Hello Fellows
Ok I have started a ew bible study
This one is on the life and teachings of Christ. I figure since I need to become more like him I hadbetter study him some more.
SO I've started on the book of Mathew where Jesus comes to be baptised and this time I am concentrating on John
How was he able to recognize Jesus from so far and accord him the respect he derved? Don't tell me it was only because he was his cousin coz if you remember a prophet is rejected in his home town. Jesus' brothers are evidenceof that.
I believe it was all teh time that John spent with God and all he learnt about Jesus in that tinme. Beingas he was supposed to prepare the way for teh coming one he had to be well prepared. Just like Jesus was his final exam and so his course notes and everything were on Jesus so to speak.
So I figure if I am to get anywhere close to where I need to be in my reverence of Christ I need to spend a lot more time with God in his word and quiet time to discover him .....
YOUR THOUGHTS PLEASE
1 Comments:
'sup
It was refreshing catching up on your blog postings. I'm constantly amazed that you keep Christ the center of all your conversations. I think of him and meditate about him all the time but its typically reflected in what I don't say and not so much in what I say. I decided to past anonymously again coz I'm not too good at recalling passwords - this way I don't have to log into the blog each time I want to post. I've signed my name though.
You are right, the more time you spend with God the easier it becomes to discern the work of his hands. It's just as easy to recognize those through whom God works. This, I think was certainly one of John's strengths. I'll explain:
I just read through John 1 and something struck me (I realize you're currently reading Matthew and I'm not sure why I ended up at John, I guess it's coz the baptism by John the Baptist comes right at the beginning. I also read Matthew 1-3 too). OK, first a little disclaimer, I think a bite size is always a good chunk of the Bible to work with at a sitting. It's just small enough to chew on and digest till the next sitting but big enough that it leaves your mind something to meditate on till the next time round. That's how I do it at least. Back to the passage. From this reading John singles out Jesus in the beginning of the Chapter. I believe that God had prepared John's heart so that he would know exactly what sign(s) to look out for when the time was right. As a result of John's actions at the river, Andrew who is one of John's disciples discovers Jesus and lets in his brother Simon Peter on his finding. Jesus immediately identifies Simon Peter when Andrew brings him along. Jesus next finds Philip who is from the same town as Andrew and Simon Peter. Philip goes ahead to find Nathanael. What's telling is Jesus answer when he identifies Nathanael and Nathanael asks him, 'How do You know me?'. Jesus replies, 'Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.' This entire chain began with a simple action form John.
So I have often found it to work in real life. When I pull away from God, there is a domino effect that touches all other aspects of my life. Conversely, when I am in closer alignment with Him through my readings, through the people I talk to, through the music I listen to and through the meditations of my heart, there is always an impact on all other spheres of my life. God uses other people to reach us and likewise works through us to reach other people. The most amazing thing though is when I discover that people I have worked or interacted with for ages in a secular setting are as passionate about the same God that I am. Typically no words on our beliefs would have been exchanged but small tell-tale signs will have popped up at different points. It is even more amazing when this happens in the least likely of places I expect (science, academia, work, leadership, sports). In those instances it's clear how God works even when we don't realize he has identified us way before.
And so this leads to my closing thought. I'll ask you to try something. It might shed some light on John's situation. Think back to the 3 years you spent in the UK and see if you can identify any person/people you immediately knew were Christians like you. I'm especially curious if there were professors like that. Also of the people you worked/studied around, what made them know you were Christian, even if it was the first time you met them and you didn't mention it? Finally a question for you, would you agree with my assessment that God prepared John like an athlete; not unlike a coach prepares an athlete for the Olympics. Arguably, God had started preparing John for Jesus arrival even before his birth. Over to you.
Martin
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