Something For Bach and All...
Submitted by Chris on January 29 2002 13:04:32
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Hi Bach and everyone, Greetings in Jesus Christ... I came to the Library today with somewhat of an idea about what I wanted to post but, as is often the case now, I paused to try to read some things and I had another wonderful distraction. I finaly found out who it is that does "Story Time" for the young kids. It is none other than my friend, brother in Christ and Pastor! And he's really good too! I cannot remember hearing the story of "Jack and the Beanstalk" told with such animation and excitement. It is really quite cold today so only two little boys showed up but he did the story as if there were twenty. Now THAT is the sign of a person who absolutely loves children and also treasures every moment he can be around them. I love my pastor so much!!! Ok, so here is what I want to write, inspired by both Bach's recent posts and what I was so privaleged to witness today. Bach, my brother, I am so inspired by your faith and insight lately! It seems to me like you have just sort of "exploded" with inspiration by the Holy Spirit and I love it! I will be praying that it continues because you are saying things I really need to hear. Especially with my tendancy to want to put blame on the Christian community and to see us as victoms. I like your reply and I agree with you whole-heartedly! You know, I think that a big part of a Chrisitan's struggle with his faith lie's within His actual understanding or "picture" of God. We have a very difficult time visualising a God who is big enough to help us through our problems in life, or who is loving enough to care about us when we get off-track or when we sin. Our concept of God is often quite limmited and we have a hard time relating to Him because of it. In other words, when things go wrong or when we go wrong, we try to run away from him instead of running TO Him as He would want us to. This lack of true understanding of God also affects the way we reguard other Chrisitans. We do not comprehend that God is able to work ALL things through the lives of His children for the greatest good for all. Today I saw how much my own pastor just loves children and this tells me so much more about how much he must also love me, boylove and all! That kind of love comes from God, it is not of this world. That kind of love is really only a sample of the kind of love that we can all experience in our relationship with God as our Father and through Him, with each other! We need to quit limmiting our Father in our hearts. We need to see him everywhere we look, in every person, in every situation, everywhere we go. He IS there, we just have to open the "eyes" of our own hearts to see Him. Jesus is our perfect example of the Father. He was something different than this world has ever known. He lived the lessons He taught. Lessons of radical ideas like Love and Forgiveness. The concept of the least being the greatest in a Kingdom where God is a Father and His people are His children. To the religious leaders of His time, Jesus was either seen as a crazed lunatic or a threat to thier authority and as one who might even destroy thier way of life which depended upon the fear and insecurity of the common folk to insure a following and provide for them finacial and physical security. They shook thier heads at first in disbelief, then after a while, in hatred. Jesus touched people's hearts and gave them vision and hope. Jesus walked among the people instead of trying to elivate Himself socially like the Pharasees. Jesus accepted and loved the very LEAST of the people, such as prostitutes, hated tax collectors, children, and the disabled and poor. The impact He had came from His ability to love and it was impressive to all who would open thier hearts to Him and His message. Jesus Christ has the power to change lives!!! He has NOT lost that power today. Man has lost the ability to visualise it in all it's glory, as it trully is. I think I see now that ALL of God's children, regardless of who or "what" they are, are blessed with an equal portion of that power, although we all differ in the way it is manifested in ourselves and our lives. The power of the Gospel, the power of true and Godly love, the power of the love God has for us and the same love we can, if we will, share with everyone we come in contact with, no matter WHO they are! God is big enough to have that kind of love and we are "born again" as people who are big enough to understand it and share it with each other!!! That is, if we decide to believe this and then make up our minds to carry it out. We can, because the Bible is packed full of examples of people who did! We CAN and must, at any cost, become an example for the world! THAT is how the least can be the greatest, at least in one way. God bless, Bach and everyone! Bach, keep going with your current project, brother. It's really good! Love in Christ Jesus, Chris |
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