No Experience Necessary
But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you
into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he
hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. John 16:33
Recently I attended a painting class with a local artist. We
were assured that no experience was necessary. Most of the students had little
to no experience and were more than a little anxious about how the project
would turn out. Fortunately, there were four things to help us ensure success.
The basic outline was already done in charcoal, giving us a pattern to work
with. It showed us where the general boundaries were for different elements in
the picture. Second, we had a finished painting to look at for an example and a
standard. Also, we had the teacher to instruct us and guide us. She painted
along with us and then walked around giving specific tips, such as the fact
that if what we painted wasn't what we intended we could either paint over it
or use a wet rag to wipe it off. (Bonus lesson on grace in our lives). Finally
we had the other students to help us. Another person might be able to clarify
something that we didn’t understand from the teacher. In the end, even though
they were completely different, we each left with a painting we could be proud
of.
Although some of us have been in church since the second
Sunday we were alive, others come to God later. Either way, walking with God is
something that can be difficult. We are not sure what God wants us to do and
even when we do discover our mission and purpose, we can't do it alone. That's
OK though, because we were never meant to. He has given us everything we need
for life and Godliness. (2 Peter 1:3) He has given us a pattern in his Word
that shows us the general boundaries for how we should act and who we should
be. I am very grateful for the Bible, and it gives me lots of wisdom. I have
mentioned before that I am thankful that my Grandpa began Bible stories and
memory verse drills from before I could remember. I remember when I became a
Christian thinking, "Why isn't there any practical advice on how to be a
Christian?" Then I read the book of James and realized that there is. As
wonderful as the Word is and as much as we should treasure it, it is not our
only help. God willingly sent his son to earth, both as a sacrifice and as an
example or standard. As Max Lucado says, Jesus is God with skin on. He didn't
stop there either. He sent the Holy Spirit to instruct and guide us,
interceding (or being a go-between) for us before God. We also have our
Christian family to help us understand and show us how they walk out the
Christian life.
Let’s look at the power of these tools. In Hebrew 4:12 we
read “the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword,
it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges
the thoughts and attitudes of the heart .” Psalms 119 is David’s beautiful
psalm of how much he love’s God’s word and his Law. In verse 105, he says it is
a light to his path and a lamp to his feet. Although we are familiar with what
Jesus did for us, we cannot forget how precious it is that we have a high
priest who was like us in every way. (Hebrews 7) Because we cannot see or hear
him, we may discount the power of having God’s spirit as our intercessor and guide,
but to do so would be like trying to use your computer without plugging it in.
Also, we can rely on our Christian family even the ones who get on your nerves.
1 Corinthians 12 describes the church as a body, where no one part can do
without the others.
So you want to walk with God? It may not be easy, but it is
simple.Using the tools at our disposal, there is no experience necessary.
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