05/06/2017
You don't so much find Jesus through scripture, but rather the scripture through Jesus. Have you been stuck in studying the scripture to the point that you have never truly meet the living Christ? Once you have met Him, He will bring the scripture alive, and set you free.
“For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.”
Galatians 5:1 ESV
There are different reasons that people get isolated from Jesus by scripture. Two of the most common are first... they study the Word to prove their opinion of religion is the sole truth, and second, they study to find freedom and life in the words at the expense of a loving relationship with God and His Son.
“You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.”
John 5:39-40 ESV
When people lose their zeal for Jesus it is always associated with becoming frustrated in the Word, and not because their relationship with Him has failed. When we set boundaries on our faith by attempting to contain it within the Bible as a legal document, then we never truly had a relationship at all... we had a legal union.
I have known many couples who married in their youth because "it was the thing to do" and "all their friends were doing it." They stayed together for many years and even had children, but one thing was always missing... a loving relationship. Then when hard times came, pride and jealousy got in the way, the children were gone, or the promise of true love came along, and they slid into divorce. The loving relationship that would have prevented all of this was not there. Interestingly enough, after several more failed attempts they looked back and wished they had never left their first partner, but had nurtured a lasting love instead.
When people fall away from Jesus it is much the same; they do so because what they thought of as faith, was in fact a contract they were attempting to hold God and Jesus to. They never nurtured the abiding love that would have grown into relationship and deep faith. The graduates of many divinity schools find themselves in such relationships... lost in the contract.
Years ago I was a double major in Biology and English. Biology satisfied the interest in nature and science that I had, and English teased me by revealing my emotion within everything around me. In the beginning I studied life and painfully read Shakespeare. As I read and studied something wonderful happened, I found myself seeing God in the world around me, and although Shakespeare was always tough, I found poetry that allowed me to express the love I was feeling. The relationship I was experiencing with Jesus had found its voice.
In the years since, I have married, fathered children, felt great joys and suffering, and found a deeper faith, but in everything I have seen the hand of God... in everything poetry was expressed. I know songwriters who compose songs the same way that I write poetry... full of life, love, and spirituality. The Bible too is composed of much poetry and song... David singing poetry to God.
We need to nurture our relationships. We need to find a way of saying I love you that changes our very heart and soul. Words and contracts lead us there, but it takes much more before a relationship blossoms and life, and love, flows out of it. Loving our spouse and Jesus are so similar... Paul tells the Corinthians about the importance of love in our faith and in life... and it is still true today. A relationship with Jesus, or our spouse, is lost without it. So let's read as he describes love...
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV
When we love our spouse then our lives together come to life. When we love Jesus then the Word of God comes to life.
Prayer:
Father, I thank you for loving me. I pray this morning that I am able to love you and your Son Jesus with all my heart. Never let the rough stretches of life's road separate us, and when our relationship is strained, give me your gentle touch to reestablish my love and faith in you. Your heart never loses its desire for me... let mine do the same for you. As my love for Jesus grows, open your Word to me in new and deeper ways. Show me your heart and your desire for me as I read and study your Word. Holy Father it is more than a contract between you and mankind, it is an expression of love that leads us to salvation, and eternity with you. Your Word shows us the ups and downs of life and faith, but it always demonstrates your steadfast love for us... never let my love abandon you, or lose sight of Jesus and the sacrifice He made for me. Lord, let me love you forever and beyond.
Rich Forbes