Over the last two months, I've been in a bible school, on the opposite side of the world from where my home is. I can't say I've had a more challenging (Spiritually and Mentally) time in my life so far. Constantly surrounded by a community with little time to get away and live. Always some one around, never any privacy. There is always something that could use a cleaning in the house, and rarely any one ready to clean it. Spiritually, there is much more concious awareness as to an eternal perspective, and the choices that I see people making. Choices that separate further and further from the truth, and from Jesus. Also, to see peoples hard work and labour being turned up in vain. People showing raw emotional love and servant hood being denied by the ones meant to receive it.
As for studying, wake up, read a few chapters of my bible eat breakfast, go to class till lunch, study till Supper, study after supper till bed time, repeat. So little time to do anything else.
But it has also been two of the best times of my life. Being pushed away from my comfort zone into an atmosphere where everyone is working in harmony, in the Sunshine Coast of Australia onlooking a beautiful river. Being able to serve one another in a tangible way, and always looking to help one another out, and being open with one another about struggles, goals, passions, visions.
Being able to be covered in the word of God nearly every waking hour of the day, no where else would I have this opportunity. Also, any time I go out, I've had the opportunity to share in fellowship with some one else who has noticed my bible, and wanted to bless me with encouragement, I have been extremely blessed.
In my studies, the biggest thing that I have been learning, and recognizing is the idea of bowing before Jesus in the throne room of the Almighty, revering him, and serving him. about a month ago, I studied Luke and Acts, two of the books with the most real and practical applications to our lives as Christians. Recorded events and real teachings of Jesus, and his followers. Yet the story does not stop there. after the book of acts, the story goes on. We are Acts 29. we are the people that serve Christ, and seek to see his kingdom furthered, and to help a people who are so lost. More and more what I have been seeing is that if there is no action, no one telling others about Jesus, no one to go out, then there is no point in having faith in Christ. I just finished studying James, and the big thing in James is that if some one has faith, but does not live it out, his faith is dead, and he has no faith. It is the sin of not responding to the call that Jesus has in our lives to out and tell others about him. A theme that runs through Hebrews is how God has spoken to the nation of Israel, yet the fathers had not responded, but continued on. The author of Hebrews is crying out to the readers to not be hard in their hearts, so deaf in their ears to the voice and leading of God. How they will miss the mark because of their inaction. Yet how different are people who call themselves Christians because they go to church every Sunday, and do nothing in between the weeks.
This has been on my heart, and it is more and more what I have been seeing in the scriptures.
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which have been prepared before hand, that we should walk in them."
David
Ephesians 2:10 "For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which have been prepared before hand, that we should walk in them."
David
