“…because my word finds no place in you”
(John 8:37).
God the Father,
Jesus his Son, and the Holy Spirit are not just elements of a creed I believe
in or necessary parts of a religion I hold to.
They are living beings that reside deep within me. I feel their Presence consciously and
unconsciously just as I feel the air that I breathe in and out. Why all people don’t crave that intimate
relationship with the God that created them and loves them so much is a mystery
to me.
God created us to
have a personal relationship with him.
“Adam, where are you?” God is all
around us, in everything that has Being.
But he also wants a relationship beyond the superficial words and
actions that religion is often reduced to.
Religion is a way of life, not just a Sunday activity. God’s Word is not just something we listen to
or read; it’s the bread of life that we are to take within us and let it
nourish our body and soul.
But we must make a
place for God; an inviting place, a welcoming place, an abiding place. Those who make that kind of place for God in
their inner being will also make that kind of place for those in their lives,
and for strangers who are seeking hospitality and rest as they journey through
life.
For some reason
people have made religion a battle field, using judgment, condemnation, and
even hatred as weapons. The Scriptures
have become ammunition that is fired at one another, both offensively and
defensively.
Jesus used
Scripture like that only when face to face with the devil himself.
With people he was
kind, loving, and always inviting. In
that hospitable healing atmosphere of love and acceptance he was able to say
“go and sin no more” and was heard.
Judgment, condemnation, and hatred put up a wall. Love creates a space that meets the needs of
people, the unmet needs that often result in the sin to begin with.
Jesus came to show
the way, the truth, and the life of the kingdom of God
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