It's Hard to Trust Someone You Don't Know!

Last night I attended the Ladies Night Out event at Sagemont church where the Bible Recap lady, Tara-Leigh Cobble gave us a couple challenges. Her premise was, "it's hard to trust someone you don't know" and did she ever drive her point home! She communicated such rich, deep truths in simple, relatable, applicable ways. We looked at Matthews 7:24-27:
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it." 

She challenged us with the fact that if we listen to the Bible for 12 minutes every day for a year we can read through the entire Bible! And if we put it on 2X speed - we can listen just six minutes per day!! How awesome is that?! It's also crazy that it has taken me over 50 years to finally take up the challenge for real. I challenge you TODAY to consider it!  

She encouraged us to consider if we have been getting to know God second-hand our entire lives... Have we dug into His Word and learned His character? She challenged us to stop reading the Bible looking for ourselves, but to look for God on every page in every sentence even the begats! (Well, she didn't use those words, I am). It was interesting to stop and think that if we only come to church weekly we are possibly only getting to know Him "second hand". Think about that.

She challenged us to read the Bible in these ways: 

Looking for God - His character - asking, "what does God say or do in this passage? What does this passage reveal about what God loves? and hate? (We hate things that threaten what we love) and What does this passage reveal about His motives and what of His attributes are displayed? 

Considering Context - we don't stop in to a movie and watch 5 minutes and leave and know what's really going on. 

Embrace Uncertainty - the good stuff is always on the other side of the struggle! and 

Ask for Help - from God first and others!

What's your faith/life founded on... the rock or shifting sand?

She subtly mentioned that we should go back and read Matthew 5-7. So, I did. I was intrigued as I saw in verse 24 the phrase "these words" and went on a hunt to find out what "these words" he was talking about...just reading the verse (7:23) above the passage we read - I was blow away with these words, "...I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness." How can I trust Him if I don't know Him. I'm so thankful to have found The Bible Recap this year. I've learned so much about God.

In my search this past year and a half to discover more of Him and learn to trust Him more - I feel like last night was some sort of milestone. I was able to realize confidently that I am indeed growing in my knowledge of Him and that's the only reason why I'm learning to trust Him more every day. I'm not just stopping in on short sections of a great story, I'm digesting the entire story six or twelve minutes a day and I just can't get enough because He's where the joy is! 

So, do you know Him? What are you waiting for? He's an open book! 

Special thanks to my youngest daughter for the invite and ticket and my oldest daughter for picking me up and taking me to the event as well as a photo to remember. Just didn’t get a photo with my youngest!