Reading Jesus: Part VII Shaping My View.
The reason I chose to make these posts are simply my way of processing the human side of Jesus that I have often neglected in my understanding. For the past several months I have been meditating on the Jesus who is revealed in the Gospels. After spending nearly a 1/2 decade studying biblical texts, theology, liturgy, biblical language and history, I discovered a yearning in myself to know Jesus, the dude. To " create space" for myself to encounter the One outside of my cultural perspective and understanding.
When I look at Jesus (the dude, as I say) I find someone I truly want to know, meet, and follow. Jesus' view of God: God's nature, character, and presence moves me as a human to move closer to the God of Jesus' understanding and also a God of my understanding. I want to know the God who shaped Jesus' (the dude) life. I want to open my soul and allow the God who shaped Jesus' life to shape mine. The God who shaped Jesus' view of the world and life, is the God I want to shape my view of myself, the world, and others.
What was it about Jesus and his way and life that led to his death?
Folks have many thought s about why Jesus died, but I want to know for what Jesus lived.
I recognize that I don't possess the "right" answers, nor am I attempting to persuade others to hold my view. I am simply "questioning aloud". This blog is here to share my journey; it is not an intrusive medium piped-in to on'sur home via a televsion set to attempt to persuade. As I have said before, take what you like (if you want) and leave the rest.
For me and the journey I am on, I want to meet the One who was claimed to be the Word Made Flesh; to understand his heart and passion for what made him act, think, and believe like he did. When I do I find a faith, an understanding, a way... a truth... and a life that leads me to God, myself and others.
6 Comments:
Rick, you are doing some great work here in getting others to discuss their beliefs.
I have long ago come to the belief that the only way any of us can come to know truth is not to believe what anyone else tells us is the truth, including me. If we truly are on a quest for truth we must look within ourselves for the truth for that is where God and all truth resides.
The main difference between my thinking and many others is that I have found that I'm not a physical being. I'm a spiritual being who has chosen to have a physical experience and in order to do that I needed to put on a body for the time I'm here.
I don't want anyone to accept my understanding of truth because in my quest for that understanding my own truth has changed numerous times as I have evolved. We all should be on a serious search for what the Truth is and that requires us to use what others say only as means for finding our own truth.
My God is unlimited in any way; my God doesn't require me to do anything in particular because my God knows that since He (She, It) is everywhere there is nowhere I can go that does not include God. The only thing I can do to keep from finding God is use the free will I was given at creation to refuse to see or acknowledge the ever-presence of God.
Why would God judge me, or onyone or anything? Since God is part of everything God would just be judging Itself. My God allows me to grow in my understanding of truth as I see fit and happily welcomes me back as the lost son if I lose my way for a time.
As for sin, my understanding of the original meaning of that word is Sin is nothing more than an error in thinking and understanding. If I think my God can be offended by anything I do it is only because I ascribe my own shortcomings of judgments to God. In other words I have created a God that my judgmental thinking can make sense of. That doesn't make God that way, it only seems to me that this is the way God must be. I long ago stopped seeing my God that way and have found a God that patiently waits for me to drop my own misunderstanding of the Truth, a little at a time, until I'm able to more clearly see THE Truth.
Just my thoughts and not meant to convince anyone of anything.
The only thing I try to convince others of is to love ourselves and our neighbors, then we are showing our love of God.
Peace and love to all.
Rick, I'm sixty-five, been trying to follow Him now for over thirty-five years, and still find that it requires no more than trusting Him to be in the next step. People try to reduce it all down to a word, a way, a program. For me, it's a anchor-line knot tied in my belly in the beginning, balanced with a Bible in one hand and the Holy Ghost in the other and realizing that "my heart being deceitful above all things" brings error into those last two elements. Let me end here, then, by adding your words always feed me through your honesty and your sincerity. It is with gratitude and hunger I keep coming back to a table well-spread...
Dear Matt and Jim,
Thank you for sharing a part of your faith journey here. Thank you for your kind and encouraging words. I appreciate your presence. And though it may sound like a cliche, I am humbled.
--Rick
Bro,
You are many things, but "cliche" is not one of them. :-) Thanks for always giving someting to think about.
just as a question of wonder. as i have been taught, matt is decieved and is in need of a relationship with Jesus.
can we say that here?
Dear Anonymous,
If you are really asking then my response would be: perhaps we'd all be better served by keeping the focus on ourselves. Perhaps in the spirit of God's love you could share your faith journey. You could begin with your name and tell who Jesus is in your life. And perhaps, those who read the comments may discover something in you that they want for themselves.
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