Going Deeper for the week of February 19

Yesterday we concluded our series "Walking by Faith" as we walked with Abraham as he walked with God.  During the call to new life I introduced the philosophy of Soren Kierkegaard and what have been called his "three stages of life" (aesthetic, ethical, and religious).

The Aesthetic is the self-centered life, the Ethical is the rule-centered life, and the Religious is the "God-centered" life.  The Religious is where Abraham found himself, and that is why the Bible says, "Abraham believed God and He (God) credited it to him (Abraham) as righteousness."  Abraham's righteousness went beyond behavior to a deep and abiding trust in the living God.  And I believe that is where God wants all His people to be.

(Read Psalm 63:1-11)

The psalmist could also be said to live in this "Religious" sphere.  His greatest desire is to know God; to see Him, and to enjoy Him forever.  Note how the first 9 verses use the second person pronoun "you" in reference to God.  The psalmist is not only speaking about God (using third person pronoun "he"), but is speaking directly to God in appreciation, adoration, and praise.  Does this connection to the one true living God who is revealed in the Bible and most clearly through Jesus Christ characterize our connection to God?  Are we responding to God's Holy Spirit leading our daily lives?  Or are we stuck somewhere between living for ourselves, and living to keep the rules?

This week is the beginning of Lent.  Lent is a time where we remember, where we recommit as we walk one more time towards the cross with Jesus.  Jesus is the personal God, who has always existed in three persons.  He is the second person of the eternal God who took on flesh.  He is the one we desire, the one we adore, and the one for whom we long walking among us, living our life, dying our death, and winning our victory over death through His glorious resurrection.

May our Lenten observance take on new meaning this year, as we seek to draw closer to the living God.
If you have questions, or comments please share them.  Thank you.