Talk About Love - Fifth chapter; "Word of God"

“TALK ABOUT LOVE" All original ideas are Copyright of Richard R Sjaardema, 7/21/2010. (I, Richard R Sjaardema invite you to share and copy this material with Copyright notatation and without charge.)


(Pending table of contents)

1. WHY BOTHER TALKING

A. What Is Man

B. Thou Art Holy

C. Preparing For Celebration

2. KNOWING YOUR BELIEF

A. His Story Positioning

B. Word of God

C. What is Truth

3. UNDERSTANDING GOD’S LOVE

A. God’s Spiritual Gifts

B. God’s Greatest Gift

C. Beginning The Transformation


WORD OF GOD

“I suppose that since most of our hurts come through relationships so will our healing, and I know that grace rarely makes sense for those looking in from the outside.”

(William Paul Young; The Shack; c2007; Windblown Media; pg 11)

In preparation for this chapter, I have felt led of God in several ways. In the past week, I have heard the words: “Position yourself for blessings.” Before setting about to write this chapter, I felt the need to read “The Shack” by William Paul Young quoted above. Willie writes this story well enough that I questioned whether or not the book was really fiction. It is. However, the message it brings out is a recurring theme in contemporary culture; that God is Love. As William set me on the throne of God to be the judge over my wayward children, how could I help but respond with forgiveness and grace. The reality of grappling with anger towards God or questioning how the God of wrath depicted in the Old Testament could equate with the God of Love depicted in the New Testament has been a question virtually unanswered to the present day. The pain this author has experienced personally as expressed through the pain of the main character of the book and equated with the pain in my personal life combined with the answers God gave as expressed through the author touched my life and offered answers to many worldwide.

As we enter into the discussion of the word of God, we must consider church & our Holy Books. But in addition, we must be aware of the messages we receive from Him, or about Him through other literature, music, movies, relationships, history, culture, education, creation, experiences, emotions, and so much more! Oh, and might we mention that still small voice within?

Inspired of God

Peter, a disciple of Jesus Christ and considered by millions in our world to have been the first Pope and the leader of the original Christian Church, wrote the following based on his upbringing in the Jewish faith and from his experiences with the Rabbi he chose to follow: “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,’ we heard this voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word made more sure. You will do well to pay attention to this as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the impulse of man, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” II Peter 1:16-21. (RSV)

As the Apostle Paul instructs young Timothy who prepares to administer of the word, he writes in II Timothy 3:14-17: “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings which are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every scripture inspired by God is also (aka: All scripture is inspired by God and is) profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (RSV)

It should be noted here that the scriptural quotes I am using in this book are generally coming from the (here is how the title page reads) “Harper Study Bible: The Holy Bible containing the Old and New Testaments Revised Standard Version Translated from the original languages being the version set forth A.D. 1611 Revised A.D. 1881-1885 and A.D. 1901 compared with the most ancient authorities and revised A.D. 1946-1952 Second edition of the new Testament A.D. 1971…Prepared and Edited by Harold Lindsell, Ph.D., D.D. Zondervan Bible Publishers Grand Rapids, Michigan” which I received upon graduation from Denver Christian High School in Denver Colorado in 1980.

From the thousands of Greek and Latin manuscripts being used in the world throughout history to translate the ancient texts into over 400 English translations, I can only hope the original words of God have been used. Luckily, in studying “Inerrancy of the Bible” through “Wikipedia” and other sources provided by God’s great gift to me, the Internet, I find that this theology of “Inerrancy of scripture” has only been of issue over the last couple centuries. The concern of those who hold to this theology both from study and from word of mouth is that if we would claim otherwise, the Christian faith would fail and the Bible would unravel. I believe the opposite is true! By holding the word of God in front of the Almighty All Loving God in light of our own interpretations and understandings, we are not only keeping others from seeing Him, but we are keeping humanity from accepting the blessing the Bible can be in their lives. In words acceptable to the Muslim, let’s not make an idol of the Word of God! Here again, I picture a triangle. As the moon reflects the light of the sun to the earth, so the Bible reflects the light of God unto the man who reads it. It is not God, but a reflection.

