Franktalk wrote:Sheryl,
What a difficult path to true understanding. When someone yearns to know we are eager to know so when some knowledge does come our way we run with it. Making all of the assumptions that come with eagerness. Then when we find that scripture is inconsistent we wonder why we are led this way. Many stop here but the few that reset them self and throw off their own words and understanding and start over can continue on the path. You know you are doing well when the love of God comes through in all messages. If one sees God as vengeful or arbitrary then they are off the path. Scripture gives us sign posts that we can use. Like a buoy on the way to the harbor. But each buoy has the same sign. They say God loves you, please love each other. But we read each sign with better understanding and each sign appears new. The depth increases. The absolute truth of it gets written on our hearts and mind. Those who love freely have an easier time on this path. Those who are easy to anger have a much more difficult time. I am quick to judge and condemn so I must clear myself of that before I can start again. But God's mercy is endless and even a wretched person like me can make progress. But you must at times let everything go. This is impossible for some. They see the words but have no clue what that means. But as we age there comes a time when we do start to seek and let another guide us. In this we are all Peter.
Joh 21:18 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, When thou wast young, thou girdedst thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.
And just as Peter is a type for the church he is also a type for us all. I am sure this is why Jesus picked him. Peter truly loved God but he loved himself more when he was young. What we all must realize in time is that we love our self best when we are like Christ and do the will of the Father. When we are not like Christ then the love of self is a roadblock but as one becomes more like Christ the love of self is the love of Christ in this there is a sense of being one. This is the oneness spoken in scripture that we can experience in the flesh.
Dear friend may your love of all God's children never diminish.
Frank
Shalom dear friend!
Yes, signposts and buoys along the way are much needed!
I do have to share though that there comes a point in our journey where the path we thought we were on is pulled out from underneath us and those signposts and buoys can no longer be found.
Consider a toddler learning how to stand, walk and run. He or she has to learn to keep their balance, to work with gravity instead of gravity working against them. Likewise, we have to learn to keep our spiritual balance, our purity in the darkness of this world. To walk through darkness without losing our center or our focus on God.
The signposts and buoys then are within us. This transition from external help to internal help is a very difficult one. It is called a dark night of the soul, because we have to learn to walk completely contrary to how we walked before.
I will write the law on their hearts...
It takes a lot of faith to trust and walk by the law written on our hearts!
Peter is a marvelous example - a great character whose journey can teach us so much.
It is Christ that girded him and took him where he would not go himself. But remember, Jesus told us that his yoke is easy and his journey light! ;)
Peace be within you.
Sheryl