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!