It just seems weird to me that in order for man to have a deeper understanding of God he must first know himself. It seems counter-intuitive to me for some reason yet all my reading on spiritual formation makes it quite clear that God wants us to know our true self. There is a verse in Isaiah that makes it abundantly clear that we are to know our true nature..." Now then, listen, you lover of pleasure, lounging in your security and saying to yourself, 'I am and there is none besides me'...a catastrophe you cannot foresee will suddenly come upon you." (Isaiah 40.8a, 11b) This is saying that we are to really understand our true nature with respect to God's nature.
There are so many people in the world who see their behavior in light of the world's standards. God issues a strong warning to those people that a catastrophe is coming. So God stands at the door and knocks and the wise let Him in. God pounds on the door for those who will not listen; and He suddenly knocks the door down. And even after all this God allows us to come to Him for forgiveness and He gives it out of love. If you are at a place right now where God is knocking then be wise and let Him in. If God is knocking and wants you to know the true nature of your current behavior then, before catastrophe ensues, listen and understand that God just wants you to count on Him and not some misplaced pleasure. God tells through Jeremiah that we have committed only two sins, 1) we have forsaken God, and 2) we have replaced God with something else.
This probably sounds more like a sermon than a blog but I really feel like God placed this on my heart today for someone...maybe it's just for me.
Creed Branson, Executive Pastor
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