Wednesday, November 19, 2008

trusting

Hebrews 3: 1 And so, dear brothers and sisters who belong to God and are partners with those called to heaven, think carefully about this Jesus whom we declare to be God's messenger and High Priest.2 For he was faithful to God, who appointed him, just as Moses served faithfully when he was entrusted with God's entire* house.
3 But Jesus deserves far more glory than Moses, just as a person who builds a house deserves more praise than the house itself.4 For every house has a builder, but the one who built everything is God. (dan note: I can't take credit for who I am & what I'm able to do. I didn't build the life I live. God did. It's God's favor that gives me influence - not my cleverness, charm, or whatever)
5 Moses was certainly faithful in God's house as a servant. His work was an illustration of the truths God would reveal later.6 But Christ, as the Son, is in charge of God's entire house. And we are God's house, if we keep our courage and remain confident in our hope in Christ.
7 That is why the Holy Spirit says,"Today when you hear his voice,8 don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled, when they tested me in the wilderness.9 There your ancestors tested and tried my patience, even though they saw my miracles for forty years.10 So I was angry with them, and I said,'Their hearts always turn away from me. They refuse to do what I tell them.'11 So in my anger I took an oath: 'They will never enter my place of rest.'"*12 Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters.* Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God.13 You must warn each other every day, while it is still "today," so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God.14 For if we are faithful to the end, trusting God just as firmly as when we first believed, we will share in all that belongs to Christ.15 Remember what it says:"Today when you hear his voice, don't harden your hearts as Israel did when they rebelled."
16 And who was it who rebelled against God, even though they heard his voice? Wasn't it the people Moses led out of Egypt?17 And who made God angry for forty years? Wasn't it the people who sinned, whose corpses lay in the wilderness?18 And to whom was God speaking when he took an oath that they would never enter his rest? Wasn't it the people who disobeyed him?19 So we see that because of their unbelief they were not able to enter his rest.

I think it should behoove us to remember that God's not playin' in His direction & directing of our lives. He's serious about it. He wants us to obey & trust Him.

The children of Israel didn't - fine - then wander in the desert (for 40 years it turns out!) until all of you who couldn't trust God are dead by the side of the road.
Whew! That's a bit harsh!

But maybe we should remember that we're not in a relationship with some grandfather-in-the-sky. This isn't some celestial Santa Claus. This is the high & unimaginably holy God of the universes! Mistrusting Him could lead to some dire consequences.

Our deal is we don't want to look foolish.

Well, the longer I live, the more I would rather look foolish doing what I believe God wants me to do than what I've dreamed up for me to be & do, or what others think is more normative.

Normative - that's not what God is - He's far too creative to simply live in the usual, or let us languish there either.

God has a BIG adventure dreamed for us. It's all a part of the overarching plan for humankind. He continually is inviting us to be a part of it.

Let's jump into the river of His BIG plan His creation - let's trust Him in the big & small of life

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