Our relationship with God...
Check this entry from a blogthat I readpretty much every other day.
No I don't know the person, but being the snoopy person I am, chasing links on weblogs lead around to interesting people. And relating their struggles with God encourages me a little.
To be in communion with God? What does it mean actually?
I have realized that the teaching I grew up with concerning this matter actually conflicts fundamentally, i.e. they come from different premises. I didn't realize this conflict growing up. But hitting uni years, when semester after semester of mathematics has sharpened my mind, I begin to see how actually the teaching on having a relationship with God are divided into two camps which start from conflicting premise.
No one needs semesters of mathematics to realize the conflict. There will come a time when reality hits hard and confusion sets in. And no 'walking the middle road' or 'finding the balance' is ever going to do. I guess adult working life will function as a furnance to test the viability of our theologies regarding our relationship with God.
For me at least, I realize two things about a relationship with God and what it is:
1) It must be cultivated. There is a discipline and intentionality to it. This covers the mystical (so called the spiritual) part of that relationship. This means daily QT at a regular time slot. Legalistic as it sounds, it's the only time when I can be silent before God.
2) Silence is an integral part of relating to God. Silence I realize is not the stillness of the mind. Is just means a standard noise level that's just about the rustling of the leaves and bird song. That is silence. Silence is a time when the inner mind speaks the loudest and we are most conscious of our stream of thought.
3) Our relationship God also covers the way we relate to people. I guess we cannot say we truly love God, when we treat people unlovingly. 'Nuff said.
4) I have come to realize that intimacy with God has less to do with 'feeling his presense' or 'focusing on God' or 'thinking of Jesus all the time' or 'experiencing God' stuff like that. I just leave one word with any readers who come by this: It's in the intangibles. Go figure out what it means.
5)Corporate worship and formal rituals (i.e. Holy Communion) help me in my walk in mysterious ways I will never understand. But yeah, it also in an integral part.
I guess in summary: I would advise...set apart a time to do QT. Forget the debate about being informal or that God accepts us at anytime at any place. That may be true, but it is an impertinent detail. Communing with God requires silence, QT provides that required silence.
No I don't know the person, but being the snoopy person I am, chasing links on weblogs lead around to interesting people. And relating their struggles with God encourages me a little.
To be in communion with God? What does it mean actually?
I have realized that the teaching I grew up with concerning this matter actually conflicts fundamentally, i.e. they come from different premises. I didn't realize this conflict growing up. But hitting uni years, when semester after semester of mathematics has sharpened my mind, I begin to see how actually the teaching on having a relationship with God are divided into two camps which start from conflicting premise.
No one needs semesters of mathematics to realize the conflict. There will come a time when reality hits hard and confusion sets in. And no 'walking the middle road' or 'finding the balance' is ever going to do. I guess adult working life will function as a furnance to test the viability of our theologies regarding our relationship with God.
For me at least, I realize two things about a relationship with God and what it is:
1) It must be cultivated. There is a discipline and intentionality to it. This covers the mystical (so called the spiritual) part of that relationship. This means daily QT at a regular time slot. Legalistic as it sounds, it's the only time when I can be silent before God.
2) Silence is an integral part of relating to God. Silence I realize is not the stillness of the mind. Is just means a standard noise level that's just about the rustling of the leaves and bird song. That is silence. Silence is a time when the inner mind speaks the loudest and we are most conscious of our stream of thought.
3) Our relationship God also covers the way we relate to people. I guess we cannot say we truly love God, when we treat people unlovingly. 'Nuff said.
4) I have come to realize that intimacy with God has less to do with 'feeling his presense' or 'focusing on God' or 'thinking of Jesus all the time' or 'experiencing God' stuff like that. I just leave one word with any readers who come by this: It's in the intangibles. Go figure out what it means.
5)Corporate worship and formal rituals (i.e. Holy Communion) help me in my walk in mysterious ways I will never understand. But yeah, it also in an integral part.
I guess in summary: I would advise...set apart a time to do QT. Forget the debate about being informal or that God accepts us at anytime at any place. That may be true, but it is an impertinent detail. Communing with God requires silence, QT provides that required silence.
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on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 at 10:29 PM.
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