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Stand ye by the crossroads and see, and ask for ancient paths of old, Where is this -- the good way? and go ye and walk therein it, and ye shall find rest for yer soul.
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Greetings!
I was talking with a good friend this week about the wonders of Indiana Jones. Specifically, the third movie, The Last Crusade, and how remarkably and accurately it portrays the journey of faith.
Throughout the series, Indiana makes it perfectly clear that he's not a big fan of religion or hocus-pocus myths. His father is a big believer, but Indiana refuses to even consider the possibility of God. He is the consummate atheist/agnostic.
But then tragedy hits, his father goes missing, and he must begin a journey. He quickly realizes that his father's 'holy' book of notes contain the necessary clues he'll need to achieve his goal of reunion with Dad. He has moved from atheist/agnostic to seeker. Because his priorities have changed, he becomes willing to look at 'mythical' clues and recognize they just might be legitimate. The seeker is the person whose priorities have changed. A desire to seek out God and learn what may be learned knocks down walls of pride and doubt. New eyes see old things in a new way. What had been myth, the Bible now becomes a legit source of information. Desire for the Father precedes acceptance of Biblical truth.
And so on the journey he goes, until eventually he reaches his dad, but he still needs the Holy Grail, with its life-giving power. In the same, when one finally draws near to God, he needs the Holy Grail, which comes from the Latin sang real, meaning 'precious blood'. He must accept Christ and what Christ did for him on the Cross if he truly wants to embrace God.
And this required three steps. First was penitence, a humble willingness to kneel before God and acknowledge God's majesty and prominence. Only this will allow you to escape the sharp, cutting dangers of life.
Second was following the Word of God, acknowledging that Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Only following exactly in His footsteps will prevent you from falling into nothingness and despair.
Third was the leap of faith. Indiana came to a chasm that was too broad for him to jump. All his life, he had relied on his own intelligence and charisma, as well as his possessions, such as his trusty whip. But he finally reached a point that he could not cross on his own. He realized it was a leap of faith. He had to finally ask himself the one question he had always ultimately avoided: did he believe in God and that God would would provide what he needed?
He took a deep breath, looked inward, and found calm. He relaxed, finally accepting that he trusted in the reality and goodness of God. And he stepped out. He didn't run and jump, still trusting partially in his own efforts. He simply took a small step into apparent nothingness. [See a clip.]
And landed on a solid stone bridge did he! That rock bridge was there the entire time, waiting for him. But he couldn't see it until he acted on faith and simply stepped out in trust.
It's the same way for us. Too many people cry out 'Show me God then I'll believe!' Our response must be, "Believe in God, and then He'll show Himself to you." And this goes not only for salvation and entry into Heaven, it also goes for sanctification and maturing in our faith.
So if you are reading this, and have not accepted Christ as your savior, recognize several things:
1. at some point, you will face a situation in which your priorities will change, and your desire to seek out God will begin to grow.
2. hints or 'winks' from God that you previously ignored will be seen in a new light, and the clues and evidence will grow stronger for His reality.
3. you will reach a point where you must be humbled, acknowledging your imperfections and inability to get through life on your own, and you must trust that the Word of God, the Bible, is the path you must take.
4. and then comes the decision to simply trust in Him. Take a step into 'nothingness', trusting that the Rock that is Christ, the bridge that is the Cross, will catch you and appear in all its majestic reality!
5. and then, and only then, will you reach your Holy Grail, the essential essence that will most fulfill you- an intimate, beautiful, stunning, comforting, humbling, rewarding relationship with God.
And if you are already Christian, remind yourself of how awesome this is, and look at the the second leg of your journey of faith: growing more
Christ-dependent.
1. at some point, your lukewarm Christianity, your Sunday-living, your fitting Christ into your plans will pale and become insufficient. You will realize that you must go further in your submission to the King of Kings.
2. verses and passages that in the past you just brushed over and didn't take much note of will now leap off of the page and bring you greater understanding and curiosity for God.
3. you will reach the point where you realize that just as you can't earn your way to Heaven, you also cannot earn your way to a greater spiritual maturity. You simply need the Holy Spirit to do that for you. And the Bible, especially passages like Romans 6-8 and Galatians 5, will show you what you must do.
4. and then you can act in faith. God will bring you to a chasm that you cannot traverse. Your previous Christian living will fall short. You must once again lean completely on God to get you through the trial.
5. and if you let the Spirit lead and empower you, then cross the chasm you shall! And you will reach a new level of faith, a deeper relationship, a greater understanding, a truer dependence upon and submission to your God. Give it a shot!
Ponder on this a bit. Come to realization that no matter how spiritually mature you are, you still have further to go in your journey of faith. Ask yourself what your current chasm/trial is. Look to see what bridge or method you've been trying to construct to cross that gap (more money? your own intelligence or charisma? luck?). Realize why you are not crossing it: a combination of doubt and self-reliance. Knock all that way, take a deep breath, say a prayer to God, and let Him lead you. Only then will you reach your holy grail: a closer walk with Christ.
As always, if you would like prayerful encouragement as you do this, say the word and I will be there for you spiritually! And if you've been rewarded for a step in faith, share it with me, so that I may be encouraged too!
with excitement!
shannon
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P.S., the weekly blogs have been going on continuously the past several weeks. Check out the newest post about asking the Holy Spirit to open your eyes so that you can see the spiritual realities around you, to move you and inspire you.
When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. "Oh, my lord, what shall we do?" the servant asked. "Don't be afraid," the prophet answered. "Those who are with us are more than those who are with them." And Elisha prayed, "O LORD, open his eyes so he may see." Then the LORD opened the servant's eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
2 Kings 6:15-17 NIV
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