Look Deep

There’s a difference between “looking at” and “looking into”.
I can’t even begin to assume that I know of anything that was going through Einstein’s head when he made this statement. However, if I had to guess at it, I can see where some people base their beliefs on what’s superficial about nature rather than what becomes clearer the more you look into it.
Now let’s look at this in the Spiritual.I think Einstein's thoughts convey easily:
“If you look deep into the spiritual, you will understand everything better.”
So many look AT the Bible without looking INTO it.
We pick favorite verses because the sound elevated and wise…on the surface.
We look at God’s word and all too often, we're trying to come up with lists;
Lists of promises
      Lists of rules
          Lists of lists.
We get a good list of Biblical truth and then off we go!
We have our well defined markers that we try and keep our feet in so we do this "right". When we fail, we go back to review and re-memorize the list and try to feel bad enough to avoid those pitfalls, helping us to do better next time.
Our behavior becomes very boxed in and restricted based on the lists.
I wonder how God feels about our superficial boxes...

Here's The Word:

James 1:25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

We teach children to "Do because I said so", but as they grow older, we deal with them in the hopes that a deeper, richer understanding would be their motivation instead of simplistic rule-following. Is that a gift that God has given us? A piece of his heart that anticipates and drives us to maturity that we'd be less robotic and more intimate?

Don't get me wrong, looking at the Book of James the first chapter, it's very clear how important it is to do the right things. But looking more deeply, you see James is talking about doing, as opposed to some sort of spirituality that could be attributed to study only. As if what you know, read or heard is enough....that is not faith at all. Faith must be proved and strengthened IN action, even though salvation is not secured by these 'works'. Salvation is of grace only and understanding that Grace is a deeper matter.

Psalm 36:6 Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast.

Psalm 64:10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

Psalm 92:5 O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep.

David is called "A man after God's own heart" but have you ever noticed that there's no one verse that clearly says why that is? I mean you look at David's life and you come away scratching your head - with all the crazy stuff David did, HE's a man after God's heart?
Seems like David's connection with God's heart was something that went deeper than what David did.

I have friends and family that I love dearly. I believe that they sincerely have some desire to live for and please The Lord. Yet, when trouble comes their way and they fall into such a dispassionate state of mind, I wonder. Are they distraught because they believed that God owed them something because they were 'doing it right'? Are they pushed aside emotionally because they were taught early on that God gives us want we want as long as we really want it and we think of Him? I admit that often times, I don't know what to say. I want them to know that the love that God has for you goes FAR beyond stopping bad habits. His love goes far beyond giving us something we really, really want. Of course stopping bad habits are good. They restrict our courage and cause us grief. Also God wants to be much more to us than gift giver. God wants us WAY deeper than that.

When you read your Bible, try to look past the lists. Try looking into the heart of a loving Father.
When you pray, pray not only that you would yield to the Spirit's leading, but that your heart would perceive His heart. Desire it.
When you find yourself trying to DO Christianity, look deeper at what God is trying to do IN you. He's not only trying to make you do things Jesus would do. He's making you the kind of person, with the kind of heart that grieves at the things He grieves at, that would stand against the things He stands against, and that would have a drive to love and serve broken people the way He came to love and serve the broken. These ideas are referenced in His Word easily as much as the other things like 'going to church' or 'not judging people'.

“If you look deep into the spiritual, you will understand everything better.”

Jeremiah 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.



In Him,
Cros