Have you heard that all energy on earth comes from the sun? This is true even after the sun sets, with stored energy from the sun available in food, and hydroelectric power, and many other forms. Do you know that you get your spiritual energy from the Son? It is fairly obvious that sun energy is available at night. Are you as aware that the spiritual energy that sustains you comes from me, even when you go through a dark night of your soul?
How interested are you in the stories of other people? You will find that they love things that hold no appeal for you. Yet it is still beneficial for you to encounter them and learn what gives meaning and purpose to their lives, even if it is different from what motivates you. They have a limited perspective, but then so do you. You can engage with them to understand them without trying to show them they are wrong.
What do you think of as worship? Does it only involve music? My own description of worship was that it should be done in spirit and in truth. Do you find that this statement raises as many questions as it answers? Did I ever command my disciples to worship me? What I did was to invite them to follow me. This would involve activities that you don’t normally think of as worship, such as healing the sick, providing for the poor, and declaring the good news of redemption to those who are lost in darkness. Do you understand that imitation is the most sincere compliment?
Can you listen as well as you hear? This sounds like a silly question, but there can be a vast difference between these things. You have heard of people talking past one another, or over their heads, or in one ear and out the other. So you have many cultural metaphors that address this issue and my invitation for those who had ears to hear, that they should hear, makes the same point. Any message is received according to the manner of the one who hears it. What influences are present in your life that affect your ability to hear clearly? Do you have any biases or preconceptions?
Would you say that your faith is what you believe? Would it be a more accurate statement to say that your faith is what you live? Believing is easy in comparison. You know that I accept you and your name is in the Book of Life on the basis of your beliefs. With that issue settled, how should you then live? Your words can give testimony to your beliefs, but your life is a testimony that speaks louder than words. What does yours say? If your testimony consisted visible actions apart from doctrinal professions or church practices, what would it say about your life?
My word tells you not to be unequally yoked with unbelievers. Does this mean you should avoid all contact with them? There is another passage that says no to that. Christianity does not require isolation; in fact it works better without it. It is easier to think that you are better than you are when you are alone, but contact with others reveals and refines you. A yoke implies a constraint of common purpose. You shouldn’t enter a binding condition like marriage with someone who does not share your ultimate views.
Have you ever faced rejection? Everyone does at some time. Did you feel you were rejected by everyone? Wouldn’t it be more accurate to say that you were rejected by those whose attention you desired? Have you noticed that you are attracted to those above you, and attractive to those below you? So rejection is seldom universal, but you feel it most strongly from a select group. Rejection is painful, but part of the problem may be that you are being too selective. I said that when you showed kindness unto the least of these you had done it unto me. This works for friendship too.
Do you think beauty is important? It is highly rated in your culture. Do you think it is merely superficial and cultural, or do you think that it has a spiritual connection? Do you think it is connected to anything besides romance? My word refers to the beauty of the Lord. This is not romantic in the conventional sense, but it is an important concept. When you see beauty in nature, in creation, including people, does it make you think of me? The heavens declare my glory, and people can if they choose to. Works of art always refer back to the artist who created them.
Have you ever been at a loss for words? Some people never seem to be, although their many words can be more tiresome than profound. Some experiences do not lend themselves to easy explanations. Paul entered the third heaven and couldn’t say whether he was in his body or not. He saw things that were not lawful to utter. Do you assume that this was like having a security clearance for top secret information he was not permitted to reveal? Could it be that it was such a transcendent experience that to try to explain it would devalue it? That words would not do it justice?
Are you familiar with the scriptural passages that promise that you can have anything that you ask for? These are widely known and very popular. How has this worked out for you in practice? Do you know people who ‘hold me to my promises’, and whose prayers are a list of demands? Set aside for the moment the question of whether they get all that they insist on. Are these people that you admire spiritually, and wish to emulate? Don’t you find that prayer is a doorway to humility, and that your demeanor changes when you consciously address deity? I’ll stand by my promises.
