Wednesday, April 7, 2010

how good is your map?


I heard Graham Cooke once say, 'God has us in a place of walking off our map. He has us in uncharted land'. Or words to that effect.

Peter was given a vision - from the Lord, no less [I say that because it cut right across what a good Jewish boy knew to be the will of God - this could not possibly be God] - of all sorts of off-limits-for-food creatures. He was told to kill and eat. Peter, bless his little tradition and law bound heart, was brash enough to attempt to correct the Lord.

Talk about walking off the map if he obeyed! At that point, there was no map which would help Peter. His comfort zone was definitely being disturbed.

When the Spirit of God takes up residence in our heart, He purposes to lead us into all truth.

Aye, there's the rub. Those words sound fairly innocuous, even something to be desired. After all, don't most of us love new understandings, new teachings?

Heads up - when He comes in, our comfort zones are all open for discussion!

His very presence challenges us. He challenges our thoughts, our actions, our words, our beliefs, traditions and practices. He challenges our thinking - our minds - and calls us to re-think.

Forget the old familiar map - it is of no use.

One can almost hear the gears clanking and grinding in Peter as he thought about what he had seen and heard. Scripture tells us he was perplexed. I bet he was!

Truth - Himself - can't help but challenge each and every 'thing' which is not Him. From the beginning - in the garden - once we humans chose to go our way and separate ourselves from God, our Father - we had to 'create' a god to take His place. We hid ourselves, our eyes became blind and we painted a face on Him of our own making.

Everything else followed suit. We made up a map and have been walking on it ever since.

That is, till He - in all His veracity - shows up.

Today - while it is still called today - if we will - hear His voice - let us not harden our hearts and insist that He walk on our maps.

There is a vision - a seeing and knowing Him - which cuts right across our everything. I pray we might be even as Peter - perplexed at first - but considering and listening and receiving Him as He is - not as we have painted Him to be.

Today - now - toss the map.

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