Test driving the Bible

As a new believer, the Bible is like a dictionary to me. Growing up i knew most definitions about people, places and things. (maybe more like an encyclopedia.) That was good enough back then.

So when I decided to go to college to become a writer it was vital to my growth to master the dictionary, thesaurous, encyclopedia, and the associated press. I succeeded in none but gained in perspective. (to this day my second favorite board game is Balderdash.) To communicate the internal, I had to master the vessel of expression for an audience. I needed to create something using the guidelines the old old old dictionary. I still struggle to communicate effectively.

Even older than Webster's dictionary was the Bible. I knew stories about Jesus, the Apostles, Moses, Noah, and David. As an unbeliever it was just stories that masked God up, it was up to me to analyze and make the symbolic literal. I thought these people were fictional constructs to make an argument to believe in God. i couldn't have been more wrong.

Paul's writings have been the majority of what i've read since I gave my faith to Jesus. In large part because i can relate immensly to his conversion (I also persecuted Christian though in my writings in college). Other than that, I did a Bible study with BSF International which helped guide me through the second half of the book of Romans. There i found the Bible to be in large part, biographical, autobiographical and hugely literal. I started praying to apply and test these teachings in my life. By doing so i've started to grasp the feeling of knowing and doing God's will instead of mine.

In going to the beat of a different drummer all my life, this passage blew my mind. How could I possibly obey what God says here: "Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgement on themselves. For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you."Romans 13:2-3 NIV.

So literally this passage is a test of my faith. How can evil powerful people recognize and applaude someone who is doing good? Because its not just talking about the president, or genocidal dictators, but also my "funky boss" at work. so I prayed instead of criticizing. Conseeded to doing things their way instead of an argument. When arguments were unavoidable i gave them the verbal victory. These changes in my perception yeilded fruit: like a new job where people look to me as a person in authority i would have never seen myself in this position without God. After being turned down for three promotions in three and a half years, I'm appling to get my second within four months. Obviously that is God work through my attempts to obey. I give Him total thanks.

There's this band, that uses this line to discribe God's presence in our lives: "You get all the credit, You get all the praise. You brought us out of messes and raised us out of graves. We know Your among us, in hearts to form a nation. You don't separate Yourself or hide behind some distant constellation." -Half-Handed Cloud.