It's been a while. But I do not have time for idle chit-chat, so let's begin, Interwebs, and nix the small talk.
I am learning to love Jesus. Slowly but surely, I am trying to make sense of the Enigma that is our Savior. I realized within the past few weeks that I cannot really explain why I believe in Jesus. I love God the Father. I have felt His (note the capital H, NIV and ESV readers. Capital H.) tug at my heart, His love, His hurt as I leave Him, His joy at my return. I have felt the love of God the Father.
But you know what? I feel like I've been kind of piggy-backing Jesus.
JESUS is what separates Christianity from every other religion. And yet I have so little to say to Him or about Him. Growing up in the Baptist Church in the Bible Belt where everyone is a Christian, I kind of accept Jesus and lump Him in with God, without truly understanding or appreciating or QUESTIONING Him for myself.
And that's just silly. That would make me a Christian out of mere convenience and habit, and guess what, those sorts of Christians are dangerous. I would argue that the ignorant Christian can threaten the Kingdom of God just as much as the educated Atheist.
Mark 12:30
Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.
Say wuttt? You mean worshiping the Lord is more than getting the warm fuzzies during "Come Thou Fount?" YES. Don't get me wrong, worship the Lord on an emotional and spiritual level. But if you have questions, don't be afraid of them. God loves your eager and questioning mind, and the pursuit of His word and understanding His given Scriptures is one He will truly honor, I believe. For those who tend to assume Christianity is for the weak of mind and will, you don't even understand how much you are missing. God's Word and Spirit will provide you with more intellectual journeys and pursuits than you could ever dream.
I am about to begin being discipled (a discipleship? I'm kind of at a loss for the correct phrasing) . In the Bible, Christian scholars followed teachers around and learned more about the Christ and His ways (Ex. John 1:35). In fact - the 12 disciples was more than a clever nickname for Jesus' merry band of brothers...they were His students. The lady who is going to be my discipler asked me to compile a list of questions for us to study together.
Here were my first two:
1. How do we KNOW that Jesus is/was the Son of God?
2. Why do we need a Savior?
Once I've grappled with Question 1, I should be able to answer, "Why am I not Jewish?" And once I've worked on Question 2, I can answer the question, "Why not Islam? Why not Buddhism? Why not any other religion?"
How can I witness for Jesus when I don't know why I need Him? I'm so excited about beginning these studies and truly grasping in a more coherent and innate way why I need and want Jesus, not just another religion.
Anways - I promised to say one thing for which I am thankful in every post. Today I am thankful for naptime.
Of course I stole this picture.
