Twice during Israel’s wilderness wanderings, God provided water from a rock. In both instances, God’s people were encamped in a waterless desert. The first time (Ex 17) was toward the beginning of the forty years of wandering. The second time (Num 20) was toward the end. In both cases, the people, thirsty and fearing death, grumbled against Moses. They questioned Moses’ (and by extension, God’s) motivation for bringing them out of Egypt.

“But the people thirsted there for water, and the people grumbled against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?”” (Exodus 17:3, ESV)

“And why have you made us come up out of Egypt to bring us to this evil place? It is no place for grain or figs or vines or pomegranates, and there is no water to drink.”” (Numbers 20:5, ESV)

At Horeb (the first instance), Moses sought God for direction. God instructed Moses to take his staff and go before the people along with the elders of Israel. God promised to appear before Moses on the rock, where he was to strike the rock with his staff and God would produce water from the rock so the people could drink. Moses named the place Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling). The idea of quarreling implies a legal contention. The people came together to make a case against Moses. In verse 7 it says they “tested the LORD by saying, ‘Is the LORD among us or not?”

At Kadesh (the second instance), Moses again sought God for direction. He and Aaron went together to the tent of meeting and fell on their faces before God. The scripture says that God’s glory appeared to them and the LORD gave them very specific instructions. This time, instead of taking Moses’ rod, they were to take the staff that was “before the LORD.” This referred to Aaron’s staff, the one that had miraculously budded after Korah’s rebellion when God had vindicated Aaron as a priest. Moses was to take that staff to the rock, but this time, instead of striking the rock, God instructed Moses to speak to the rock and God would again provide water. God provided water as promised, even though Moses & Aaron didn’t obey God’s instruction completely, but they were not permitted to lead God’s people into the promised land as a result. The LORD characterized their disobedience as unbelief and a failure to uphold God as holy before the people.

As I reflect on these two very similar stories, the context surrounding them captures my attention.

The first instance immediately follows the crossing of the Red Sea and the provision of manna from heaven.

The second story immediately follows Korah’s rebellion, where the ground opened up and swallowed up Korah’s household and God’s fire consumed the 250 men offering incense. When the people were offended at God’s judgment, a plague broke out killing an additional 14,700 people before Aaron was able to intercede and stop the plague. This was followed by God’s vindication of Aaron’s leadership when his rod miraculously budded as a sign confirming God’s unique calling upon his life as a priest.

It boggles my mind how a people could witness both God’s miraculous deliverance and provision, or God’s mighty acts of judgment, and so quickly move again into a place of complaining, unbelief, and dishonor toward God. It’s a good thing we never struggle that way.

Our need for God’s provision is real. There are times where we need water and all we have is a rock in the desert. We serve a God who is well able to provide. Yet still we grumble. We complain. We question his motives or even his presence. How often, I wonder, in the midst of present lack, do we quickly lose sight of our past experience with God. He has delivered us before, but in the moment of present struggle we can easily forget. He has provided for us before, but in the moment that reality easily fades from our consciousness. We have grumbled and complained before and that hasn’t gone well for us either. Thank God that this side of the cross God’s justice and wrath have been fully satisfied in Christ.

Do we sometimes think that if God would just appear, then we would believe? If he would just give us some kind of sign, then our doubts would vanish? If we could just get breakthrough this once, then the next time we need it, surely we wouldn’t grumble and complain again. Or would we?

What if Massah (testing) and Meribah (quarreling) don’t arise from our circumstances at all? What if our circumstances simply expose what was in us all along?

The most amazing thing to me is that even in the midst of our grumbling, God still gives us water from the rock. He meets our needs.

__________

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The accurate information in the menu only fulfills its purpose if it points you toward the food. I recognize myself how often I, in my Christian life, have been satisfied with reading the menu alone. I’ve studied the menu. Taught on the menu. I’ve argued with others about how my menu is the best menu, and, more often, about how my understanding of the menu is the best. But how often have I ordered a meal and been satisfied? How often has my theology pointed me toward experience? How often has my doctrine moved me toward encounter.