For instance; there are hundreds of versions out there. Many Christians today are being fed by the “Message!” Even the author, Eugene H. Patterson has concern with it being considered the “Word of God,” yet the reader finds it to be inspirational, profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. The reader may find himself more prepared for life following its reading. In fact, I am guessing the reason you are using your translation of your “Word of God” (you are, aren’t you?) is that you find it to be inspirational, profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness and that by reading it you might find blessing & hope for the activities of your day.

As for the phraseology of "inerrancy/flawless" in regard to scripture, rest assured; I find the Bible to continue to be the most inspirational, universal, timely, and influential reading of my day to day life. I have no doubt in my mind that it was, is, and always shall be the "inspired" word of God. Through it I have the greatest narratives ever written about the centerpiece of our existence, Jesus Christ and the greatest insights into His words and teachings during the time He spent on this earth. I believe it contains the explanations and answers to all of our problems in miraculous ways. It grants the insights necessary to evangelize to all cultures represented by humanity, indeed it speaks to those cultures better than I can or could ever hope to. Through it, I attempt to discern all other input, whether written or verbal, into who I am & what I believe. It challenges me. It changes me. Through it, God becomes more alive & real to me every day. I cherish its influence in my upbringing and find very few that have been granted the gift from God of reading it cover to cover annually and loving it. This exercise has blessed me more than scripture memorization ever did. Yet, it has made that exercise, also, easier & more fulfilling. I find it is not so much that I am spending time with God, but it is God spending time with me.

How would you most like to hear from God? When you read a book or hear someone else’s account of their vision, revelation, or understanding, are you quick to accept it? Or are you more apt to question what you are hearing based on your spiritual identity or world and life view? Even as I present questions of “inerrancy” or other faiths worshiping the same God as you; are you questioning whether I am in tune with God? What if I said that God spoke through other Holy books as well as yours and that they were inspired also? Would that just rock your boat enough to toss your lunch? How then would you feel most comfortable with God talking to you? Perhaps just listening to that still small voice that fits with your world and life view and keeps God in your little box? How do you know that the voice within is God and not d’evil? How do you know you’re not being duped? Perhaps you’d better talk to the pastor! But perhaps he’s struggling too – they do you know! What if you could go and listen to how he inspired men of God to speak throughout history in ways that would touch your life today? Sounds good to me and I think it made sense to God also. Be careful though, if you only read passages you can find that agree with what you’re thinking while avoiding those that challenge you to change your thinking, you still might be relying on yourself and not hearing God.

I challenge you in the words Paul used in his letter to the Colossians chapter 3:16-17 “let the word of Christ (God) dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. I’ll stop there at verse 17, because if I quote further, I might even frustrate some of those who disagree with Paul regarding the roles of men and women in church. Some of those even who claim the inerrancy of scripture.

Of Love and Laws

That of course brings up the next question. How can the God of judgment and laws of the Old Testament be the same God of the New Testament who is all about love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, meekness, and self control? I think they referred to that God as Jesus Christ Superstar back in the 70’s. Of course, I cannot give you all the answers and have no desire to start yet another religion or theology, but I’m going to give you my ideas anyway and you can do what you want with them. Perhaps if you are Muslim, you can place a bounty on my head instead of inviting me to pray with you. Christians, perhaps you can exhume me after I’m dead or just burn me and my books now instead of asking me to join you in singing “Come by here my Lord” around the campfire. Jews, perhaps you can just stone me instead of inviting me to one of your great celebrations! But I’d rather you hear from God and forget about me.

I started this book out referring to us as Spiritual Beings. The fact you are still reading this book means that you have put pre-conceived notions on the shelf and are still listening – as you can tell, I do worry about what you think and I apologize for sounding crass. However, look in the mirror – I doubt you see a ghost! No doubt, we have a physical presence also. If there is not someone else in your shack, go outside and look around. I am guessing there is some other human not too far away. However, if you have chosen a life of loneliness, I am sorry; this is about mortal human relationships.

