Building a strong Christian foundation within The Bible takes time and effort. Making sure you know the stories of Abraham and Isaac, Balak and Balaam, what was said at the burning bush and forming a strong opinion about all of them. Knowing your text to better assess what’s next. Being a Christian is finding ways other than reading The Bible to learn about God. Here are four ways I as a Christian learned more about God.
Working with God can sometimes be uncomfortable, and it’s OK to be uncomfortable. I certainly felt uncomfortable when I learned that there were some parts of my past affecting who I am today. I found out I wasn't too fond of taking compliments, because as a kid I was only recognized for making trouble. Me and God had to hash that out in order for me to see clearly which way to best serve others. I had to get uncomfortable. Getting uncomfortable with God brought out the best way for me to serve God's family.
Exploring the outdoors is a great way to understand the Creator. Sometimes if I find myself always studying at a desk, on a nice day take I'll take my books and immerse myself in the outdoors. God's creation is a great inspiration for writing, or even if I don't know what to be thankful for. I was walking on the sidewalk in the heat of summer the other day and suddenly some shade was put upon my sweaty brow and right there I said, "Thank you Lord." Being able to feel what was given to me, inspired me to put up some praise.
It takes faith to go out and meet God in a new way. It also takes trust to have fellowship with your fellow Christian. The Holy Spirit will go to any length when I listen to other's testimonies. I remember listening to the testimony of a son of a preacher in Ohio, and how God had met him in his addiction to drugs and pulled him out and had us talking in front of his father's church. This was killer because I myself was dealing with addiction. I prayed for it and got to work on getting that out of my life because his testimony was so strong. Finding fellowship in Christ allows my listening for God's voice to become clearer.
As Christians we are all called to spread the news of Jesus. It's been so long that I've been hearing about Him that I find it strenuous to talk to you about Jesus like it's news. There are so many people in my life who talk about Him that I am shocked when meeting someone who doesn't know the name of Jesus. Not the guy who knows who you're talking about but feels like he can move on without God, but there are people that are genuinely new to the name of Jesus. That's exciting! To think that you or I could find someone along our walk who encounters Christ through us for the first time. I live for that. That same excitement that a stranger meeting Jesus might have, I want to bring that excitement whenever I'm talking about the son of God.
Christianity in part means to be uncomfortable, to explore God’s creation, to trust in your fellow Christian and build community, and to share the life of Jesus Christ with a passion. It'd be tough to only look for what God is saying in The Bible, especially when God is doing so much currently.