God’s kind of words don’t simply inform, they nourish. They satisfy. For ultimately, the Word is Christ himself. Scripture is designed to bring us to him.

John 5:39-40
39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, 40 yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life.(ESV)

Meditation is Scriptural

“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. ” (Joshua 1:8, ESV)

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. ” (Psalm 19:14, ESV)

“We have thought on your steadfast love, O God, in the midst of your temple. ” (Psalm 48:9, ESV)

“My mouth shall speak wisdom; the meditation of my heart shall be understanding. ” (Psalm 49:3, ESV)

“when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; ” (Psalm 63:6, ESV)

“I said, “Let me remember my song in the night; let me meditate in my heart.” Then my spirit made a diligent search: ” (Psalm 77:6, ESV)

“I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds. ” (Psalm 77:12, ESV)

“May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. ” (Psalm 104:34, ESV)

“I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways. ” (Psalm 119:15, ESV)

“I have more understanding than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation. ” (Psalm 119:99, ESV)

“My eyes are awake before the watches of the night, that I may meditate on your promise. ” (Psalm 119:148, ESV)

What is Meditation?
The Hebrew word translated “meditation” has two roots. The first root means to mutter or speak in a low voice. The second means to consider something inwardly or to be occupied with an idea. Meditation therefore involves the focus of my thoughts and words upon a particular idea. In scripture we see that the object of our meditation is either scripture (the Law, his precepts, etc.), the deeds or works of God (his testimonies, his might acts in scripture, the works one has personally experienced in life, etc.), or the attributes of God’s nature and character (his goodness, love, etc.).

Everyone Knows How to Meditate
Anyone who has struggled with either fear or lust knows how to meditate, inwardly considering scenarios, ideas, and images in ways that powerfully affect and shape our inner world. Most, however, have not learned to intentionally harness this capacity in the manner in which it was designed.

How to Meditate
1. Memorize a phrase or verse from the Bible. Though you can choose an attribute of God or consider a story from your own life when God demonstrated his faithfulness and power, I find it is best to begin with a particular section of scripture. Start with something short. I find it best to consider a verse or phrase which speaks of who God is (his goodness, nearness or power for instance) or who I am in Christ.

2. Choose a time. The Bible speaks of meditating all day, morning and evening, day and night. There’s no bad time to meditate. If you’re a beginner, you shouldn’t start with the “all day” goal. I recommend setting aside 20 minutes toward the beginning of your day. It has been my experience that setting aside a particular time for focused meditation actually affects the occupation of your thoughts throughout the day.

3. Choose a place. Find a quiet place that’s free from distraction. If it’s aesthetically pleasant and peaceful for you, all the better. Calm is important and if your environment contributes to this it will be helpful. At the very least, locate a spot that doesn’t work against you.

4. Choose a posture. No – you don’t have to sit cross-legged on the floor with your hands in a particular position. You do, however, need to find a position you can maintain without movement for 20 minutes. Slouching, crossing one leg over the other, and things like that will require you to shift positions frequently because of their effect on your circulation. I find it helpful to sit in comfortable chair (not a recliner) with both feet flat on the floor in front of you. Sit up straight and rest your hands palm down on your legs. There is nothing special about sitting in this position other than the fact that it allows you to not be distracted by how you’re sitting at all.

5. Turn your inward focus upon God’s presence. Jesus promised he would never leave you. 2 Cor 3:16 tells us that when we turn to the Lord the veil is removed (revelation occurs). Simply choose to be aware that God is with you and choose to be aware of nothing else. You might find it helpful to breathe deeply. Meditation is an act of the mind and body.

6. Bring to mind the verse or phrase from scripture you desire to meditate on. Begin to repeatedly rehearse this phrase or verse in your mind. As you do so, maintain your awareness of God’s presence.

7. Once you feel you are inwardly quiet and fully occupied with both God’s presence and the truth of scripture, begin to speak that phrase or verse from scripture repeatedly. No need to do it loudly or dramatically. Remember, the root word means to mutter quietly. You are now meditating on scripture!