When God placed Adam in the garden, He asked Adam for his trust. Adam and Eve broke that trust and hid from God in shame. They had received their first three demons; the lust of the flesh; the lust of the eyes; and the pride of life. For the first time, they had become aware of their physical presence and their mortality. Today, whenever we consider eternal life mixed with our physical bodies without the presence of God, we generally consider something vile, evil, or of d’evil. Vampires, werewolf’s, depictions of grotesque figures of damaged bodies or zombies which cannot die – they’re not a pretty site. Lest we live with evil eternally, God gave us a history in the temporary mortal world and set in motion His plan of sanctification and the coming reunion.

For many years, it would seem, God and the angels still lived among men according to Moses Genesis anthology. However, as evil gained ground, the separation grew and eventually the heavenly bodies’ physical presence was removed from the earth and God chose to start over with one guy who showed promise. His name was Noah. Years later, mankind as a whole experienced an ego trip and decided they would all live together in one big city and skip filling the earth and subduing it. God had other plans and forced divisions between them in the form of language barriers (Babel) and masses of water. As perhaps could be expected - and given our experience in local school yards, mankind's social modes became quite sectarian as individual cultures and societies grew - still all connected in forms of worship to their historical memories of history and divinity, but ultimately divided without that central uniting force. Many more years went by until eventually, God chose a man through whom his plan for a reunion with humanity would take place.

So, God met with Abraham and told him a bit of His plan. Abraham’s seed is primarily remembered today through two children; the older child was Ishmael, and the younger child was Isaac. Although these two are most remembered, Abraham had other children also. According to Biblical history, the chosen seed passed on to Isaac and then to Jacob. Although the seed would eventually fall to Judah, Jacob is remembered through his 12 sons who became the nation of Israel during 400 years of slavery in Egypt. Now, God assured Ishmael of a great future, but the further story of that line is not given us in great detail in the Jewish history represented by the bible. The same may be said regarding many other peoples from far away lands. That is until the Christian era when all peoples could be adopted into Abraham’s line and into God’s redemptive plan. A clue to the symbolism of the 12 tribes representative of all of humanity is reflected in Deuteronomy 32:8; "When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when he separated the sons of men, he fixed the bounds of the peoples according to the number of the sons of God. [footnote in RSV states that in Hebrew the verse would read (sons of Israel)]

Early in this book, we mentioned Moses who led the people of Israel out of Egypt and into the Promised Land. The people were not so happy to go walking through the desert and Moses found it necessary to enact rules, laws, and a hierarchy of command to keep the new nation together. Call it a national constitution. 10 of those laws stood out, however there were plenty that most of us would rather not read regardless of their inspiration. Yet, the Jews have been memorizing those laws for centuries. Consider these 10 laws, well known and cherished to Jews, Christians, and Muslims:

1. The first law starts with an introduction: "I am the Lord your God" Recognize immediately that this one God is introducing Himself to each of us as readers in a very different way.  He is immediately personal and approachable.  His desire is not only that we get along, but that we get to know Him starting with how we know Him already.  He continues by stating "You shall have no other Gods before Me:" Personally, I find that without placing my understanding of God as #1 in my life, everthing else kind of falls apart. With Him as #1, I can endure just about everything else. Money, Relationships – all fail, God is always there. The difficulty is, He can't be seen or touched and chances are that's on purpose!  We are all forced to serve something we must all struggle to understand and the only clues we have are in these books of religion and those voices all around that I've mentioned.  If the Bible is true however, we can trust there is only one God, so we don't have to worry too much about serving the wrong one - or do we?  With that question in mind, what does God say to this idea about creating an image of Him in our head or with our hands? Go to #2.

2. You shall not have idols: Throughout the Old Testament and even today, graven images were a problem and mankind has mistakenly thought they might carry with them some magic power. Wrong, they only take our eyes off the Father or mess up the true worthiness of His reality.  Even when we attempt to solidify an image of good and evil in our mind and claim our concepts of God will never change, such concepts become a source of evil as they color our perception of our neighbor and fellow human being as evil instead of realizing we are united with humanity in sin both individually and communally. So, the message of "no images" appears to once again be useful in ultimately honoring God in His Holiness (see #1) and honoring our fellowman in unity and peace. 

3. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. I mentioned earlier the lack of respect and honor in our culture. In our physical natures, our institutional lives, our organizational structures, not to mention the way marriages and families work, respect and honor just make life easier. The same is true on a worldwide scale.

4. Remember the Sabbath Day; if you don’t take a break, you’re going to experience burnout. If you don’t take some time out for God, your life is going to fall apart. It just won’t make sense. The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. Note that this command states: a Sabbath to the Lord your God! Although there is one God, we all tend to understand Him differently and I am quite sure He respects our intent to worship Him on our Sabbath whether that happens to fall on a Saturday or a Sunday. This also has much to do with #5 below as reverence for our parents is also given in honoring their mode of worship and understanding. The same goes for the communities and cultures we grow up in. Religion and faith should not be used as an act of rebellion.

5. Honor your father and your mother: See #3 above. Try it; you’ll like it – even if you think they don’t deserve it. Your honor just may help them out of a rut and you’ll be happier in the long run. Generally, if they deserve it, count your lucky stars! This Honor principal starts with God and follows through to parents and will carry forward to all in authority and our fellowman through most of our religious teachings - regardless of culture. Without honor a house becomes divided and all we love will be lost. Honor generally must be given regardless of worthiness. 
6. You shall not kill. I think we get this one as if we do kill, we will probably go to jail, go directly to jail. Mortal society just won’t put up with this stuff. And yet, is it really that simple? If it were that simple, the city of Jerusalem would not be a testimony of religious culture built upon religious culture built upon religious culture.  Mankind's history too often has followed a successive theology principle as justification built on pride and the imagery of favoritism too often leads to the breaking of this simple and most obvious and important command for our societies to live in peace.  This command tends to be an obvious test of honor and love - or hypocricy and wickedness - to a watching world.

7. You shall not commit adultery. Sex is awesome unless it leads to enmity, strife, hatred and murder! Also, if you have it with enough people, you’ll forget your first love, and God knew all about that. Plus, one of you is hurting, guaranteed!

8. You shall not steal. This was a big problem in our house. Stealing destroys relationships between humans given the loss of trust given the lack of honor. Again, go to jail, go directly to jail and give me back my $200.00.

9. You shall not bear false witness against thy neighbor. Who is my neighbor? I’ll get to that later. But for now, suffice it to say, breaking trust destroys relationships and affects reputations. There is also a very deep meaning here regarding our imagery of our fellowman as evil. How we acted upon that assumption may be the most important question we ever face! This command is far more complex than the simple rule of Thou shalt not tell a lie. Protection and love of your fellowman is hereby commanded.

10. Don’t covet things you don’t have. You will never be satisfied or have joy in the things that are yours if you always want more. Of course, if we consider that the earth is the Lord's and everything in it, this very law could represent all our greed which is also often considered idolatry which brings us back to the top of the list.

Therefore, as Jesus claims in Mark 2:27 “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath;” it appears the whole law was made for the man - and indeed the whole of humanity, not man for the law. This thought process is so important in understanding the Bible. A tremendous key to understanding the early church and the epistles is found in Galatians 2:3. “But even Titus, who was with me, was not compelled to be circumcised, though he was a Greek.” Although chapters 1 and 2 are tremendous reading and touch heavily on Acts 15 and the Jerusalem council mentioned earlier, I use this verse as it nails the problem on the head. The problem was a serious private concern for the early Christian male convert. Paul speaks of this scare tactic often in his letters regarding the false teachers who would preach a different gospel. He includes Peter in this instance as one of these teachers (see chapter 2:11). However, he generally avoids mentioning the act itself as many of us righteous folk today would rather not talk about circumcision either. And yet, as strong as his call against circumcision for religious affiliation was, it is a common practice today for apparent health reasons. So, Paul claims that God presented the law for man to live well, not to be bound by it. Again, it would appear God knew His creation and attempted to provide us a framework for happiness and security to help us get through. Ok, that’s great, but it gets worse.

