Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Child-Like Faith...

Allow me to be a little transparent, if you will. Historically, I put God in a box. There I said it. He had to line up to “Leah Theology”. Now…this wasn’t a new type of theology that I just made up but it was a compilation of things I had been taught through my growing up years. Every new concept, I would line up against that “Leah Theology”. At this point in my life, I had never even considered trying to back up those things that I had been taught against scripture, etc. While most of them were right on the mark, what was missing was a relationship with my Savior that was personal to me! Up to this point, my relationship was what had been molded FOR me through the acts, beliefs, and opinions of others. Additionally, I have a rather analytical mind. Everything just has to make sense. If it doesn’t, I’ll generally analyze until it does or discard it. Well…you know what? That doesn’t work when it comes to Christ. He doesn’t want our intelligence to get in the way of knowing Him personally. Just the other day, I was having lunch with some friends, and this came up in conversation. I shared with them, that I feel like it’s hard for the super intelligent to know Christ intimately unless they allow themselves to remove the intelligence factor out of the equation.

For me, that’s where faith comes in. Christ wants us to accept Him as a child would – not too frustrate things with intellect. Christ spoke to His father on this when he said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” (Matthew 11:25 NIV)

As I was studying in 1 Corinthians this morning, God showed me more on this, and I personally love the Amplified version in this case. “For it is written, I will baffle and render useless and destroy the learned and the philosophy of the philosophers and the cleverness of the clever and the discernment of the discerning; I will frustrate and nullify (them) and bring (them) to nothing.” (1 Cor. 1:19 Amp)

That’s it! That’s what got me, because that’s where I was years ago. It was only when I would simplify Christ, did I truly began to understand His depth. Thankfully, He did not only come to the brilliant, the intelligent, the smart, the braniacs, the philosophers…He came to all! In order to know Him more, I simply want the faith of a child…the type of faith that will accept who He is, what He’s done, and what He’s yet to do. Period.

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