"The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith." (ESV)
I read this verse the other day for my NT class and, umm..really, I'm kinda in complete shock I've never read/heard of this before! I mean really.
It's like sometimes I read the Bible like someone would window shop. Yeah, in window shopping every now and then we come across something really, really stinkin awesome in the window..for instance, I would stop walking if I saw a Taylor guitar for under $150 or stuff. I guess you can use your imagination with what you would actually stop for. Maybe a dress, some stylish loafers, one of those cool talking cookie jars, haha, I don't know, use your imagination. My point here though is, when we see something amazing in a store window, usually we just stand there and gaze at it, it sticks in our mind for the rest of the day, and we tell everyone about that great thing we saw in the window. Usually forgetting about it when the next cool window flies by.
Imagine with me though, that instead of treating God's Word like window shopping, we actually run INTO the store at the sight of the amazing item in the window. Too often I look at an amazing verse in the window, and say "Yeah God that's cool!'' Then walk away, failing to realize that INSIDE that store is the author of such an amazing verse, who is seeking more than knowledge of Him, but an experience, and an intimate relationship. What I should do is recognize the amazing "verse in the window" so to speak, as a door to a deeper relationship with God. Asking Him why this verse is here, what's it saying to me, and how can I apply this in my life? How can I let You God use this passage of Scripture to change me into something different, and something more useful to You?
Demon's believe and tremble. Satan knows Scripture just as well as us, if not better. Albeit he misquotes it quite a bit (check out Jesus being tempted). So then what's the difference between us knowing Scripture and the enemy knowing Scripture? I would submit that there really isn't any difference. The difference however comes with what we DO with this knowledge! Satan and his evil horde (horde is such a descriptive word ha) know who Jesus is, and have chosen their pride and sin instead. We as believers know the Word (Jesus) and have chosen HIM. We have the very Spirit of God who promises to "guide us into all truth".
This is kinda a rough reason as to why I started this blog. I'm interested in really getting to the livability (yes, made up word. haha) of Scripture. This is simply a testing ground for bringing Scripture fresh from being read and stored in my mind into a simple action plan that is carried out. I Timothy 1:5 is kinda the verse that kicked this thing off. So I think for the next few posts I want to break this sucker down so that we can turn it around and live it, instead of using it as an answer in another class.
If you decide to stick around, feel free to comment, critique, or anything.. if I'm wrong, call me on it.
~Jared~
In other news,
1. the new Decemberist album will take some getting used to.
2. the bucs need to trade for jay cutler
3. my NCAA bracket was dead, and is now slowly crawling back to life for the Sweet 16
4. call of duty's new zombie level is hard
5. its finally warming up in Lynchburg
It's like sometimes I read the Bible like someone would window shop. Yeah, in window shopping every now and then we come across something really, really stinkin awesome in the window..for instance, I would stop walking if I saw a Taylor guitar for under $150 or stuff. I guess you can use your imagination with what you would actually stop for. Maybe a dress, some stylish loafers, one of those cool talking cookie jars, haha, I don't know, use your imagination. My point here though is, when we see something amazing in a store window, usually we just stand there and gaze at it, it sticks in our mind for the rest of the day, and we tell everyone about that great thing we saw in the window. Usually forgetting about it when the next cool window flies by.
Imagine with me though, that instead of treating God's Word like window shopping, we actually run INTO the store at the sight of the amazing item in the window. Too often I look at an amazing verse in the window, and say "Yeah God that's cool!'' Then walk away, failing to realize that INSIDE that store is the author of such an amazing verse, who is seeking more than knowledge of Him, but an experience, and an intimate relationship. What I should do is recognize the amazing "verse in the window" so to speak, as a door to a deeper relationship with God. Asking Him why this verse is here, what's it saying to me, and how can I apply this in my life? How can I let You God use this passage of Scripture to change me into something different, and something more useful to You?
Demon's believe and tremble. Satan knows Scripture just as well as us, if not better. Albeit he misquotes it quite a bit (check out Jesus being tempted). So then what's the difference between us knowing Scripture and the enemy knowing Scripture? I would submit that there really isn't any difference. The difference however comes with what we DO with this knowledge! Satan and his evil horde (horde is such a descriptive word ha) know who Jesus is, and have chosen their pride and sin instead. We as believers know the Word (Jesus) and have chosen HIM. We have the very Spirit of God who promises to "guide us into all truth".
This is kinda a rough reason as to why I started this blog. I'm interested in really getting to the livability (yes, made up word. haha) of Scripture. This is simply a testing ground for bringing Scripture fresh from being read and stored in my mind into a simple action plan that is carried out. I Timothy 1:5 is kinda the verse that kicked this thing off. So I think for the next few posts I want to break this sucker down so that we can turn it around and live it, instead of using it as an answer in another class.
If you decide to stick around, feel free to comment, critique, or anything.. if I'm wrong, call me on it.
~Jared~
In other news,
1. the new Decemberist album will take some getting used to.
2. the bucs need to trade for jay cutler
3. my NCAA bracket was dead, and is now slowly crawling back to life for the Sweet 16
4. call of duty's new zombie level is hard
5. its finally warming up in Lynchburg
