As if 12 Years of Bleeding wasn't Bad Enough . . .

I've got two things I want to share . . . things I've been thinking about this weekend at Youth Councils.

Thing the first: God wants us to declare our love for Him. Publically, emphatically, and truthfully. Here's why I think that . . . there was a woman who bled for 12 years due to disease. She's the one that touched Jesus cloak (inspiring every Newfie corps to sing 'If I couuld but touch the hem of his garment'!). Now, it says that as soon as she touched His clothes, she was healed - but the story goes on. It says that Jesus asked, 'Who touched me?' Like He didn't already know or something. He asked again and the woman came and worshipped at His feet - declaring to Him and to the large group around Jesus that she loved Him.

The Bible also says: "When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land." 2 Chronicles 7:14.

Show me you love me, then I'll bless you.

Second: I'm tired of the "Jesus is my best friend" analogy. I think it's wrong and terribly innappropriate. Jesus isn't my best friend. There are characteristics about my relationship with Him that allude to that - I can talk to him about anything, we love each other, I can trust Him, etc - but there are far more problems than benefits of using this comparison.

Example - If I think about Jesus as my best friend, even though I can talk to Him about anything, there are going to be times that I take Him for granted. There will be times that I would rather hang out with my wife than go out with my friends. Perhaps I'm just a bad friend, but I also don't feel like WORSHIPPING at the feet of my best friends. They don't deseve it.

We use this comparison to teach kids because they 'understand it better'. What's the point if they understand the concept of a friendship if the concept is WRONG as it relates to God. You get a bunch of teenagers and adults who don't understand that God is KING and who need to be 'reprogrammed' if they're really going to get it. Jesus is not primarily my FRIEND. The bible calls Him my Father, my Lord, and my KING, but I really don't know of anywhere where he's called a buddy, a chum, or a colleague. Let me know if I'm wrong.

Love Him for who He is . . . not what you want Him to be.

Grace.