Galilee

Jesus was actually here for most of His ministry! Hard to believe that I visited the same village He preformed most of His miracles, I saw the synagogue where He gave the discourse on being the bread of life, I saw the sea where He walked on water while the disciples were in the boat. I saw the hill where He most likely gave the Sermon on the Mount. I saw the spot where the pigs went hurling into the Sea. It's unfathomable that in this spot at a certain time of history, God chose this little area, this humble spot, to proclaim that He is God come to suffer on behalf of mankind. I mean, I've been able to read the gospel of Mark on the Sea of Galilee, looking at most of the spots He went right in front of me!

But something I really learned, was to look at life from the perspective of what is really real. Have you ever seen the Matrix? It's so biblical if you think about it! Haha, not really. But the illustration is awesome. Neo, after being put in the Matrix, sees the world totally different--he sees the world for what it really is. He can walk on walls, dodge bullets, jump buildings, and people aren't really what they appear to be. That's how the Christian life is. After being redeemed, life is totally different and our perception of reality should be entirely turned around. We should look at things like we did before, we should believe the same things as before, and we should conform as we did before.

When a person is struggling financially to go through college--how are you going to look at that situation? Are you going to worry about the finances? Or are you going to look at the bigger picture of things, i.e. God's work through His church to edify one another and bring glory to Himself? Will you consider what is most worthwhile for others to gain and for God to be given glory--maybe spending the money, which the Lord gave you, on that college isn't worthwhile. Maybe it is and God is testing your faith and your patience.

When a person is simply at a red light and they're about to be late to work. The immediate reaction is to become frustrated with the red light. But think big picture. Think of how God is working right now and how the whole Church is to operate. What is the purpose of the red light? Maybe God wants you to be late? Maybe God wants you to learn to trust in Him and not what you've planned--even when it's something like the lights working for you to make it on time. It doesn't have to be that way. The lights don't have to be that way...it's beyond your control.

That's how this life works--under the new creation. What's real? You getting a paycheck in a few weeks from work or the Lord's return? Because the Lord's return is sooooo much more real and true than a paycheck. You have no idea what's going to be coming to you even in the next hour, let alone a few weeks. But the Lord has promised that He will return. And a promise of God will never fail. So live with what truly matters and live with what is truly real.

After Jesus' resurrection, Peter really understood this. In 1 Peter 1:3-9, the living hope is that Jesus raised from the dead, cleansing the unrighteous--this is real. Trials are coming, God's global purpose being that you will be tested and your faith refined--this is real. Salvation will be culminated and we will be taken to His presence in Heaven--this is real. Hope in Jesus is so much more real than hope that I will get paid from work. And this is how we should be thinking--I don't care if it sounds cheesy. It's the truth.

Galilee taught me these things. I'm so thankful for being taken around Israel to see the land of the Bible!

Wandering in the Wilderness

Time has been cutting short for me in my time in Israel....things happening so fast I haven't been able to sit and blog about them. We've had so many trips recently...4 days in the Negev, 8 days in Galilee, and 8 days in Egypt.

But now I can sit down and reflect on some of the things I remember. When we journeyed through the Negev, the southern desert of Israel, we stopped in the middle of nowhere and Bill let us off the bus to 'wander in the wilderness' for forty minutes! haha. I took my Bible and started trekking around the desert, and eventually settled to hike up this steep hill. About half-way up I realized I was running short of time, so I sat and read Deuteronomy 8.

Put yourself in the shoes of the Israelites wandering around. Every morning the same food appears for them out of nowhere--they eat for free, no work, just gathering. Their clothes don't wear out so they don't have to worry about that. And water is provided on top of that. And the cloud (or flame) of the Lord is guiding them. They've been told by Moses that the Lord will lead them and so they follow and follow and follow, walk and walk and walk. Yet they complained.

Why? Was it because of the horrible conditions? I don't think so--this wasn't some third world country they were living in--food and water on the go for free. Yeah it's the same, but it's reliable! No. It's because they forgot who the Lord their God was. They didn't trust Him. They didn't believe that He was worth it. They didn't want to think that God would consistently provide for them. They wanted different food. They didn't want this plan. They didn't know who God was and the amazing things He was doing. They forgot. They did not obey.

Obeying God is remember Him and His Torah (His teaching). Obeying God is not forgetting who He is and what He has commanded. Obeying God is walking in His ways and fearing Him.

After reading Deuteronomy 8 and reflecting on this, I grabbed twelve small stones from around me as a memorial to remember the Lord and what He has done, not just on that day, not just on that trip to the Negev, not just on my time in Israel, but on everything He has provided for and everything He is, which is testified in my life.