Have you ever wondered why I do what I do? Would it be easier to obey me if you knew my purpose in advance? Have you inquired of me about my motives and received no reply? I do not routinely explain myself or submit to examination. Do not assume that you could comprehend my ways, but I long to reveal them to you. Who has known my mind, or given me counsel? Yet I reveal things to you by my Spirit as you walk in them. Haven’t you found this to be true already? Can’t you look back and see how my hand was in things you didn’t understand at the time? The same principle applies now.

Do you want to hear my voice? I promised that you would, and my motivation for you to hear me is greater than yours. Since I know everything, you can ask me anything, but some inquiries are better than others. Do you want to have detailed plans about your own future? Do you want to have special insider knowledge of future events such as the end of the ages? What about definitive answers to long-standing doctrinal disputes? Don’t make this difficult for me. Don’t ask me to give you a burden that you can’t bear. I have so many other things to tell you.

Do you know people that you would describe as sensitive? Are they discerning of the hurts and needs of other people, or does their sensitivity extend only to things that bother them? Empathy, sympathy, and compassion are highly regarded qualities in every faith tradition, including your own. But in them all it is implied that they extend outward to others rather than being consumed internally. If you can apply these qualities toward others more than yourself then the more sensitive you are the better you are able to discern and minister to the needs of others.

Do you understand that you are saved by grace through faith rather than by works? This is a strong theme in the Bible. Do you know Christians who live their lives as if they would have to pass a test on basic doctrine to enter the Kingdom of God? There is no support for this in the Bible. Consider how I lived my life. I told a story about a Good Samaritan, and commended a Centurion for his faith. I told the woman at the well that she was not worshipping in spirit and in truth, but did not reject her.