Yet, don't you still get a million different opinions of scripture from learned men and women? And they always seem to edge in and try convince you they are right. Ah, what good would they be if they had no conviction? :)
But, the ones who tell me I'm not listening to the spirit, or worse, that I can't hear the spirit, because I do not agree with their opinion - they scare me.
Jesus' teaching was practical - what He did was practical. It's fun to get ethereal and consider some weird stuff about the cosmos and angels, but it's not what Jesus was about. Sure, the inner workings of what Christ accomplishes are spiritual, ethereal, mysterious - but are they important for me to know? Is it important that I know "why" and "how" it works - or that I just trust it does?
If a teaching leads me away from God and deeper into my own mind, where only one voice exists, I'm not sure that's a safe place for me to be. A singular voice is never a good thing. A chorus makes sure the path. Maybe that's why God has three voices. {c;
There is no reason to listen if I cannot hear.
Just Another Voice,
8 comments:
Good points Missy. My concern is for those who don't realize the difference between their opinion and scripture.
Missy;
I didn't know that God has three voices?
Please can you tell me more about that?
Certainly, Paul. I hear God in three ways: His Word, His Creation and His Spirit. It is my opinion, that when I am hearing correctly, these voices will be in unison. If they are not in unison, then I am not interpreting or understanding them correctly.
It's kind of like getting a plumb line. 1 point is impossible - unless you're perfect - 2 points are helpful but often inaccurate - and 3 points make you sure. Of course, when the plumb-line is direct from the Father, then you know the line is not only plumb, but in the right place.
Thanks Missy!
That is a good way to look at.
I just remember a Scripture, that any fact is established by two or three witnesses. (Matt.18:16)
Interesting thought!
"some weird stuff about the cosmos and angels, but it's not what Jesus was about."
But that stuff is cool!
Yes, Matthew, I agree. :)
I've often pondered why so many people dwell on the otherworldly aspects of spirituality at the expense of the kingdom at hand, here, in this world.
Jesus certainly acknowledged that there is more than what we can see, hear, taste, smell, touch. However, I think He taught that our interaction with the "otherworldly" is wrapped up in (maybe limited to?) our interaction with the here and now. Anyone who has witnessed a starving person being fed has likely caught a glimpse of it.
Yet, I grew up in churches where the primary goal seemed to be some hocus-pocus supernatural interaction with the spiritual realm. I don't discount that such things CAN happen, but apart from participation in the practicalities of the kingdom, I consider most of that to be manipulative bullsh*t.
Missy, I think your approach of seeking consensus from the "voices" of God is pure wisdom. Discerning which voices are God's and which are our own desires can get tricky, though, can't it? [/beentheredonethat]
Thanks, Dorsey. I can manipulate any of those voices individually to sound like what I want to hear, but to twist all three...hmmm.
I've been thinking of the concept of "voices" in my head for many years. I think I heard God's audible voice once (??) and it said the most practical thing: "PUT ON YOUR LAPBELT!!" I didn't argue. 15 minutes later I proceeded to run over a board in the road that jammed in my front tires, then I flipped over in my car 2.5 times. (I just bought the durn thing that day!) I'm pretty sure it was God, but that phrase was never uttered in scripture, so who knows - got 2 out of 3. Yet, even today I strive to KNOW that was God. It's like I can't rest until I know I am special enough to warrant that extra "personal" touch.
(Maybe that's what Jesus is about - that extra "personal" touch?)
The root of that hocus-pocus - a desire to KNOW, a desire to be touched on the head in confirmation, an affirmation of what you believe to be true. But I think that it often belies doubt. Isn't that what Eve struggled with before the bite? It's nothing new. The girl WALKED WITH GOD - and still she doubted his concern for her well-being.
Walking with God, now that's worth some effort - and if God is loving and caring for mankind, then to walk with Him is to do the same.
Post a Comment