Interactions Are Key
Was reading this really neat review at All About Palm about this new lanucher called Initiate...
an aside: within all operating systems, there is an aspect called the shell. This is where we interact with programs, and how we know what is going on. Some people call it the general user interface, or GUI. Within the Palm operating system, the shell is called a launcher, since its job is to launch programs. There are many of these launchers, and they are all designed to help someone get more use out of the applications adn functionality within their device
..this new launcher called Initiate and its attention to simplicity had me thinking about the Word and how it is designed to help us better interact with God. The weirdest parallel with Initiate is how it is designed, it does simple for those who need simple, but if you need more, you just have to look deeper.
The same with our relationship with God. Yes, there is this base level knowledge we can come to. I call it the Samartitan Woman level. Bear with me if you will; the Scripture gives no indiciation that the Samaritian Woman in John 4 ever took the water that Jesus offered. Yes, she was excited and told people about Him. But there is no indiciation that she herself dove in. On the other hand, there was Peter, who was also offered a water expereince with Jesus. In his case, he had to get off the boat in order to know Jesus. Walking on the water is a bit more complicated than drinking water, but the concept of walking by faith is the same. Getting to a closer relationship with God is always able to happen, we just have to make the decsion to get off the boat and interact with Him.
Now, Peter never made it to Jesus on that end (doubt and storms will dampen our faith from time to time); but making that step said to Jesus that he was at least willing to attempt to grow. So there was nothing holding Jesus back from saving him when Peter's faith started to wane. This is the interaction of relationship that I see in scripture that God calls us all to. And at the same time, the key is making the decsion to dive deeper into Word to find out how God wants us to walk with/in Him.
an aside: within all operating systems, there is an aspect called the shell. This is where we interact with programs, and how we know what is going on. Some people call it the general user interface, or GUI. Within the Palm operating system, the shell is called a launcher, since its job is to launch programs. There are many of these launchers, and they are all designed to help someone get more use out of the applications adn functionality within their device
..this new launcher called Initiate and its attention to simplicity had me thinking about the Word and how it is designed to help us better interact with God. The weirdest parallel with Initiate is how it is designed, it does simple for those who need simple, but if you need more, you just have to look deeper.
The same with our relationship with God. Yes, there is this base level knowledge we can come to. I call it the Samartitan Woman level. Bear with me if you will; the Scripture gives no indiciation that the Samaritian Woman in John 4 ever took the water that Jesus offered. Yes, she was excited and told people about Him. But there is no indiciation that she herself dove in. On the other hand, there was Peter, who was also offered a water expereince with Jesus. In his case, he had to get off the boat in order to know Jesus. Walking on the water is a bit more complicated than drinking water, but the concept of walking by faith is the same. Getting to a closer relationship with God is always able to happen, we just have to make the decsion to get off the boat and interact with Him.
Now, Peter never made it to Jesus on that end (doubt and storms will dampen our faith from time to time); but making that step said to Jesus that he was at least willing to attempt to grow. So there was nothing holding Jesus back from saving him when Peter's faith started to wane. This is the interaction of relationship that I see in scripture that God calls us all to. And at the same time, the key is making the decsion to dive deeper into Word to find out how God wants us to walk with/in Him.
posted by Antoine @ 6/30/2005 10:43:00 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
Yes, I agree! But it's not unbiblical at all to think that interactions are key...
John 13:35 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
So, yes, interactions are key. And you don't really know how to love one another (and how hard it can be) until you interact with others. Especially those that are hard to get along with. And especially those that are rubbed the wrong way by us!
And our own failings are really revealed in our interactions...
Proverbs 27:17 As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.
And, additionally, if you think about it, we are only really changed when we spend time interacting with God in prayer. That's when the ugliness of our heart is revealed, together with God's grace and His ability to change our hearts when we love Him and let Him.
But like everything in the Christian walk, it's so easy to talk about, but ever so hard to live. May God's strength and grace be with us.
Good points, thanks for the further insight.
Post a Comment
<< Home