Do you find it hard at times, laborious, and maybe even a 'challenge' to just sit down and spend quality time reading your Bible?  Can you be in to just the first few minutes of reading and you find your mind wandering as your eyes glaze over the words in front of you?  Would you admit that oftentimes, reading is like trying to 'force those vegetables down' that you know are good for you, but you can't wait to get back to your movie, or fiction novel or news channel that you probably spend more time consuming than you do the scriptures?  I have a possible explanation for that and it just might be the book has been 'closed' up to you.

I’d like to share another ‘discovery’ that I personally experienced over the past few years as I have come to learn what it means to ‘abide in Jesus’. I don’t even hesitate to describe it as a ‘supernatural, spiritual phenomena’.

I know, I know...that kind of talk makes folks nervous, which is puzzling given the God we claim to love and follow is a Supernatural Being and who Himself is ‘Spirit’. (John 4:24). He has quite a resumé that includes such things like raising the dead and creating the heavens and the earth. And then there was all those healings and exorcisms He did too.

As usual, all I know to do is point you to the word and let you see for yourself what it has to say. There are many people out there today who are in search of ‘truth’, and I would even add ‘life’ to that search as well. They know they are existing, and maybe even doing ‘well’, on the ‘outside’ or externally...superficially. But many of them would be the first to tell you that on the ‘inside’, they are dead, lifeless, and know there has to be something more.

Jesus told some religious scholars that while their pursuit and study of the holy scriptures might lead them to this ‘eternal life’, they would never find or experience it for themselves until they were first ‘willing to come to Him’ so they could have true, abundant life. (John 5:39-40; 10:10). And as we have made the case for, ‘coming to Jesus’ means you reach a place of being willing to ‘forsake all, take up a cross, and follow Him’. (Luke 9:23; 14:26-33) Anything short of that place will leave you walking in an empty ‘form of godliness’. (2 Tim. 3:5; Titus 1:16). This is what it means to be a ‘disciple’ vs. just a simple ‘believer’ or ‘church member’. Remember what the ‘great commission’ was? (Matt. 28:19)

So about that ‘phenomena’ I mentioned at the start- Guess what Jesus begins to do with those who have come to Him with all their hearts, willing to forsake all and follow Him in obedience as their ‘Lord’? (Luke 6:46). He begins to ‘open up the word’ so that they might understand what it says. Take a quick look at Luke 24:32 and then vs. 45. Please underline those and ponder what that is saying. Then, flip back to Luke 10:17-21 where Jesus was with a group of 70 of His disciples, even calling them ‘babes’. What do you make of His exchange with the Father there in vs. 21?

Now, let’s visit the parable of the ‘sower’ which Jesus shared with a great ‘multitude’ of people who had gathered on the shore. Later, when Jesus was alone with just His ‘disciples’, they inquired as to what that parable meant. What is your take on His response there in Matt. 13:10-17. Go ahead...read that now.

Here is where this can get interesting, if not contentious. Someone has a genuine encounter with Jesus and they start sharing things the Lord has ‘shown them’; and it usually won’t jive with what everyone else seems to be saying, especially with ‘experienced and learned experts’. That’s when pride enters in and folks get offended when someone sounds like they have ‘privileged insight to truth’. You might call that ‘revelation’. Am I aware that ‘cults’ often start this way as well? Yep...I sure am, which is why we are truly living in challenging, if not perilous times. (2 Cor. 11:3-4, 14-15; 2 Tim. 4:3-5, 2 Thess. 2:9-12)

Do you recall what happened to a blind man in John 9? Jesus opened up his eyes so that he could... ‘see’. Can I just tell you that unless Jesus is the one ‘opening eyes’, there will be... no ‘seeing’!? This encounter created quite a disturbance as the Pharisees showed up demanding answers and explanations. The poor guy who had a personal encounter with Jesus was at a loss for words, unable to present good sound theology to those interrogating him.

At the end of the day, the best he could admit to was while there was much he did not know, this he could not deny...’he was blind...and now I can see’. (John 9:25). And Jesus was the reason he could now see. The church experts were not impressed...so they kicked him out of ‘church’ (synagogue). Go figure. You should read that chapter. If/when He begins to do that for you, I would not expect anything different. Have a great day. :- )