Book Study

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— ² the life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and was made manifest to us— ³ that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ. 1 John 1:1-3 ESV

See those words in verse 3 eh?   Life was made manifest to us so that we might have fellowship with God.   This is our highest privilege.  Jesus came to make this a possibility for us.

So the question is this…. do we act like it?

Seriously now… I know when I am faced up to this, I often don’t really act like spending time with God is my highest priority.  For instance, take the blog.  My desire is to spend time learning of God a minimum of four days a week and share that time with you as part of an accountability to myself AND you.   But this week.. Twice.  Seriously..how is THAT showing that spending time with God is my highest priority?

I find myself so busy lately… cleaning the yard, helping a lad learn how to caulk a window, teaching two boys how to clean out an eavestrough, cleaning a rabbitry, making meals and …. (you know the list can go on and on).  I manage to have devotions with the boys at supper time but why does the physical press so hard when the spiritual should come first?

I honestly don’t know the answer.  Do you?   

AH… but I read further into this chapter by Ian Hamilton.  He pointed out this important fact.  Too often we see our relationship only from OUR point of view.  We see only our failures (like me above eh?) and we don’t actually look at our relationship with God from HIS point of view.  Failing to see God’s unfailing love.

It’s an interesting thing I’ve seen in my own life.  When I see/feel my husbands strong love for me… I find myself wanting to do anything I can to make his life better or easier or to just show him how much I love him back.  Thinking about this for a minute I stop and think about how marriage is supposed to show (in part) God’s relationship with the church.   If feeling my hubby’s love for me causes me to respond in love to him, how so would feeling/understanding/knowing the depth of God’s love for me change my priorities in life?   

Would seeing our relationship from HIS point of view, help alter my commitment levels?  Or actions?  Oh, that I might, that we might, fully understand God’s undying, never ending love for us. God holds a DEAR love for us his people.  Understanding and seeing and feeling that love changes us inexplicably.

Let us stop being so self-centred in our relationship with God and see more clearly HIS relationship with us.  A dearly loved child, that Christ came to earth to reconnect with his Father, sacrificing himself on our behalf, giving up everything for us.  Remember… God loves us in a never ending, deep manner. 

Oh… be changed by it! 🙂

Therefore we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, lest we drift away from it. 2 For since the message declared by angels proved to be reliable, and every transgression or disobedience received a just retribution, 3 how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? It was declared at first by the Lord, and it was attested to us by those who heard, 4 while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will.  Hebrews 2:1-4

Therefore, holy brothers, you who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession, 2 who was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in all God’s house. 3 For Jesus has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses—as much more glory as the builder of a house has more honor than the house itself.    Hebrews 3:1-3

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.  Hebrews 12:1-3

Where is Jesus in our lives?   That’s the question that Ian Hamilton puts to us in The Faith-Shaped Life. 

The author to Hebrews was writing to a group of believers who had gotten side-tracked.  They put other things before the Lord, becoming dull of hearing (heb 5:11), they were starting to submit to the pressure of giving up Christianity and returning to Judaism, (heb 10), and were no longer putting Christ first in all things.   The author wanted to put a stop to such things so he urged them to remember their first love… CHRIST.  They had stopped considering our Lord and Saviour and needed to remember where they should first look. 

Make a resolution?

Shouldn’t this be a resolution that we make?  To be more deliberate about looking to Christ?   To consider what he would want before we consider our ownselves?  

Yesterday in our Heidelberg reading the lad and I were going over how Jesus is our perfect high priest, King and Prophet.   If that’s what he is, shouldn’t we think of him as we live our daily lives?   Shouldn’t it matter greatly to us what he thinks, or might have to say about the matters at hand?  Shouldn’t we then make him our first priority?

Not an easy thing you know, to refocus one’s thoughts.  It’s so easy to just get about the daily task of living, to forget something that isn’t right in front of our faces.  AH, I feel convicted as I write these words, I need to seek after the Lord, to talk to him before I start out on my daily events.  Let him in on the details and plans and see where he would take me in my journeys.   This I then resolve, consider the Lord in my daily life all the more.  Make him matter.

Join me yes?

Want to follow along in The Faith Shaped Life? Here’s where to find it:

I read this chapter the Humble Wisdom of Faith  from Ian Hamilton’s Book The Faith Shaped Life and I find myself wanting to rear my head back and say “NOT!”. But I find myself checked in spirit, needing to ask myself, are his words true and clear?

Does the nation we live in have scars?  Does it engage in activities that cause the heart of God to mourn, and ergo cause him to become angry with us?  

If so, can I see that God can and will deal with my country?   

GAH.. this is hard.  I have a fair amount of Canada is a wonderful place to live. We totally rock!

But, if I stop and think, like Mr. Hamilton calls us to, can I see my nation as one that needs to begs God’s forgiveness?  Can I see that as a people we need to say “Sorry Lord, we’ve abandoned our roots in our pursuit of being welcoming to all”.   So much so that we’ve actually forgotten whose we are?  Can I truly see the need for it?

Caught off guard

And I have to admit, a huge part of me is fighting that idea, and I’m caught off guard by it. 

Am I so in love with my country that I cannot see her faults?  How she’s turning away from the Lord?  

Then I remember how we are fighting against the introduction of Sharia law, the help we try to give the First Nations people, and how the government has apologized for how we’ve treated the Japanese and Germans during the wars.

And then I also remember our Prime Minister and how he is SO millenial in his thinking and has a hard time being the leader he is called to be. I see the divisions in the churches and in families and within co-op groups.  I see the hunger and the need for a roof over your head.  I see how I mock people driving down our construction laden street in a heavy rainstorm and almost getting stuck.  I see these things and I go … Oh God, bring us back to you and your ways.   Help us to see you more and our ownselves less. 

What’s the answer?

We should humble ourselves under God's almighty hand, in order that he might lift us up in due time. Ian Hamilton, the Faith Shaped life. Share on X

Help us God as a nation to turn back to you, person by person, people by people, church by church, group by group, have us humble ourselves before you in faith so you will turn your wrath away from us.