Missiles and Dreams no. 1 (Prologue)

I am not in The Bible. The culture and society in which I live is not in The Bible. And that is why I should not be reading myself and my society into The Bible. This does not mean there is nothing for me to learn from The Bible. The Bible is full of stories and lessons and poetry that applies to my life today as much as it applied to life 2000 years ago or more. BUT when I forget the context of the people and places of which I read, I lose sight of the time and place that influenced the writing of these scrolls and letters. When I forget the context of literature, I deprive literature of shaping me from its heritage and I shape it.

Not long after Christ’s death, folks started all sorts of heresy within His Church. Paul writes letters about these problems and this battle with changing what Christ’s message was not something recent, these heretical views were a point of contention and conflict in the early Church. So, I am not surprised when, thousands of years later, after reading ourselves and our culture into a book, I sometimes get the wrong answers. And some folks are going to say that I am getting the wrong answers now. BUT I am taking the Word at what it says and in its own context. And it has taken a lot of deconstructing what I was taught and what I was told by folks that were well intentioned BUT also taught and told something by other well intentioned folks. Things that never sat right with me about Christianity needed to get tackled by me in order to reconcile what I was taught and told with what I was seeing in The Bible.

And so, as part of my journey over the past three years, I sat down and started reading The Bible from cover to cover for myself. I am not a biblical scholar. I am not anything special. I like to read and I like to look for meaning in what I read. And, I thought it was about time to start reading and studying and learning from the text that seemed to be such an enigma to many. A book that folks like to grab a scripture or two out of daily and post on signs or in memes and gifs. A book that gets taken and applied to both sides of many debates. A book that is used to endorse all sorts of actions and thoughts. A book that is used as a reference to support whatever course of action groups or individuals want to take. And so, I read through The Bible with the Spirit and my love for study to guide me. And what I have taken away from that reading is a little different than what some other folks have gathered from it. And I am okay with that. I am okay with what I believe. I have peace that what I am understanding is based on scripture. I have peace that what I am understanding is based on my reading and study of that scripture. I have peace that what I am understanding is based on taking the Word in its context. I have peace that what I am understanding takes that context and then applies it to my life and times. And I am definitely at peace for getting mocked and ridiculed for that.

So I begin today with just setting the background for why I have arrived at the current place of my understanding. And mayhaps that understanding will change as more is revealed through reading and study of The Bible. And I am sure a lot of things that are unclear and sometimes even disturbing about The Bible may never be clear or less disturbing for me. BUT, I am going to read and study and, most importantly, pray about those things.

I challenge you to read The Bible for what it says. I challenge you to stop reading yourself into its pages and, rather, read about the situations and people within its pages and use their stories and situations to guide your understanding of God. I have learned that a lot of what I was taught in life was misguided. Whether that teaching came from secular or religious teachers, there was some deconstruction that had to occur in my mind to get back to where things got muddied. And I think that if you take that challenge of really understanding why you and I believe what we do, then we will not only have a greater understanding of ourselves, BUT also a closer relationship with God. When I spend a lot of time reading His Word and talking to Him about it, I get to wrestle with shaping my own belief. And there is a lot more power in something that I have internalized by struggle and study than something I was told and repeated.

I pray that through reading His Word I get a better understanding of what He wants for me today. I pray that when I do not know something or when something seems unclear or when something troubles me about His Word that I always seek His understanding. I pray that through studying Him the lessons for who I am to become are made more clear and real in my life. I pray that I internalize His teachings and use those lessons to be a better Ambassador for His Kingdom.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH

Embrace the Within no. 175

“I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation [from His wrath and punishment] to everyone who believes [in Christ as Savior], to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith [disclosed in a way that awakens more faith]. As it is written and forever remains written, ‘The just and upright shall live by faith’” (Romans 1:16-17 AMP).

I went through a stage in my life where I was ashamed to be a Christian. Today there is a lot of shame being sent my way for being a Christian. In those days, many folks were going to churches on the weekends and acting like they didn’t the rest of the week. Today a lot of folks aren’t even pretending to know God. Regardless, the world is going to try to make me ashamed of being set apart and believing in the Way of the Lord.

I take refuge in God’s Word because, “. . . in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed . . .” which allows my knowledge of God to begin “. . . springing from faith and leading to faith”. Never underestimate the importance of reading His Word daily, thinking about His Word daily, and praying about his Word daily. Those are three important components of my walk in the Way of the Lord.

I can’t know someone unless I take the time to figure them out. And the best way to try and figure out God is through the Word He has provided. Reading the scripture and diving into His relationships with humanity over the years gives me a better insight into His character. I learn better about His covenant with humanity. I learn how He has revealed Himself to us and the lessons we learned and the lessons we are still working on learning. I read the poems and songs written to Him. I read prophecies about what He has foretold to people about His nature. I read letters about people struggling with understanding how to live in obedience to Him. And I read stories of countless folks being both obedient and disobedient to His Will.

When I read those words on the page I then get to choose to think about the knowledge and wisdom those words impart to my life. I get to read and study how those stories, poems, prophecies, and letters reveal lessons for my life. I don’t leave those lessons in the past. I allow God to translate those lessons into an application for my daily walk in the Way of the Lord. I need to reflect upon His wisdom daily in order for my life to be affected and effect change in the world around me.

And most importantly, I speak with Him about those lessons and my daily walk. It is really difficult to have a relationship with someone to whom I don’t communicate. And even then, sometimes my communications are flawed because I do not adequately explain what I mean. The great part of my communication with God is that He knows what I need and what I want before I even ask. So even when my prayers are muddled and confusing, even when my mind is full of emotions and turmoil, even when I am confused and lost, He knows what I need and He can provide that for me. And the more I spend time talking to Him, the better our communication will become. The better I will understand Him. The better I will hear what He wants me to know. The better I will walk in His Way.

I will live a life that is just and upright by placing faith not in what man has created BUT in what God provides because, “The just and upright shall live by faith”. If I want to put my trust in Him, then I will get a better walk on this side of eternity. He is giving me the opportunity each day to live a just and upright life if only I obey His Word.

I pray that today I read and study more of His Word. I pray that I spend time thinking about what I have read and apply that reading to my life. I pray that, through prayer and study, I learn to understand God better.

Grace and Shalom to your home. I pray that through that understanding of God I become a better person and a better Ambassador of His Kingdom.

I love you. I forgive you. Have a blessed and abundant day!

#ThinkBetter #BeBetter #NoKingButChrist #EmbraceTheWithin #NotMyWayYHWH