSER TO GOD, AND TO LEARN HIS WORD, HIS WAYS, AND HOW TO GET DEEP INTO HIM….AND SO IMPORTANTLY, HOW TO BE OBEDIENT TO HIM AND SERVE AND WORSHIP HIM. THESE MEN WANTED TO BE MORE. THESE MEN WANTED TO BE CHANGED. THESE MEN WANTED TO HAVE GOD BE THE BLESSING OF OUR SALVATION BUT ALSO SHOW US HOW TO SURRENDER OUR LIVES TO HIM, AND SERVE HIM AND HIS KINGDOM AS OUR LORD AND OUR KING !

GOD IS THE KING OF THE WHOLE EARTH. MAKE YOUR BEST MUSIC FOR HIM! FOR GOD IS THE KING OF ALL THE EARTH; SING YE PRAISES IN A SKILLFUL SONG. FOR GOD IS THE KING OF ALL THE EARTH. SING PRAISES WITH A SKILLFUL SONG; FOR GOD IS THE KING OF ALL THE EARTH; SING YE PRAISES WITH UNDERSTANDING. Psalm 47:7

THE MEN IN THESE GROUPS SHARPENED ME, AND THEY CONTINUE TO TODAY. MY BROTHER MICHAEL JOHNSTON TAUGHT ME A WHOLE NEW WAY AND PROCESS TO READ GOD’S WORD. I BEGAN TO FOCUS, AND PRIORITIZE TIME SPENT TOWARD READING AND STUDYING, AND SEEKING KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTANDING, AND WISDOM. IN JUDAISM IT IS DEFINED AS FOUR DIFFERENT LEVELS : PASHAT - LITERAL MEANING, SIMPLE, TO REMEZ - THE MEANING, DEEPER TRUTH, TO DRASH - SEARCHING, CONTEXT, AND FINALLY SOD - HIDDEN, OR SECRET. I IMAGINED HOW JESUS AS A MAN, AND A JEWISH RABBI MUST HAVE SPENT HOURS DOING THIS, AND NOW IT WAS MY TURN .I STARTED IN GENESIS, RIGHT AT THE BEGINNING. READING WHAT GOD LITERALLY DID TO CREATE EVERYTHING. THEN I MOVED DEEPER. WHY HE CREATED EVERYTHING AND DID THE THINGS IN SUCH A PRECISE AND ORDERED WAY IN SUCH PERFECTION. WHAT DID CREATION MEAN AND HOLD FOR ME, AND WHAT CONTEXT DID IT HOLD FOR MY LIFE ? THEN, THE ABSOLUTE WONDER OF ME. HE CREATED ME TO LIVE IN THE MIDST OF IT ALL….AND HE HAD A PURPOSE FOR ME RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING….WOW. AND THE BIBLE CAME ALIVE. NOT JUST PAGES IN A BOOK, BUT THE FACE AND HEART OF MY CREATOR AND FATHER. I BEGAN DEVOURING THE TORAH ( FIRST FIVE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT), AND SEEING GOD CREATE, LAY DOWN HIS ORDER, CHOOSE OUR FOREFATHERS, LAY DOWN HIS COMMANDMENTS, CHOOSE AND SAVE THE JEWISH PEOPLE, SHOW THEM AND US HOW TO LIVE, LIVE TOGETHER, GOVERN, STAY HEALTHY, WORSHIP, AND SO MANY OTHER THINGS. MOVING THROUGH THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD, AND MEETING MEN AND LEADERS LIKE ABRAHAM, MOSES, , JOSHUA, JACOB, KING DAVID…..LISTENING TO PROPHETS LIKE ISAIAH, SAMUEL, EZEKIEL, AND SEEING GOD LAYING OUT THE PICTURE OF THINGS TO COME….THE WRITINGS OF PROVERBS, THE PSALMS….TEACHINGS FOR LIFE, ABUNDANCE, AND BLESSINGS…..LESSONS TO TAKE IN AND CONTEMPLATE. THE GOSPEL. JESUS. HIS LIFE, HIS TEACHINGS. HIS DEATH AND RESURRECTION. HIS PLACE IN OUR HEARTS AS OUR SAVIOR AND KING. THE MEN HE CHOSE AS HIS DISCIPLES, AND PAUL. MEANING FOR JEWS AND GENTILES ALIKE. THE PATH TO SALVATION, UNDERSTANDING THE HOLY SPIRIT AND GIFTS, A PICTURE OF WHAT THE CHURCH SHOULD BE IN ACTS….FELLOWSHIP, ALL LEADING TO THE RETURN OF OUR MESSIAH, AND THE THINGS WE NEED TO LEARN AND CHANGE IN OUR LIVES AND WORSHIP. THE HARDSHIP WE WILL FACE, AND THE JOY WHEN WE FINALLY LIVE IN HIS KINGDOM UNDER HIS REIGN. IT IS A JOURNEY, AND IT BECOMES COMPLETE AND REAL WHEN YOU BEGIN TO READ IT, TAKE IT IN, AND LIVE IT !

GOD ISN’T A CHARACTER IN A BOOK. HE ISN’T AN UNAPPROACHABLE ENERGY SOURCE. HE IS A FATHER. HE IS A SAVIOR AND LORD. HE IS A SPIRIT THAT MOVES WITHIN US AND GUIDES US IN OUR LIFE. HE IS REAL, HIS VOICE IS AUDIBLE, AND HIS LOVE IS ENDLESS. THE QUESTION IS, “HOW MUCH ARE YOU WILLING TO GIVE UP AND RE-PRIORITIZE IN YOUR LIFE TO LET HIM BECOME EVERYTHING TO YOU”. “ARE YOU WILLING TO INVITE HIM IN TO BE YOUR LORD AND SAVIOR, AND ABIDE IN HIM AS HE ABIDES IN YOU” ? WILL YOU TAKE THE LEAP OF FAITH AND SPEND THE TIME TO KNOW THAT HE IS REAL FOR YOU ? NOT SOME CONCEPT OR THOUGHT PROCESS YOU MIGHT ENGAGE. NO. A REAL, LOVING PRESENCE IN YOUR HEART AND MIND AND SPIRIT. WITH YOU ALL THE TIME. FOREVER…… PICK UP A BIBLE, PRAY FOR HIS GUIDANCE, AND TAKE THE LEAP. YOU ARE ABOUT TO MEET THE ONE WHO MADE YOU, AND IT WILL BE EVERYTHING YOU HAVE HOPED FOR ! SHALOM/PEACE/BLESSINGS J/A

YOUR WORD IS A LAMP FOR MY FEET, AND A LIGHT FOR MY PATH Psalm 119:105

JESUS ANSWERED, “IT IS WRITTEN: MAN SHALL NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE,, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF GOD. Matthew 4:4