"Therefore every scribe instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven is like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old." (Jesus)
Much of the history of Christendom is a selective history. By that I mean we tend to obey, "the words of God," which we want to obey, and disobey those which we do not want to obey. This of course is no religion at all except the religion of pick-and-choose, a religion of one's own creation, a religion of convenience, a religion which is drawn upon only when I need it. This is not, "the faith of Jesus." This is the faith of me, "the opiate of the People."
If I am, "instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven," I will not live like this. As one example, I will read Leviticus as regularly as I read John or the Psalms. I will read Ezekiel as regularly as Ephesians. Thus, I will be, "like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old." Yet for far too many there are seasons, or for some, all their life, in which they live in a sort of desperation for, "things new." This is in some measure what Bonhoeffer was referring to in the quote I shared yesterday: "Our quiet reflection on a section of Scripture may yield astonishingly fresh insights. It more often yields the familiar. This should not be seen as a problem....Hearing God's message again and again may not arouse our excitement, but it may sustain us in the walk of faith. Moreover, the old needs to be frequently reappropriated, for it is easily forgotten or lost."
Of course we know that there is more to walking in Jesus Christ than reading the Bible, but I submit to you that life, "concerning the kingdom of heaven," begins in, "The Word of God," Jesus and His Words, "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God...." Before man "prayed," He heard the Word of God. Before man married, worked, before the People of God did missions, helped the poor, evangelized, worshipped, did anything, He heard, "The Word of God...Whom God has sent [to] speak[] the words of God."
Have you "forgotten or lost" anything which Jesus has sown into you? Are there, "things...old," which have been sacrificed to, "things new," things which you need to, "bring out of [your] treasure"?
Father, in Jesus' Name, show me anything which I have neglected which I greatly need. Amen.
Much of the history of Christendom is a selective history. By that I mean we tend to obey, "the words of God," which we want to obey, and disobey those which we do not want to obey. This of course is no religion at all except the religion of pick-and-choose, a religion of one's own creation, a religion of convenience, a religion which is drawn upon only when I need it. This is not, "the faith of Jesus." This is the faith of me, "the opiate of the People."
If I am, "instructed concerning the kingdom of heaven," I will not live like this. As one example, I will read Leviticus as regularly as I read John or the Psalms. I will read Ezekiel as regularly as Ephesians. Thus, I will be, "like a householder who brings out of his treasure things new and old." Yet for far too many there are seasons, or for some, all their life, in which they live in a sort of desperation for, "things new." This is in some measure what Bonhoeffer was referring to in the quote I shared yesterday: "Our quiet reflection on a section of Scripture may yield astonishingly fresh insights. It more often yields the familiar. This should not be seen as a problem....Hearing God's message again and again may not arouse our excitement, but it may sustain us in the walk of faith. Moreover, the old needs to be frequently reappropriated, for it is easily forgotten or lost."
Of course we know that there is more to walking in Jesus Christ than reading the Bible, but I submit to you that life, "concerning the kingdom of heaven," begins in, "The Word of God," Jesus and His Words, "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God...." Before man "prayed," He heard the Word of God. Before man married, worked, before the People of God did missions, helped the poor, evangelized, worshipped, did anything, He heard, "The Word of God...Whom God has sent [to] speak[] the words of God."
Have you "forgotten or lost" anything which Jesus has sown into you? Are there, "things...old," which have been sacrificed to, "things new," things which you need to, "bring out of [your] treasure"?
Father, in Jesus' Name, show me anything which I have neglected which I greatly need. Amen.
When Peter, an 18 year old Norwegian, "heard the call to evangelize China, on that day he not only emptied his wallet into the collection plate, but included a small note with the words, 'and my life.'"
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
"Looking unto Jesus"
Hebrews 12:2
