Lately I’ve mentioned a few times how my assignments teach me a lot and how I get a lot out of them. This is another one of those posts.
One of my assignments right now is based on one of the gospels, and we have to look at all of the questions Jesus asks in Matthew. We choose three of these questions and ask them to ourselves and journal about what God tells us/our answer to the question.
As part of my quiet times I’ve been doing this; asking myself the questions Jesus does to his disciples.
It’s really powerful.
The questions that have stood out to me the most so far have been (all from the Message):
// “Are you listening to me? Really listening?”
There’s no real context for this, because Jesus asks it sporadically throughout the gospel of Matthew. It resonates with me because it makes me think about how seriously I take what the Bible says. It makes me question why I do things and my heart behind it. Do I read the Bible and take things from it, or do I read it just to say I’ve read it? Things like that. Am I really listening to Jesus? Am I really taking in what He’s saying? Am I really willing to change?
// “Faint-heart, what got into you?”
This is in the context of Peter walking on water. What gets to me is the fact that Peter manages to get out of the boat and manages to walk on bloomin’ water. He’s got enough faith in Jesus to do the impossible. And then he doubts, and then he sinks, and then Jesus catches him. But do I believe that Jesus will hold out his arm and save me from drowning? This one really gets to me, because sometimes I struggle in believing that Jesus will save me from deep water.
// “What kind of deal is it to get everything you want but lose yourself?”
This passage is so powerful, I love it. It totally hits home for many, I think. It hits home because sometimes the world is tempting and it’s easy to slip into the here and now and wanting what the world has. But then Jesus just punches home how serious this is. Why get everything you want if you end up losing yourself? I don’t want to lose myself. I don’t want to be who I used to be. I don’t want to forfeit my joy in God for a temporary pleasure. I don’t want to fall off the track. I don’t want to be a lost sheep.
Anyway, they’re just some small snippets of what I’ve been reflecting on lately.
I just find that by asking the same questions that Jesus did in the gospels really helpful. It’s challenging, but that’s good because it’s bringing up things that Jesus wants to change in us. He doesn’t want us to be blind, He doesn’t want us to doubt, He doesn’t want us to lose ourselves when He is the true ‘yay!’He is so good. He asks these questions because He wants us to experience a full life in Him. Not to condemn us, but so we can be made aware of where we might be unintentionally shutting Him out and not experiencing the best of what He has for us.
I love hearing from God, I really do.
Go give someone a hug,
Sarah xx
the softest words 