"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the LORD. "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. (Isaiah 55:8 NLT)
Beautiful One, there is something that is wondrous, beautiful and worth having. It can also be painful, sometimes hard to figure out and can leave you wondering.
I'm talking about Life.
If you're reading this then you have one. And maybe you have lived long enough to have realized that this simple four letter word is not so simple after all. I sat down today and happened to skim through the pages of my sons World History book. I came to the conclusion that all of mans history has a common thread.
Conflict!
Conflict that was handled inappropriately has caused more dissension, and strife in the lives of people throughout the ages. Conflict in and of itself is not a bad thing. In fact, conflict has it's healthy place, if done properly and respectfully.
Today I was reminded of the disciples. Talk about men who had conflicts.These were ordinary men who had forsaken their lives, leaving houses, jobs, wives and children behind. All to follow Christ. I hardly imagine a dull day in those three short years. But, walking with Jesus must've produced more conflicts then one would like to admit.
Here GOD was, speaking, eating and breathing before their very eyes. I mean, lets be real. These were not 'religious' men. We're talking about Peter, a Fishermen, Mathew the IRS agent, and Luke a Dr. Just to name a few. Can you imagine the conflict they dealt with? I know we somehow like to think that the disciples were oh so special, but they weren't. The only thing special about them was the One who kept their company.
Just think for a moment of Peter. He was your average, hardworking, sailor type. Unlearned and even brash at times. Imagine for a moment, an obscure man walking up to him, saying; "cast down your nets, and follow me, I'll make you fishers of men." Like, what in the world does that mean? Some guy out of nowhere comes walking up to a sailor and says that? That's a little weird.
What about Mathew? Here he is going about his usual, collecting debts from people who owe but don't want to pay. I bet ol Mat sure would've loved a telephone back then. But, he probably would've been avoided all the same with caller ID! Imagine after hanging around with Jesus, how shocked and in conflict his mind must've been when Jesus sent Peter to collect money out of the mouth of a fish. "Here Mathew, pay my taxes and give to God with this money." Thats kind of strange!
Then let's not forget Dr. Luke. Countless hours of his life were dedicated to the study of medicine and how to help people recover from sickness. And in one sentence Jesus tells a Centurion Soldier to go home to his sick daughter, "his faith has healed her!" I don't know about you, but that would produce a lot of conflict in me let alone Luke.
Beautiful One, there is something that is wondrous, beautiful and worth having. It can also be painful, sometimes hard to figure out and can leave you wondering.
I'm talking about Life.
If you're reading this then you have one. And maybe you have lived long enough to have realized that this simple four letter word is not so simple after all. I sat down today and happened to skim through the pages of my sons World History book. I came to the conclusion that all of mans history has a common thread.
Conflict!
Conflict that was handled inappropriately has caused more dissension, and strife in the lives of people throughout the ages. Conflict in and of itself is not a bad thing. In fact, conflict has it's healthy place, if done properly and respectfully.
Today I was reminded of the disciples. Talk about men who had conflicts.These were ordinary men who had forsaken their lives, leaving houses, jobs, wives and children behind. All to follow Christ. I hardly imagine a dull day in those three short years. But, walking with Jesus must've produced more conflicts then one would like to admit.
Here GOD was, speaking, eating and breathing before their very eyes. I mean, lets be real. These were not 'religious' men. We're talking about Peter, a Fishermen, Mathew the IRS agent, and Luke a Dr. Just to name a few. Can you imagine the conflict they dealt with? I know we somehow like to think that the disciples were oh so special, but they weren't. The only thing special about them was the One who kept their company.
Just think for a moment of Peter. He was your average, hardworking, sailor type. Unlearned and even brash at times. Imagine for a moment, an obscure man walking up to him, saying; "cast down your nets, and follow me, I'll make you fishers of men." Like, what in the world does that mean? Some guy out of nowhere comes walking up to a sailor and says that? That's a little weird.
What about Mathew? Here he is going about his usual, collecting debts from people who owe but don't want to pay. I bet ol Mat sure would've loved a telephone back then. But, he probably would've been avoided all the same with caller ID! Imagine after hanging around with Jesus, how shocked and in conflict his mind must've been when Jesus sent Peter to collect money out of the mouth of a fish. "Here Mathew, pay my taxes and give to God with this money." Thats kind of strange!
Then let's not forget Dr. Luke. Countless hours of his life were dedicated to the study of medicine and how to help people recover from sickness. And in one sentence Jesus tells a Centurion Soldier to go home to his sick daughter, "his faith has healed her!" I don't know about you, but that would produce a lot of conflict in me let alone Luke.
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