The Classroom is out there!

Who was the best teacher you ever had in school? 

My favorite teacher was Mrs. Morris, my second grade teacher. I had a terrible first grade teacher and I remember her with dread! But, in second grade I had a teacher that sparked my imagination and used the world around us to teach. It might have been easier that year because everything that year was centered around space exploration and the Apollo moon landing. We built spaceships out of boxes in our classroom. We could let our imaginations run wild. It was such a fun year, but she helped me use my imagination to make sense of the world today. The Bible does the exact same thing. It helps me picture life 4000 years ago and use those stories to make sens of the world today. 

My goal in life is to get people to see the power of the Bible as a great teacher and how we can take those lessons to grow in our relationships with the Father in Heaven, Jesus his Son, and to carry the Holy Spirit with us throughout the day. Just academically studying the Bible is good, but letting it fill our imaginations will take our lives to new levels!

Today I was studying the fourth and fifth chapters of Ezekiel. I love the prophet Ezekiel because his entire life was a word picture for the people of God. In this chapter, he builds a model of the city of Jerusalem under siege. He lies on his side for 390 days, then switches to the other side for 40 more days. He rations his food and water. He is bound by ropes, he cooks over "dung." He shaves with a sharp sword and he does all of this out in public to illustrate a point. He presented a living picture to his fellow countrymen and it had to be quite the site. 

"This is what the Sovereign Lord says: This is an illustration of what will happen to Jerusalem. I placed her at the center of the nations, but she has rebelled against my regulations and decrees and has been even more wicked than the surrounding nations. She has refused to obey the regulations and decrees I gave her to follow." (Ezekiel 5:5-6)

This story is such an amazing example of God's love for us. God will use whatever means possible to teach us his ways. The Bible is a great textbook among many other things. This wonderful book teaches us of God's wonderful love for us and how he has ALWAYS desired a relationship with you and me. He provides us illustration after illustration of how people have ignored God and yet, he still loves them. He holds us accountable and yet he offers us an unending amount of grace. Through the pages of the Bible, he gives us a history of his amazing patience, his love, his grace, and his mercy. 

AND, if we look around at the world today, we will see the exact same stories that we read about in the Old and New Testament. Ok, I don't see anyone laying on their side for 390 days, cooking food over poop. But, we have living examples of God's grace. We have living examples of sin and the consequences of sin. We have examples of evil, idol worship, abuse of creation, selfishness, and disobedience. When we look around us, we also see God's patience, love, grace, and mercy. When I read the Bible, I see US. I see the people that lived 4000 years ago AND the people that live today. God speaks to us today just like he spoke to Ezekiel. Are we listening? Do we connect the stories of the ancient past with the life we live today? The message of the Bible will help us learn who God is. The message of the Bible will teach us who we are and the message of the Bible will help us live each day. I praise the Lord for His Word!

"For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our inner most thoughts and desires. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one whom we are accountable." (Hebrews 4:12-13)