Our Salvation is also a progressive process to Wisdom:
# 1. If we want to achieve any form of Wisdom in our life (not making reference to intelligence), we must leave behind our old ways of thinking (the way we were trained, the way we learned to discern and analyze the issues of life). When people get older, they will always come to the conclusion it is more difficult to unlearn something they learned for so many years than to learn something new.
We must understand that we cannot stop learning (or changing) and throw away (empty ourselves) what has no benefit in our hearts, minds, and souls. For so many years, we have learned to analyze things our own way by our own means; whether we are 50 years old, 18 years old, 42 years old, 12 years old, etc., we always have made our own decisions based on our own experiences and knowledge. If these were not made in "survival mode" they were also made "to convenience ourselves." There is nothing wrong with that, but applying the same decisions to our current affairs will only make us more incapable of having a new vision and will freeze our movement to move forward. We must constantly renew our minds.
# 2. We must embrace the "not knowing" or "unknown" extraordinary awesomeness of God's love for us. Once we think we know everything about God, we put God inside our little boxes of religion. But if we allow ourselves to discover God in everything we are exploring, we will also discover God's desire to have fellowship with us.
Religion and politics have painted a different God very few people would like to have fellowship. And as much as these people can preach from their pulpit or leadership position that God is a God of love, their actions will paint a very different picture of a God that says: “..I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full.” or "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish, but have eternal life." Religion and politics will always preach a God of Love but under their own terms, as if they were the ones who must remind "God" how to love His own creation.
# 3. We must realize that our own ego, selfishness, and arrogance have separated us from God. The gap between God and mankind was initiated by the heart that believed "I don't need God," and if I need a god, I need him under my terms or my limited knowledge of who he is. But God has never left us alone, in his infinite wisdom he understood our human nature that will be exposed to many negative influences, forces, and misunderstandings that He has provided a way for us to receive a more abundant and eternal life. If we were to consider the word "sin" in a more practical way, we would probably come to understand we are all sinners (we don't have the perfect life that never makes mistakes), but we would embrace God's solution much easier instead of putting all these ideas in a little box called religion.
# 4. Accepting the fact that God has provided a solution to all our problems is the beginning of having the right relationship with God. Embracing a practical relationship with God is the beginning of ending this unnecessary separation from Him.
But how is this possible if history, religion, and different cultures have given us so many different versions of God? Our ancestors even offered human sacrifices to feel closer to God, and we don't need to go so far back in history, we are still seeing people painting a god who is so mad at this world and his vengeance is about to get loose. Or what about those religions that claim knowing a God who wants to reign in this world with punishment, no freedom, and violent acts of beheading people and making women less significant than men?
The best pattern God has provided for us has been His Son, there may be other patterns or examples how to achieve this wisdom and the salvation of our lives, but these other patterns lack one small virtue, they don't transcend to eternal life. As much as anyone may say they do, the only true example that did (with history as a recorded account) was Jesus.
Forget how religion has taken this next verse, but when Jesus answered: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." He not only challenged other spiritual leaders with those words, but He made a promise to Himself to validate those words.
# 5. Jesus was not after a religion, neither a nationalist movement to overthrow the Roman empire, but after a relationship that would start in our hearts, our minds, and our souls to help us understand ourselves better, then that same relationship will continue with God to help us navigate our own crises and personal "midnight hours," and then that healthy relationship will become a never ending relationship with our world (in the family, workplace, government, and those who may think different than us).
Again, God is not about religion, politics, titles, government, or ideologies, He is after a heart willing to search for the Truth, that same Truth that can make people experience freedom and that freedom that is so attractive we cannot give thanks to anyone but to God for giving us that freedom out of unconditional love.
coming up:
How to enjoy our walks with God -
Author: Hiram Dorado
Never forget to have the mind of a LEADER every day, we are in desperate need of true leadership in all our relationships, leaders that can love unconditionally, share their freedom, and walk in integrity. Become a LEADER God can use.
L…. Lift all of your burdens, requests, desires, and people in need unto God (Pray/Meditate regularly). Every good relationship, if we want it to last, must be a two way communication.
E…. Explore, and keep exploring the God who is full of Wisdom. He is always present - it may only take a few minutes of pausing from this hectic life to realize He was there too). Exploring may even require to study diligently
A…. Act in the same manner you want to be treated (with love, respect, understanding, mercy, and not easily judging others)
D…. Demonstrate Accountability and Integrity in everything you do
E…. Extend your arms whenever help is needed, be a team player (Bring a bridge of peace between extremes)
R…. Rest in Him (Wait upon Him), learn to find rest even in the most difficult circumstances