Friends,

When Steve asked me to write a midweek musing, I was completely empty, not a clue as to what I would write! But God is faithful as He presented me with a situation that I feel compelled to write about. So, here goes:

Recently, I came home from work to find an Amazon package on the coffee table. “Oh, great, my book arrived!” to which Robin asked, “What book did you order?” I told her it was N.T. Wright’s “Simply Jesus.” Then, she pointed out, “You don’t read anything except Jesus books!”  Hmmm . . . I guess she is right. There are some who might consider that constantly immersing myself in Jesus literature is an addiction. Probably it is, as I am an expert of addictions.

For some insane reason, I took up smoking cigarettes in my younger days. Shortly after I started, I realized how dangerous it was and the nature of physical addition. To a nonsmoker, it would seem that to quit you just simply refrain from putting another butt in your mouth! It just is not that simple! Also, in those days, I took to partying whenever I could. Drinking and doing drugs was, for me, not a physical addiction but rather something that I had a right to do, something I deserved. It became an emotional addiction. Relationships became strained, responsibilities took a back seat, and any kind of accountability went totally out the window. As family life entered the picture, it soon became apparent that it did not mix with my partying lifestyle. For me, quitting was relatively easy, although not so easy for many.

How does following Jesus compare to these addictions? Well, it’s definitely not a physical addiction, but one may argue that it is an emotional one, but I think that is a stretch. Then, there is the compulsive element. The more that I read about Jesus, the more questions that I have, and the more that I want to pursue answers.

It all started when I believed in the existence of God or, more precisely, the possibility of the existence of God. This was my mustard seed of faith. The next huge hurdle was to believe that Jesus is the Son of God. You know, from the first chapter of John: “The Word was with God and the Word was God” and “the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” Later, in John 14:9, Jesus tells Phillip, “The one who has seen Me has seen the Father.” If I want to learn about the characteristics of God, the best way is to learn the characteristics or Jesus.

A first step in knowing Jesus is to read the scriptures and take them at face value. I had to ask the Holy Spirit to help me with this. The bottom line was that I knew that the words were true, even if I did not understand them. At this point in my life, I had one grain of sand of understanding who Jesus was (is). Then, I needed to learn what these words would mean to the people who first heard these words. For example, when Paul writes “for now we see in a mirror dimly,” it does not make sense to us today, because, when I look into a mirror, I see very clearly! I looked up in secular sources what mirrors were like in the first century AD and found out that they were polished plates of bronze that would reflect a poor yellowish image. Trusted scholars who devoted their lives to finding deeper and more correct meanings of scriptures can help with translating the ancient Hebrew and Greek words that are not easily translated into English. Of course, the Holy Spirit is the best resource in discovering who Jesus really is. Countless times a little light bulb lit up in my head when reading, giving me a thought that I did not consider.

So, yeah, pursuing God and knowing Jesus is my addiction. Unlike other addictions, it does not grow old or stale. I do not feel shame or guilt. I do not experience a hangover. I only experience love, grace, peace, and hope in ever-increasing measures.

Now, I can fully boast that my knowledge of Jesus is twice as much as when I started! That is a full two grains of sand. And I know that when God’s Kingdom is finally exposed, I will see the entire beach!

Mike