Month: October 2015

We all approach God initially through our natural selves. The natural world acts as an interface to the spiritual. Whether via reason (the mind) or emotion (the heart). This interaction is our first glimpse of the glory of God. Our first steps in relationship with Jesus will follow our natural bent as well.

While a good start our natural interface to relationship with God becomes a barrier to spiritual growth. Staying in a state where only our natural abilities are used to relate to God is no better then the relationships that the Hero’s of the Old Testament had with God. The reality is that staying in this state leaves us short of what is promised by Jesus’ death on the cross.

Mathew 27:50-51 (NLT)
50 Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. 51 At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom…

So where does that leave us?

The Spirit.

John 4:24 (NLT)
For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.

Being able to relate to God in His natural state (the Spirit) instead of our natural state that’s the goal. Jesus has torn down the natural barriers to us communing with God in Spirit. Reason and Emotion can no longer hold us back from growing spiritually.

Amen!

Mark 2:27 (NLT)

27 Then Jesus said to them, “The Sabbath was made to meet the needs of people, and not people to meet the requirements of the Sabbath.

This verse struck me today. Most of us would have reversed this, keeping the Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments after all. But that’s what the religious spirit does, it takes the gifts of God (the Sabbath here) and makes it a burden.

Jesus here radically challenged the perspective of those around him, and I believe challenges us as well. How do we view God’s word as list of rules and limitations? Or of blessings and freedom.