Sometimes the most annoying thing someone can tell you is that they know where you have been and what you are going through. Our body language says thanks, while our internal voice says “shut up, you have know idea what I am going through.” We have this moment where we realize people say things like that because they don’t know what else to say. The only person that can truly say “I’ve been there” is Jesus. The journey of my life as I last blogged about is to find out who God is. One of the ways I am doing that is through really discovering who Jesus is. The whole Bible is about Jesus and every conclusion ends with Jesus. I’ve been studying in Hebrews and this morning in 4:15 I had this moment where i saw something that I knew, but it struck me in a whole new way. I know my wife loves me, but sometimes she will say, or do something that awakens me to the reality of the truth. Hebrew 4:15 “For we do not have a high priest incapable of sympathizing with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in every way just as we are, yet without sin.” The commentary i was studying made a great point that because Jesus never sinned means he experienced with worst forms of temptation in every area…places you and I have never seen and He resisted it. So Jesus sympathizes with our struggle to peruse Him. I always imagined God shaking his head at me in disappointment, like a master who is looking at a puppy that just peed on the carpet. But the moment I had this morning, and what a wonderful moment it was, is that our High Priest (unlike those of old) sympathizes with our weakness and desires for us to experience the realities He did, as a life aligned with our Heavenly Father. Jesus can truly say “i know where you’ve been, hang in there.”
To India we go
Nice blog Jeff, a great reminder…The struggle with the temptations of this world are sometimes so strong. It’s good to remember that HE also struggled. The frustration though that I find is coming to grips with the fact that we are not perfect like HE is….so it sometimes seems like a bad joke or a waste of time to pursue this perfection which is so frustrating when we can’t reach it…..and we can’t. Ya know??