Teddy, my seven year old, was on the other side of the house playing video games. I called him. Nothing. Again I called. Still no response. It was time for him to shower. I feel he needs to do this daily. In his opinion, this should be only a weekly occurrence. He didn’t hear me.

He has an uncanny ability to hear what he chooses to hear and filter out what he chooses not to hear. When I speak, his choice to hear or not hear is an active choice, not a passive one. He never fails to hear me whisper the words “ice cream.” It is more rare for him to hear me clearly articulate “clean – your – room” regardless of volume.

This is because listening (or not listening) is active. It is an action we intentionally choose to do. Our eardrums and those little bones convey sound waves. That part is passive. Our ears have an amazing ability to convert those vibrations into some kind of digital format which is transmitted via nerve to our brains. This is also passive. But whether or not we listen is a choice. It has to do with our focus, desires, priorities and attitudes.

Hearing God works the same way. He is always speaking. All Creation is sustained moment by moment by the Word of His power (see Heb 1:3).

The verse above (Rev 3:20) makes this idea very clear. Jesus is knocking. His voice is available to us. We have been given the spiritual capacity to hear what He’s saying. Our choice doesn’t cause Him to talk. He’s talking. We can’t manufacture the capacity to hear. That too is given to us by God. It’s also passive. But He still says “if” I hear His voice. If.

The specific grammar attached to the verb “hear” is also active. It conveys the kind of action that I choose to intentionally do, not the kind of action that happens to me unintentionally. Hearing is something I do, not something that someone else does to me.

Jesus is speaking. He’s knocking. If you will intentionally choose to hear, He will come in and share a meal. Let’s choose to listen today. His words are life!

I’m interested in helping people experience Freedom in 2010. If you are interested in pursuing more of the Freedom provided for you in Christ, here are Six Keys.

1) Understand what Freedom is and isn’t.
We must not equate freedom with relief from pain. The Bible defines freedom in terms experiencing God’s presence and the revelation of truth (John 8:32; 2 Cor 3:17). When I define freedom in terms of God’s presence and voice, then these are the things I will pursue and my journey toward freedom will be Christ centered instead of me centered. When I instead define freedom in terms of solving my problems, then my focus will be on self and my problems will shape my pursuit and thereby the outcome of my pursuit. Freedom isn’t when I stop doing ______. Freedom is when I’m able to relate to God without hindrance as the person he created and redeemed me to be.

2) Invest in a process.
Freedom is part of your inheritance in Christ. It is part of the promised land God desires you to possess and inhabit. But that which is fully yours in Christ must be conquered, possessed, and inhabited bit by bit. Think discipleship. Think journey. If freedom was simply about the expulsion of demons then a process might be less necessary. But I need to be set free from more than just demons. You can’t cast out the flesh.

3) Get help.
At Gateway Church we have developed a powerful process to help you experience freedom. Visit us at http://freedom.gatewaypeople.com to learn more.

4) Learn to meditate on scripture.
Information doesn’t produce transformation. Revelation does. When I meditate on scripture I am pursuing the kind of revelation that can transform me from the inside out. I believe there is a level of freedom that cannot be experienced any other way. No one can do this for me. For the truth within scripture to become the kind of revelation that produces faith and results in personal transformation, the spiritual practice of scriptural meditation is essential.

5) Learn and implement new relational skills.
All of us live within family systems and play a role in repeating relational cycles that may or may not be healthy. Personal transformation needs a context in which it can be lived out in practical ways. In addition to experiencing deliverance, and inner healing,  you may also need to learn how to take out the trash, how to listen, how to prefer others, and how to establish healthy boundaries.

6) Give away what you’ve got.
The nature of grace is that it must be given away. Freely you’ve received. Freely give. The reality is that free people free people. Those who are being transformed can help others experience transformation. Moving into the next level of freedom personally often involves giving away what I’ve already received to someone else.

So, if you’re interested in pursuing freedom in 2010, then I encourage you to make each of these Six Keys a part of your journey.