The rest of the Old Testament speaks of how Man continued to rebel against God. It is a series of case studies for our review from the life and times of God’s chosen people, the Jewish Nation. In review, brothers, all I can say is it must have been frustrating to be you! All you had to do was to follow the law and be happy, but life happened! The people rebelled and bad things happened. From other views of history, we see a time of barbarianism; People killing people; Nation destroying nation; Power overtaking power; Ego, ego, ego – but what’s that saying? Men will be men!

Imagine being a prophet at that time and seeing your culture – that had carried such promise in the good years - succumbing to starvation, disease, and genocide. I probably would have cried out to God and seen Him as the cause also. I certainly use to blame him for empty parking lot failure. Without following the laws which lead to peace among humans, cultures turn upon one another. Call it erasure, or call it judgment, call it a second chance, or call it profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may understand the needs for morality and righteousness and peace. Over and over, we hear from the Israelite’s life lessons and prophets words that to succeed, we must look after the less fortunate and put their needs above our own. Find the goodness in mankind and seek after peace. God is not a God of war, but He has allowed man to be a man and He hopes, He pleads that we will seek after Him.

I’m sure those prophets felt a sense of weeping and of gnashing of teeth as they experienced such separation from the Loving Creator God they felt they served alone. You could hear them scream out to God; “Lord, open the eyes of my fellow man so that they might see!” However, even in the worst of human situations, they always held on to Hope! In the pit of despair, Jeremiah could still say: “Great is thy Faithfulness!” In the pit of despair, that Jew in the German concentration camps of the 1940’s could recite the words of Job: “I know that my Redeemer lives, and at last he will stand upon the earth; and after my skin has been thus destroyed, then from my flesh I shall see God, whom I shall see on my side, and my eyes shall behold, and not another. My heart faints within me!

If you have experienced the abandonment and grief of love lost, you can imagine a bit of what God experiences when you do not return His love. If you have shut your ears to the anger of a spoiled child who just wants more in spite of all you’ve already given, you understand a bit more of God’s heart. Guess what, it’s all written in the Bible. He would love to share some time with you today.

In understanding the judgments of God, listen to Isaiah in Isaiah 26:9 “My soul yearns for thee in the night, my spirit within me earnestly seeks thee. For when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.”

I trust that you also can find inspiration, hope, peace, and Love in your Word from God. If not, may I suggest you change the channel?

Be Spirit Filled

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 5:3

If I asked you when you last experienced a conversion, what would you say? In the forward of this book, I mentioned that I have loved Jesus Christ from my earliest memory. This caused a difficulty for me as I entered my teen years and early 20’s as I saw friends and acquaintances whose lives were dramatically changed when they first understood that God loved them enough to pay the penalty for their sins. The excitement they exhibited from their new experience of the Spirit of God within them brought jealousy to my heart in which his presence was such a way of life. What a privilege it must be to experience that anew, I thought.

And then, as life has gone on, I listen to Christians and hear conversion stories of that wonderful time when they first accepted Jesus Christ into their lives and how that has made all the difference. But too often, it is obvious they have lost that first love and desire, as I did. They wish they could have that conversion experience all over again. They thought life was going to get better, but, to be honest, life and death keep marching on and one day, praise God, we shall meet him face to face again. (Sigh)

For some 20 years, I experienced life. I stopped witnessing. Yes I enjoyed singing in a great choir and experienced that personal relationship, but I was too busy for much else. Praying, reading the word, I had my ups and downs. And then, life got tough. After 22 years in business, working 60 hours a week, I faced bankruptcy. Life with 4 teens and a house of consistent emotional trauma and turmoil challenged my psyche, my Spirituality, and my sanity. Anger and Confusion reigned. My kids were quick to point out that the God I loved certainly didn’t love me back.

All this came to a climax in 2006. Through an unusually difficult situation as a parent, I faced a decision to pursue legal action against a young man that had offended my family or to invite him into my life. That situation led me to begin reading the one year Bible and to invite this individual to attend worship with me so that he could understand our family's faith better. Through difficulty, he gave our agreement a valiant effort for about 6 weeks, but I continue to relish in the blessings of reading the Bible daily in a format that mixes a bit of Old Testament, New Testament, and Psalms daily allowing me to read the Bible cover to cover annually. Often, I am finding it answers life's questions better than the daily news. Through this unpleasant experience and a choice to love an enemy, God had given me the best gift of my life!

