Originally Posted: Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Mood: 
quizzical
Now Reading:Victory Over the Darkness
Topic: the character of God
Currently Listening
Myself When I Am Real
By Bebo Norman
So Afraid
see related
There is a problem that we all have. We all tend to run from God. Why is that? Why do we not live like we believe what we say we believe? Why do I continue to fall in a constant cycle? Looking at my actions I see that I don’t really believe it. I don’t believe that the Gospel is sufficient for me. I don’t think that Jesus covers me. This is why, many times, I feel like I must act more “spiritual” than everyone else. I don’t rely on the grace that is supplied to me. I act as a spiritual orphan even though I have been adopted. I constantly forget who I am. I forget that my identity in Christ is that of a Son. I have been adopted as a son of the king and have authority to live out of that place. This is why I need, as we all do, to hear the Gospel everyday. We need to relearn the gospel in a way that it is redemptive and sanctifying not only for those who don’t know Jesus, but also for those of us who are trying to follow Jesus. Because we all are in a process of growing towards God. None of us are perfect, and we all need to know that it is OK while at the same time letting God change us from our current state.
How does this work? How are we reminded of who we are? We don’t usually relate knowing to a relationship but the Hebrew idea of knowing involved experience. We all say we know God. But I must continue to ask, do I know God at a head or heart level? Do I know something to the extent that I live differently and that knowledge changes me? If not do I really know it? I know we all think that we know God, but do we? Or do we just know about God? Does our “knowledge” that we claim change the way we live? Jesus was the word become flesh. He was the knowledge that had become real and physical. This is the embodiment of that heart knowledge. This is the test of if we really know God and our identity because of God’s character. Do we live like Jesus? If not how much are we letting God change us and speak into our lives in the secret places and close moments? When we are intimate with God to the extent that it changes us and we do live like Jesus, then we can safely say that we really know God’s character, and our identity because of that. We all must be reminded daily of who we are through the intimacy of relationship.