One of the ways in which it is often necessary for us from the West to think differently is in how we think about matter. Since the Enlightenment, western thinking has become more and more materialistic. This doesn’t refer to an emphasis or reliance on money (though that is also true!) but rather a view of reality that denies the spiritual. A materialistic view of reality sees reality solely in terms of natural cause and effect operating in a system that is free from spiritual (supernatural) influence. If something happens that isn’t understood, the fundamental assumption is that there must be a natural explanation.

Of course materialism is false, dangerous, and very un-biblical. As Jesus followers within western culture one of the ways we learn to think differently (thanks www.bobhamp.com) is in recognizing the reality of a spiritual realm and the influence of this realm upon and within our material world. God has truly created both the heavens and the earth.

In this process of learning to think differently, it is possible we do not quite go far enough. We begin as materialists and begin to recognize, believe in, and even interact with a spiritual dimension to reality. This is certainly an improvement. We often stop short, however, of seeing the full extent to which the spiritual dimension of reality saturates all reality. In stopping short in this way, we hold the spiritual and material aspects of creation as being completely distinct from each other. There is a distinction. This is undeniable. But what is the nature of that distinction and what are its limits?

For instance, it seems clear that there are spiritual realities that are not material. Heaven, as the place where God lives and as the domain of angels and believing loved ones who have died is presented in the Bible as a non-material reality. Not all spiritual things are material. But does it necessarily follow then that not all material things are spiritual? That is not a logical necessity and is also not supported scripturally.

All of material Creation was spoken into existence by God.

John 1:1-3
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.(ESV)

We know that God’s word is Spirit. So all of material Creation has its origin in God’s word, that which is non-material/spiritual. We also know that material Creation is sustained moment by moment by that which is spiritual.

Hebrews 1:3
3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,(ESV)

All material creation has its origin in the non-material and is sustained by the non-material. Material existence is fundamentally spiritual in nature. Not all things are material. All things are spiritual (nod to Rob Bell here, but I haven’t seen his presentation by that title). If this is true, then words like “supernatural” are thereby redefined. Instead of seeing the supernatural in terms of spiritual reality invading non-spiritual reality, it is perhaps better understood in terms of material reality, out of sync with the spiritual reality that is both its origin and sustenance, being brought back into alignment. “Miracle” becomes simply the descriptor we use to put words to our observation of this realignment. If my eyes are blind it is nevertheless miraculous, in a technical sense, for my blind eyes have their origin and sustenance in God’s word, which is spiritual. All of creation is miraculous in that sense, for because God opened his mouth and spoke, something material became where previously there was nothing material. If God then speaks and heals my blind eyes, then this “miracle” doesn’t actually belong in a different category than the overall miracle of material existence as a result of God’s life giving creative word. But I still use the word “miracle” to describe the effect of God’s word in bringing my eyes back into alignment with his original design.

In this integrated worldview, where the spiritual nature of nature is affirmed, I gain a better understanding of several things – communion and water baptism for instance. In a dualistic view where I see the material and spiritual as being non-integrated, I must view these very physical things (water, bread, wine, or grape-juice if you like me are a Bible-Belt Dweller) as being simply symbolic. They are physical things which represent, point toward a spiritual reality. But with an integrated view, I am able to affirm the non-symbolic language scripture uses to describe the spiritual significance of baptism and communion. An integrated view helps me understand the importance of sexual purity, for no longer do I view the physical aspect of intimacy as being merely material. Instead the spiritual oneness that results from this physical act fits well within my overall view of reality. With an integrated worldview, I understand how laying my hands on the sick can serve as a conduit a release of spiritual power resulting in healing. With an integrated worldview I have a grid through which to understand how my body can be the Temple of the Holy Spirit. With an integrated worldview I can understand how people can suffer from demonization. With an integrated worldview I understand the biblical emphasis on the resurrection of the body as the anchor of our future hope in contrast with the more popular non-material hope of eternity in heaven after we die. With an integrated worldview, I have a context for understanding Revelation 21, where the New Jerusalem descends to earth and heaven and earth become the same place.

