Tuesday January 24, 2006

    I currently listening to the Ted Dekker Circle Trilogy.  I’m in the midst of book two “Red.”  STOP HERE if you do not want spoilers.

    Today I was listening to the part where it was revealed that Justin was The Boy.  It got me thinking.  Justin seems (at least in what I have heard so far) is a picture of Jesus.  Thomas can be a picture of Paul.  It totally caught me by surprise that Justin was The Boy and the same can be said for the other characters.  But it is so true in real life.  The people of Israel experienced God and had his Word.  They were following it and walking out the Law, but they did not expect the Messiah to show up in the way Jesus did.  They saw things that didn’t make sense in how Jesus interacted with the world.  Paul was a Hebrew of Hebrews.  He knew the Word of God and was acting on what he believed (just like Thomas in the book).  The God had to get his attention to show him that he had missed the Messiah.
    I thought about this in my (our) life.  God’s Word is life and we need to immerse our self in it daily.  God’s Word calls us to take action on our belief.  But this is not the full picture.  There is a picture of the Trinity here.  The missing piece is the daily relationship with Jesus.  We can know the requirements the letter of God through His Word, but without a relationship with Jesus it can be come just words and we can be deceived and with out works (action) it is just knowledge.  We can do works “for” God but with out the Word we can work out side of God’s law and with out the relationship with Jesus we are just doing charity.  Jesus came to earth to put us in relationship with the Himself, empower us with the gifts of the Spirit, and write the Word of the Father on our hearts.  How often to I read and study the Word with out seeking Jesus’s face first.  How often do I do and serve out of habit or drive instead out of the love I have for my Lord and desire to please Him.  Christ is the head.  I pray that I would daily remember to spend time with Him.  To have a relationship with Him and out of that relationship treasure His Word and serve out of a desire to please Him.