“Pick The Red One” again

In “Pick The Red One” I told you a story about spread sheets and cars and Jesus. Go take a look for yourself. After some comments from readers I want to revisit the story briefly.

When Jesus said to pick the red one, there was not a red car on the spread sheet. There were no color options on the spreadsheet. There were only numbers and data regarding the importance or worth of the various attributes of the choices. Just te be clear I saw Jesus pointing to the computer screen as if to say “why are you using this thing?” 

When we are processing through any decision we are limited in our ability to choose wisely because we don’t have all the information of all the universe. The information we do have is distorted by our intake process. We only know what we have been taught and learned from experience in life.  It is often based on opinion especially since we control our inputs which is an opinion of sorts.  When we ask a question in our limited-human-flesh-nature we have in turn limited the possible answers.  It is like we are prepping for a multiple choice test.  We tend to include Jesus in our research as if He was another data input.  We assume He will give us one of the multiple choice answers on the test. The problem is our predetermined list of answers may preclude His response.  We don’t incorporate His opinion.  That limits the possible outcome.  Instead of all our churn and work and effort to determine the best answer based on forbidden fruit consumption skills we get to choose Him and His possibilities. I get to surrender to His options. My question of “which one do I pick?” becomes the request “help me Jesus.”  Can you see the difference?

As an example what if he says take a walk instead of swim or paddle or row?  Can you hear “walk” when deep stormy water is involved?

What if He says “you feed them” when you only have the makings of a kids lunch?

What if He says “He is only sleeping” when you “know” the man must be dead?

What if Jesus says “you will do more than Me” when all we see is roadblocks and unbelief everywhere?

Jesus’ response is often like this:  “Jesus which one do I pick, 4 or 5 and He says water or horse or yellow.”  You scratch your head and wonder what just happened. Meanwhile He already knows that today you will meet a lady in a yellow dress getting a drink at a water fountain in a park that has a statue of a man riding a horse.  This lady will be in a similar circumstance and will have wisdom for your situation or you will have wisdom for her.  In this supposed reality we call “life” He is responding like that all the time. We say we don’t hear Him but likely we are listening for an answer that is on our list when His answer is outside our list.

His possibilities are impossibilities for us. As fallen humans living from the flesh, we exclude the impossible as “breaking the rules” and even accuse those who consider such things as heresy and blasphemy. You are in good company if you are a receiver of those accusations. They said the same thing to Jesus. Our faith says we don’t have to choose from our list.  We get to choose Him instead.  Then the lists fade away while we gaze at the glorious face of Jesus.

Let me try another example. Small children don’t know the difference between a pretty blue fire on the stove top and pretty blue cotton candy. In our limited understanding, bound by the kingdom of earth, we have concluded through observation that the blue flame will burn you and the cotton candy tastes good. That is absolutely true based on experience. No sane person would question that conclusion, right?  Then because of our zeal we need to apply a law that says “thou shall not touch the fire or suffer the curse of burning. Do not even look into the fire.” 

For Jesus the fire and the cotton candy are both beautiful and blue. He isn’t limited by our rules. If required He can break the law of “fire burns stuff” and touch the flame. Do you know He did that very thing with Daniel’s buddies in Babylon?  Our typical, lawyer response says “well that was a special case to demonstrate to Nebuchadnezzar the power of God and His love for the nation of Israel so all of Babylon would know the God of Abraham.”  That is factually correct.  This moment in the oven made an impression no doubt.  But did you know that God doesn’t need to show off.  Because of our limitations and tiny faith WE need Him to show off. I submit that these three fire benders loved God, knew God and were not bound by their limited understanding. We’re they afraid, sure they were. Did they lack Faith in God and what He would do? no way!

The point is Jesus sets us free to choose Him and His options and His POWER instead of our lists and rules. He can break the rules at any time. We get to be surprised and amazed when he does something very unexpected. This is moving out of Boxlandia and stepping into Freetosia. We get to have childlike faith and not limit God to choices that we understand.

I don’t know If this is landing anywhere with anyone reading this. I pray that it is. When you step into this revelation and own it, the whole Law, Grace, mixed-Grace debate is pointless. God is Grace. His Kingdom is Grace. His nature is Grace. This is a Kingdom discussion.  This is a freedom discussion.  This life we are living is a Kingdon and freedom pursuit.  Our lack of faith and belief keeps us trapped in a reality that makes lists and laws necessary, right?  Let me be brutally honest…If you believe Jesus doesn’t help us with His “unlimited everything,” then you might as well find some really good law journals and curl up under your orange prison blanket.  Jesus sets us free from everything. 

I can actually hear the popular response… “that kind of teaching encourages sinning.”  Listen, He set us free from sin too. It is included on the everything list.  Sin is bondage. Sin is the sting of death. People who say “you’re giving them a license to sin” have ZERO Faith in the POWER of God. They are in the same prison as “all those miserable sinners.”  They are the same ones that deny the power of God and put the promises of God in a land far far away. They are buried in their spread sheets and law journals.

One last zinger…  This journey we are on is not about “being a better person.”  It is about “becoming the person that God created.”  He made us for His power and presence.  He made us to be the amazing people He envisioned before we were even a twinkle in our parents eyes.  He wants us for Him.  That is why we are here.  Religion, and rules, and lists, and all that stuff and all that debate and all that finger-pointing and… is just a huge distraction.  Jesus is our answer.  He is alive and is powerful.  He is the King of the Universe.  He will work in you and through you.  Don’t be distracted by all the junk.  Next time someone asks you “what about all the sinning” just boldly declare JESUS is my answer.  Since when is anything, anything at all including sin more powerful than my JESUS?

Please look up, turn around, peer into the eyes of your savior and lover. He already has the answer. You will be so overwhelmed when you hear Him say “pick the red one” again.

Yay God!

Lance