Without thinking differently about matter and spirit much of scripture will seem foreign. Once I begin to embrace an integrated spiritual/material worldview, much that I read in scripture will elegantly snap into place in terms of both my understanding and even my experience. It’s an important adjustment.

In the Bible one of the primary ways the seed of God’s word matures is through meditation. When I meditate on the information in God’s word it becomes revelation. Don’t freak out at the word meditation. I realize that other religions, cultures, and even the occult practice a form of meditation. But remember, the enemy doesn’t create he only counterfeits. If there is a counterfeit meditation, then there must be a legitimate form of meditation. Here’s the difference. In occult forms of meditation my goal is to empty my mind. Biblical mediation is an exercise in filling my mind with God’s word.

When cattle eat grass they don’t just chew and swallow. They bring it back up and chew on it some more. It’s called chewing the cud. This is a great picture of what meditation is. I recall God’s word and “chew” on it over and over again. I make it the focus of my thoughts and the content in my mouth. I “chew” on it because I recognize that although I might quickly be able to absorb the information and principles, what I need is revelation of truth from the Spirit. So, I meditate in the scripture, chewing on God’s word, marrinating in it, that the seed of God’s word might grow and that the Spirit might bring revelation within that produces transformation.

The following is a selection of passages from the Bible that speak of meditation. Where the Hebrew word for meditation has been translated differently, or where the concept of meditation is described, I’ve highlited the idea.

Josh 1:8
8 This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.
NKJV

Ps 1:1-3
Blessed is the man
Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly,
Nor stands in the path of sinners,
Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD,
And in His law he meditates day and night.
3 He shall be like a tree
Planted by the rivers of water,
That brings forth its fruit in its season,
Whose leaf also shall not wither;
And whatever he does shall prosper.
NKJV

Ps 19:14
14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
Be acceptable in Your sight,
O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.
NKJV

Ps 119:15-16
15 I will meditate on Your precepts,
And contemplate Your ways.
16 I will delight myself in Your statutes;
I will not forget Your word.
NKJV

Ps 119:97
Oh, how I love Your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
NKJV

Ps 119:99
99 I have more understanding than all my teachers,
For Your testimonies are my meditation.
NKJV

Prov 2:1-6
My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
2 So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
3 Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
4 If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
5 Then you will understand the fear of the LORD,
And find the knowledge of God.
6 For the LORD gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
NKJV

Prov 3:1-2
My son, do not forget my law,
But let your heart keep my commands;
2 For length of days and long life
And peace they will add to you.
NKJV

1 Tim 4:14-16
14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership. 15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
NKJV

Ps 35:28
28 And my tongue shall speak of Your righteousness
And of Your praise all the day long.
NKJV

Ps 37:30-31
30 The mouth of the righteous speaks wisdom,
And his tongue talks of justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart;
None of his steps shall slide.
NKJV

Ps 63:6-7
6 When I remember You on my bed,
I meditate on You in the night watches.
7 Because You have been my help,
Therefore in the shadow of Your wings I will rejoice.
NKJV

Ps 71:24
24 My tongue also shall talk of Your righteousness all the day long;
For they are confounded,
For they are brought to shame
Who seek my hurt.
NKJV

Ps 77:12-15
12 I will also meditate on all Your work,
And talk of Your deeds.
13 Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary;
Who is so great a God as our God?
14 You are the God who does wonders;
You have declared Your strength among the peoples.
15 You have with Your arm redeemed Your people,
The sons of Jacob and Joseph.
NKJV

Ps 143:5-6
5 I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all Your works;
I muse on the work of Your hands.
6 I spread out my hands to You;
My soul longs for You like a thirsty land.
NKJV

Prov 8:6-8
6 Listen, for I will speak of excellent things,
And from the opening of my lips  will come right things;
7 For my mouth will speak truth;
Wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8 All the words of my mouth are with righteousness;
Nothing crooked or perverse is in them.
NKJV

Prov 15:28
28 The heart of the righteous studies [same Hebrew word for meditation] how to answer,
But the mouth of the wicked pours forth evil.
NKJV

How is it that we can hear a powerful and revelatory proclamation of God’s word, receive it with faith, feel so transformed in that moment, and then wake the next morning to discover we haven’t been changed nearly as much as we had hoped?

