Saturday, January 9, 2016

God’s Intent for Humanity

If you wanted to understand God’s original plan and heart for you, where would you go? What would be your source? I only know of two reliable sources: first, Genesis 1 and 2 before the Fall of humanity in Genesis 3, and second, Jesus, especially as revealed in the four Gospels. This is why Genesis 1 & 2 and the incarnation of Jesus (God becoming man without ceasing to be God, oh mystery) are so crucial to how I now understand what God is like and how He sees me/us.
So let’s begin with God (rather than our partial beliefs) to see how He really views us. And such a true view is contagious. Let’s not begin with our own experience or any lack we internally feel. Return to God’s original (and unchanged) design and His call to journey on this epic adventure with Him. Soak in this first and foremost. Any other view of God impoverishes our lives.
God is intrinsically relational at His core, three Persons-in-Community. And He fashioned us in the Garden to bear His image. This one God in three Persons (Trinity) beckons us to enjoy this divine dance, with Him as Lead-Partner supplying direction and strength, beauty and grace. This brings about LifeChange, transformation at the core of our being, from the inside out. He shapes and forms us to be intimate allies with Himself “on the way” on this epic, lifelong adventure with Him. Don’t ever get over His passion to love and connect with us. Or the wonder.
I’m a committed follower of Jesus Christ. This is my first post of many. I want to explore what I believe is the 1st century worldview, beginning with the Father and Son as God, and with a high view of His redeemed people.
As I’ve read blogs and their threaded discussions in the past, some just seem to divert to argumentation over small points.  I’m more interested in implementation for LifeChange. So, I’m not encouraging posting on this blog, even if this strikes a responsive chord. Instead, find one person in your circle and pass-it-along in a face-to-face way. Jesus met with His followers personally. We may be able to pass on information through social media and the internet, but LifeChange happens best as we engage personally with other flesh-&-blood people. Pass it along so we can know the full extent of what God offers us (check out the book of Philemon in the New Testament, verse 6).

Spiritual Packrat

I have known and believed the Trinity for forty years. I would have fought and died for it if necessary. In the last few years, however, I’ve begun to experience this relational Trinity in a fresh way as the centrality of my life. Lord, You’ve opened my eyes anew and captivated my heart afresh with this revelation of You! My zigzag journey fuels my desire to play a part to dialog and help others get a better jump on this divine essential.

Driven by a longing to grow in relationship with this God who loves me so deeply, I more recently reread various classic Christian books that have impacted me and now I see nuggets scattered throughout. As I gathered these sparkling treasures like a spiritual pack rat, I stumbled across a pattern as I stood on the shoulders of great saints from the past. I was stunned how clearly a relational worldview emerged and how dramatically this has impacted my life. I now see this archetype all over Scripture. In this blog, I want to share a bit of my journey into a deepening koinonia with this relational Family-of-Three, Father, Son and Spirit, who love us more than we can imagine.