just a little something...
Have you noticed that over the years you’ve sculpted a graven image named, Jesus? We have pieced together a wonderful collage of experiences, desires, Bible verses, influences, sermons, etc and have arranged all these bits and pieces into our own little Jesus. This Jesus is a figment of our imagination. You’ve seen, I’m sure, little kids interacting with an imaginary friend…playing with them, talking with them, telling them what to do and what to say and when to do and say it. I wonder if this isn’t far from what we’ve turned God into, an imaginary friend that we have made up in our heads that we role play with.
Most of us don’t know a lot about the Bible. We don’t. I don’t. I think I do, but I don’t. I think because I memorize 100 verses, I’ve mastered God. I’ve got Him down to a science. But I don’t, I just got the hundred-verse God. But there are 31,103 verses in the Bible; 23,145 in the Old Testament and 7,958 in the New Testament. Let’s just be honest, we know much less about God than we let on. Some of us know a couple verses about God, some of us know a thousand verses about God, but we all have constructed the god that fits our agenda, our personality, our needs and our desires. Without knowing it, we gravitate to the god that fits our preconceived paradigm. This god in our heads many times doesn’t look like the one true God. He is a graven image. He is an idol.
Though we will never know all of God, I think the place to start in getting to know the “real” Him is to recognize that we’ve all made up our own little version (or perversion) of God over the years that needs a second look, a double take. Have you ever had someone say, “Think again” to you. I guess that’s what I would say to myself and to you. If you think you know God like the back of your hand, think again.
Most of us don’t know a lot about the Bible. We don’t. I don’t. I think I do, but I don’t. I think because I memorize 100 verses, I’ve mastered God. I’ve got Him down to a science. But I don’t, I just got the hundred-verse God. But there are 31,103 verses in the Bible; 23,145 in the Old Testament and 7,958 in the New Testament. Let’s just be honest, we know much less about God than we let on. Some of us know a couple verses about God, some of us know a thousand verses about God, but we all have constructed the god that fits our agenda, our personality, our needs and our desires. Without knowing it, we gravitate to the god that fits our preconceived paradigm. This god in our heads many times doesn’t look like the one true God. He is a graven image. He is an idol.
Though we will never know all of God, I think the place to start in getting to know the “real” Him is to recognize that we’ve all made up our own little version (or perversion) of God over the years that needs a second look, a double take. Have you ever had someone say, “Think again” to you. I guess that’s what I would say to myself and to you. If you think you know God like the back of your hand, think again.
Comments