One of my favorite teachers, Dutch Sheets, explains it this way. “All truth comes to us in seed form.”

It may be revelation in the teacher, but when I receive it I receive it as a seed.

Matt 13:3-9
3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow.  4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them.  5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth.  6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away.  7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them.  8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”
NKJV

There are so many truths in this passage that perhaps we sometimes miss the most obvious one: the word is delivered to us like a seed. When I receive the word it is a seed. Before it can bring forth fruit in my life there must be good soil, water, time, sunlight, pruning, etc. I believe there are times where we come to the conclusion that God’s word doesn’t work for us when the reality is simply that we haven’t cared properly for the seed planted to bring it to a place of mature revelation and lasting fruitfulness.

John 6:63
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

This verse stands as a power packed statement about the nature of God’s word. It is  true concerning all of Jesus’ words. They are spirit and they are life. My last post was focused on this reality. In this post, my attention is drawn in another direction. This statement which is generally true about all of Jesus’ words is specifically true about the very words they have just heard him speak.

Previously in this chapter, Jesus has been giving his multitude of followers an encouraging devotional about how they need to drink his blood and eat his flesh if they want eternal life. Understandably, they didn’t understand. Many were offended. Many walked away from Jesus as a result.

Contextually, the specific words of Jesus which are “spirit and life” are the words that weren’t understood, the words that brought offense. I think there is an important truth here. Very often it is in the challenge of Jesus’ least understood words to us that the greatest potential to receive life is found.

Is our “understanding” the proper criteria for receiving the life of the Spirit present within his words? Not according to Jesus. Of course there is no intrinsic value in failing to understand. The Bible puts no premium on ignorance or error. One of the things Jesus’ redemptive work frees us from, however, is our tendancy to rely on knowledge. After all, what was the tree Adam & Eve were NOT supposed to eat from?

At those moments where my understanding fails I can still receive life, for my understanding isn’t essential. In fact it is often my reliance upon understanding that is the biggest obstacle to receiving his life.

John 6:63
63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

John 6:68
68 But Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life.

We have eaten from the wrong tree. It was a long time ago but it happened. God breathed into Adam the breath of life (see Gen 2:6-7). Man became a living soul. It still works that way. You can be a soul without the breath of God. Want to be a living soul? Want to know true life? It comes from the breath of God. There’s no other source of life than the Spirit.

The Hebrew word for “breath” is ruach. It can be translated as wind, breath, or spirit. Life comes from the Spirit of God. That’s how things started for humans – our intimate connection to God by the Spirit is what made us truly alive. But we ate from the wrong tree. It’s the one thing God told us not to do. He said if we ate from that tree, we would die. We would lose our life. We would lose our intimate connection to God through the Spirit.

We chose an alternative source. Instead of God’s Spirit being our source of Life, we became our own source. We chose independence. We chose pride. We chose self. We chose the Knowledge of Good and Evil. We died.

Jesus came to bring us life, to restore what we lost.

John 10:10
10 The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

John 20:22-23
22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Through Christ I am again inimately connected to the life of God, the breath of God, through the presence of the Holy Spirit. But often I settle for less than this in my day to day experience. I often fall into the old trap of living out of the knowledge of good & evil rather than choosing to live by his life. Instead of choosing life rather than death I try to choose good things and avoid bad things (Thanks Rick Joyner and Bob Hamp). I come to God’s Word expressed through scripture and instead of deeply inhaling his breath (that’s what “inspired” means: breathed out by God), I look for principles I can learn and apply. I look for rules and formulas. I look for right doctrine (nothing wrong with principles and doctrine at all, but they aren’t life). I come to scripture but I don’t come to Christ.

John 5:39-40
39 You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me.  40 But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.