At the time of this writing, I am reading that “One Year Bible” for the third time! Through this experience I receive revelations from God every morning through Bible reading and prayer. I have truly been blessed! I have been invited into Christian service in my community and experience further blessings from God and relationships through weekly worship services with various groups from my church and my surrounding community. These blessings come in the form of inspirational talks, personal study, and the opportunity to discuss life and insights with others. Truly, the greatest opportunities are to be able to pray with and for others regarding their lives. However, the greatest gift continues to be when I hear from someone else that they are praying for me! God is indeed good. My jealousy regarding those conversion experiences I had in my teens and twenties, and thirties has been exchanged with the thrill and chill of receiving those experiences every day. I hear the message God is sending of his love for mankind consistently in Bible reading, discussions with people who are also seeking God, and within my choice of music. Running my business still takes tremendous perseverance and responsibility, but my needs continue to be met. As mentioned at the top of this section, I even find inspiration into the love of our Father through the oft times strained relationships within my family.  This also was common through Biblical writings of men of God - and so, I know I am not alone.  God continues to love me regardless of how messed up I might be.  He loves my kids also, and so do I.

Through my local Christian ministry, I have made many new friends. Two of these friends share my passion of receiving revelations from God through the written word. They invited me to dinner recently regarding “The Ezra Project” whose mission is “Connecting God’s People to God’s Word.” I picked up a brochure at the dinner that states the following: “Closing the gap between God’s people and God’s Word may be the second greatest need in the Body of Christ today. Admitting there is a gap is the first! Bible reading is spiraling downward in America:” (Let me add that this is a problem worldwide). “Gallup polls show Bible readership has declined from 73% in the 1980s to 59% in the 2000s. Only 16% of Americans read the Bible daily and 41% say they rarely or never read the Bible. Barna Research declares only 29% of men and 43% of women read the Bible weekly or daily. Christians are becoming Biblically illiterate and nine out of 10 do not have a Biblical worldview. The majority of people claiming to be Christians also claim to have no time in their day to engage in Scripture. They tend to base their beliefs on their own notions and not from the Bible which they do not regularly read, according to the Center for Bible Engagement.” You can find out more about supporting the Ezra Project and see how it might impact you or your community by visiting http://www.ezraproject.net/

Clara H. Scott had her song entitled “Open My Eyes, That I May See” published by the Evangelical Publishing Company of Chicago Illinois in 1895. She expressed her desire to receive the Word of God in the following verses:

Open my eyes, that I may see
  Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
  That shall unclasp and set me free.

Silently now I wait for Thee,
  Ready my God, Thy will to see,
Open my eyes, illumine me,
  Spirit divine!

Open my ears, that I may hear
  Voices of truth Thou sendest clear;
And while the wave notes fall on my ear,
  Everything false will disappear.

Open my mouth, and let me bear,
  Gladly the warm truth everywhere;
Open my heart and let me prepare
  Love with Thy children thus to share.

This information was found at http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/o/p/openeyes.htm  where you can find many more great hymns.

I would love for you to share this opportunity and be filled with the Spirit of God. Your life with God can be so much more than a chore and exercise. It can be alive and transforming! Let me add a couple more of the beatitudes from Mathew 5: verse 6; “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied”, and verse 8; “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.” Although I love reading the Bible, if Christianity is not your thing, I trust you will find similar blessings from God through your own Spiritual guides. I truly believe that as God presented Himself to Mack in William P. Young’s book “The Shack”, God will meet with you within your understanding of Him if you seek Him with all your heart. However, if you feel you are missing out on something, I gladly extend the invitation to read the Bible. Truly, this is the greatest gift we can pass on to our fellow man.

Several more verses that I feel must be shared here:

The Apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 5:15-20: “Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.”

The Apostle John writes in I John 1:5-9: This is the message we have heard from Him and proclaim to you, that God is Light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say we have fellowship with Him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth; but if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 4:9: “Only take heed, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children’s children”