When you get people incensed, that is one sign you may be speaking the Truth. I pray you will be one who stands in the counsel of the Lord. Keep speaking the Truth!

Great post! 1 Corinthians is a wonderful book. I didn’t realize it until I started to study it. I think you’re right that many people are afraid to be alone with the Bible or to look at it too closely. Actually, it isn’t a simple book. It may seem so to you and me because we have the “mind of Christ”. We have the Holy Spirit to guide us. I won’t go into that too much because I could go on and on, and have done on my own blog. If you’re interested, take a look at my study of 1 Corinthians.

The Bible is both simple and immensely complex. The longer you look at it, the more complex it seems to become. Maybe it’s kind of like looking at a living organism. On the surface, it’s a puppy, say, but the closer you look at the puppy, the more you realize what a wonderful creation he is. There are muscles and ligaments and organs and neurons and cells that are like little, incredibly intricate worlds in themselves, then there is this unbelievable atomic structure and who knows how much more that we have yet to imagine, let alone discover. I think the Bible is like that. The deeper we go, the more we realize we lack the maturity to even see below the surface.

The thing I wanted to say to you, though, is this. God gives us a new heart when we commit ourselves into His hands. We all think we understand this, but maybe we don’t, entirely. I’ve been reading a book, The Divine Conspiracy by Dallas Willard, that talks about this. The thing is that we really can’t do the stuff Jesus commanded. Really. So when you read all those things that kind of scare you because you know you can’t do them, remember that it is God who works in us both to will and to do His good pleasure.

That’s not to say we don’t obey Jesus’ commandments. The point is, though, to obey them by looking to Him and becoming the sorts of people who naturally do those things commanded by the law. You should pick up a copy of this book. I believe it’s helping me in my journey toward becoming like Jesus and I’ll bet it would be a blessing to you as well.

Grace and Peace to you,

Cindy