Take me to the Source!

Not long ago I encouraged someone to check their source on a story they were sharing on social media. I wasn’t completely convinced that all the details being shared as fact were actually factual. I’m still not convinced. It’s pretty easy to believe your source when they are saying what you want to hear. It’s pretty easy not to do any due diligence when you have already made up your mind about the details.

Within days of that conversation I found myself pondering the sources in my life. I found myself questioning who or what I go to when a story is presented to me as fact. I found myself wondering who or what I go to when I have a question about an issue in my life that I need answers to. I started questioning the source I go to first when I have a spiritual question or a heart question. Who or what do I turn to for answers to the important things in life?

My handsome fella just replaced the radiator on our van. (I told you there was likely going to be a lesson here) He has never replaced a radiator on my van, or any other van as far as I know. He had me buy him a maintenance manual for our make and year model. He needed to go to the source to get the correct parts and instructions on how to replace it without ending up with extra parts or not enough. Unfortunately the sources pictures were a bit blurry and confusing and he disconnected the wrong hoses and we now get to spend money replacing Freon for the A/C. In this case having the correct source wasn’t even enough because the direction from that source were unclear and his knowledge was limited to what he was being shown in not so clear terms.

I’ve gone to church my entire life so one would assume I had a pretty good grasp on my source for spiritual and heart questions. Just ask the Pastor or your spiritual mentor. That is what they are there for, right? To give you the answers to all of life’s questions, especially the difficult ones? What happens when they disagree? What happens when their instructions aren’t that clear because they are fallible just like you and me? Okay, so maybe a better source would be the Bible. That is God’s word. Everything you need to know for life and death and eternity should be in there. But why are there so many different interpretations and ways of explaining exactly what it says? Why are there so many translations and transliterations and understandings by various biblical scholars? And why does John 5:39 sound like the ultimate source isn’t the bible? (Don’t shoot me, I’m just asking a question)

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me – John 5:39

Hmmm. So if my source isn’t a Pastor or preacher or mighty man of God and it isn’t the Bible itself then what do we do? Where do I go? Who do I ask?

Justin could have contacted the author of the manual to get clarification of the wording and illustrations before he pulled those hoses. He could have called the number in the book and asked for help to clarify.

John 5:39 actually seems pretty clear to me about the most accurate source I could approach for the questions that matter. The One they are written about. The One that wrote the book. In fact if you think about it, what did Jesus do when He needed answers? Did He seek counsel in the church? Did He open a scroll? If I am not mistaken He spent a lot of time with the Source! He spent a lot of time on His knees. He spent a lot of time talking to His Father who is the Source. Actually, a lot of our bible heroes spent time with the very same Source.

I need His written word. I need His church. I need to be connected with both of those sources. I can’t and don’t want to do this life without either of those sources. It wouldn’t be healthy. BUT, if I’m not connecting with the real Source I am not going to have the most accurate information for my life. I am not going to understand how His word applies to me or any of my circumstances. Without a relationship with Him I am just going to be tossed around. Without Him as my source all the answers become a bit too subjective and the lines seem a bit too blurred.

Looking for Him!

Have you ever been told that God’s people all worship the same way?  Have you ever been told they all talk the same?  Have you ever been told they all worship in the same building under the same name?  Have you been told if you don’t look or act like them, then you are somehow less than?  If so, I’m sorry!

Do those questions bother you?  Does that apology bother you?  Are you the one who has said those things to someone?  If so, I’m sorry!

⁶ Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6

He didn’t say no one comes to the Father except thru my people.  He didn’t say no one comes to the Father except thru a perfect theology.  He didn’t say no one comes to the Father unless you cross all the t’s and dot all the i’s.  He didn’t say no one comes to the Father except by being born into the right family with the right set of doctrinal views.  He didn’t say no one comes to the Father unless they follow all the rules in the right order.

In fact, this verse is curious to me…

³⁹ You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, ⁴⁰ yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life. – John 5:29-40

What do you do when you read your bible?  Are you looking for the answer to your theological questions?  Are you looking to see if you or “they” line up with the word?  Are you looking for justification for your beliefs?  Are you hoping if you know your bible well enough and follow it strictly enough it will get you into Heaven?

What if you changed your focus when you picked up your bible the next time?  What if you changed your focus the next time you walked thru the doors of a church…yours or someone else’s?  What if you looked for Him in those scriptures?  What if you looked for Him in that church?  What if you looked for Him in the eyes of the person standing across from you, no matter who they are, what they look like or where they attend church on Sunday morning, or don’t?

I was reading about the priestly garments in Exodus and noticed something curious about the breast piece.  I noticed how it represented God’s people, the twelve tribes of Israel.  It wasn’t one big stone to represent the Israelites.  It was 12 separate and precious stones representing each tribe individually.  Each stone was individually engraved with the name of one of the twelve tribes.  They were God’s people, yet separate and distinct from one another.  They were brothers of the same family, yet uniquely different.

I love God’s word. I want to spend more time in it. I need to spend more time in it. I want my life to line up with what I find in there. I want to find my life hidden in who He is in there. I want to celebrate the uniqueness of all of His kids who are doing their best to live for Him.

I want to find Him when I look in your eyes, not the name of your church.

Reading with the Author

I bought the handsome fella a book for Christmas that I am looking forward to reading, Finding God in the Bible by Darren Wilson.  This part of the cover intrigues me, “What Crazy Prophets, Fickle Followers and Dangerous Outlaws Reveal About Friendship with God.”   No, I didn’t buy it for the fella just so I could read it…well…maybe. 😉 I do want to see what Darren has to say on the subject. I do think it will be fun to see what an author has to say about the God of the bible. I think many of us don’t really know Him very well. I think many of us have put him in a little box. I think many of us have man-sized him to fit OUR image. After all He did make us in His image so surely He is somehow like we are, right?

A few weeks ago I was given the challenge to get to know God and his character better thru the life and words of Jesus. I will be continuing on that journey in 2014 and will be doing my own searching for God in the Bible. I’ve committed to reading thru the bible in 2014 after a number of different prompts began to resonate as important for me in this coming year. I’ve tried and failed to complete this challenge before, but was always doing it just to say I’d done it. My focus had always been more of a thing to check off a list of religious accomplishments.

This year I’m excited about the challenge. I’m excited for the same reason I’m looking forward to digging into the Finding God book. I want to know more about the God of the whole bible, not just the one of a few verses. I want to know more about the God Jesus came to reveal, not the judgmental, angry God who is out to catch me in my sins.

This year as I read I’m asking the Holy Spirit to be my Guide. That should be fun to have him along on the journey thru the book that He inspired and breathed into existence. I have some things I’m looking for but am keeping an open mind and heart for the things He wants me to find.

If you are on a similar journey this year, I pray you receive all the revelation He has to offer. I pray it is as unique to you as the prints on your fingers. I do think He is just that good! I also pray that whatever your journey with God looks like in 2014 that it will bless your socks off and reveal more of who he is to you!

Happy New Year!