Fresh Meat

I think what Jason shared on Sunday was, for me at least, the thread that ties all of this stuff I'm seeing lately together.

If you missed it, I'll try to sum it up. And Jay, if you're reading this, feel free to correct me....

The basics of it were this: You can only run so far on an old revelation of God. We need a new/fresh revelation of who He is.

Now, I'm not saying that there's new information out there that God has conveniently omitted in His previous revelations of himself. I'm not proposing a New and Improved Testament or anything like that. What I mean is that we need our hearts and minds to be freshly enlightened as to WHO God is and what He's saying.

My friend,Jude,is struggling with some things we might find basic, but I believe that when she comes through this that she will have a much stronger grasp on what she believes because, like Jacob, she refuses to let go of God until He blesses her ( in this case, I believe, with revelation - though I could be wrong - it happens).

I'm hearing other friends of mine over and over again saying how they just feel drawn to read their bibles more. I don't think that has a "natural" source to it. I think it's God drawing and wooing us.

I've been told by some people that I am a person with deep roots. That I know who I am in God. Well, I feel like I've been coasting along for quite awhile now, and this shaking up (since I'm sure it's from God) is just what I'm needing. I come from a Plymouth Brethren background. Big into the Bible, not accepting of prophecy (they believe that prophecy and tongues were gifts that ended with the cannonization of scripture.) I know that I know of my salvation, but I'm so glad that I can't say that I know all there is to know of God. There is more than this!

I was reminded the other day of something I learned at Bible School. We were being taught about the difference between positional and experiencial in regards to righteousness (I think). The idea was that while we are made righteous at salvation (positionally), that we are not immediately transformed but over time as we "work out our salvation" we see more and more righteousness in our lives as He works in us (experiencial). This was big. It means, for me, that He, being outside of time, sees me in that final state. When he longs to dance with me it is not the sin-ridden, guilt-laden, holier-than-none me that He sees. He longs to dance with the one who has been made clean - even if my experience hasn't caught up to that person yet. I can know that in a place outside of time, that's who I am. Or will be (since I am stuck here in time, for now). I'm still not sure of how I approach Him, but for once, I don't feel the need to pull away.

(Oh, and the title.... I was praying and that's what came to me after I wrote the rest of it. It's from the Shawshank Redemption, but I think it refers here to the meat of what He has for us...)