Contemplation #199
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:17
When we are caught in the morass of self-righteousness and legalism we think that we will be saved if we do what Jesus instructs. Such thinking is a terrible trap and obscures the work of God. We must avoid turning every teaching into a matter of salvation. Another way to say it is that we must stop making all instruction about being acceptable to God or about pleasing God. We are not learning how to appease God, how to make God happy with us, or earning some divine reward. Jesus shows us how to enter into God’s way . . . a style of living that shares in God’s nature, creates oneness, and results in our being blessed.
Contemplation #200
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:17
When we are caught in the morass of intellectualism we think that we will be blessed if we understand the teachings of Jesus. Such intellectualism doesn’t discount action, but believes that right thinking is the beginning. However, living a life of obedience to Christ is not following our understandings, but being true to the teachings of Jesus as communicated to us in word and deed. Often our understanding lags far behind our practice. Truly, we struggle to understand how we will be blessed by practicing self-humiliation as Jesus exemplified in washing his disciples’ feet. Knowing that we will be puzzled as to the point of humbling ourselves, Jesus reassures us that we will experience blessing in the practice of faith.
Contemplation #201
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:17
The “knowing” that Jesus is referring to is the simple knowledge of what we are to do. Jesus showed and told his disciples how to treat one another. This is what they knew. We do not see the larger picture or understand all the ways in which we will be blessed. We know what to do even if we do not see the purpose of design of this teaching. Too often we want to see the end results definitively, and to be assured that we will be blessed is not enough. We want to know more. The way of a disciple is to emulate the master, to speak his words, emulate his actions, and so learn his heart. We will be blessed in ways we cannot understand, but to be disciples we must choose voluntary humiliation.
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:17
When we are caught in the morass of self-righteousness and legalism we think that we will be saved if we do what Jesus instructs. Such thinking is a terrible trap and obscures the work of God. We must avoid turning every teaching into a matter of salvation. Another way to say it is that we must stop making all instruction about being acceptable to God or about pleasing God. We are not learning how to appease God, how to make God happy with us, or earning some divine reward. Jesus shows us how to enter into God’s way . . . a style of living that shares in God’s nature, creates oneness, and results in our being blessed.
Contemplation #200
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:17
When we are caught in the morass of intellectualism we think that we will be blessed if we understand the teachings of Jesus. Such intellectualism doesn’t discount action, but believes that right thinking is the beginning. However, living a life of obedience to Christ is not following our understandings, but being true to the teachings of Jesus as communicated to us in word and deed. Often our understanding lags far behind our practice. Truly, we struggle to understand how we will be blessed by practicing self-humiliation as Jesus exemplified in washing his disciples’ feet. Knowing that we will be puzzled as to the point of humbling ourselves, Jesus reassures us that we will experience blessing in the practice of faith.
Contemplation #201
Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. John 13:17
The “knowing” that Jesus is referring to is the simple knowledge of what we are to do. Jesus showed and told his disciples how to treat one another. This is what they knew. We do not see the larger picture or understand all the ways in which we will be blessed. We know what to do even if we do not see the purpose of design of this teaching. Too often we want to see the end results definitively, and to be assured that we will be blessed is not enough. We want to know more. The way of a disciple is to emulate the master, to speak his words, emulate his actions, and so learn his heart. We will be blessed in ways we cannot understand, but to be disciples we must choose voluntary humiliation.
posted by Greg at 9:26 AM
<< Home