Knowledge vs Knowing, part 3

As cute as babies are, they are self-centered by nature. The only time we hear from them is when they have a need (one end or the other has a need). There really is no problem with a baby being a baby. Babies are supposed to be self-centered. We want them to be the way they are.
 

When a person first meets Jesus, they are much more taken up with their salvation than their Savior. Author Ron Auch says, “When I first got saved, I was so excited about going to heaven and meeting George Washington. I was very ignorant about the things of God. I had never read the Bible so I could not have even named the four Gospels, so my first thought was that of meeting famous people. I was all taken up with what God did for me.”
 

It’s evident from the Scriptures that this does not bother Jesus any more than a parent is bothered by an infant’s self-centeredness. I remember years ago, when I led a friend to faith in Jesus, it seemed every time he prayed, he got an answer right away. It was almost as though everything he asked for was granted. Babies are basically given everything they want (within reason) because we understand that they cannot make it on their own. 

“My beloved is mine!” The bride was still in the very juvenile place of being more taken up with what it means to be a King’s Kid than anything else. It’s not that Jesus does not want to meet our needs; it’s that He wants us to be interested in Him, more than anything else.

I believe, the Church has brought this problem of immaturity on itself by emphasizing the benefits of the resurrection rather than the Lordship of Jesus Christ. We have drawn people to the Lord based on what will be theirs as a result. The benefits of the Resurrection (such as health, wealth, and prosperity) have been the primary focuses of too many churches. It’s not that Jesus does not want us to have those benefits, it’s that He wants us to mature and become taken up with Him, rather than things.

 

Position Two

Once the bride had gone through certain events in her life, causing her to see that she was in this process of abandonment (leaving self behind), she stated her second position.
 

Song of Solomon 6:3 “I am my beloved’s and my beloved is mine.”  Progress is evident here. She had herself before Him, but now she mentions Him before herself. She said, “I am His.” However, she then tagged on the end of her statement, “And He is mine.” It is important for each of us to realize that abandonment is a process. It is not a simple thing to lay down your life.

Continued tomorrow