Sunday, January 22, 2012

Inside Out

    I don't know if you've had the pleasure of reading any of the work of Dr.Larry Crabb.  I had to read about his counseling model for a class last fall and now I am reading one of his other books on my own called "Inside Out".  It is about how God desires to change us from the inside out.  To be honest, Dr.Crabb is a deep thinker and I'm not sure I understand all that he is saying, but one of the things that he talks about is that as people we tend to seek out things that will fill our needs with things and stuff instead of God.  Dr.Crabb calls this part of who we are the crucial part of our person.  And he says that nobody can fill this area of our life except for God.
    He points out how often Jesus referred to himself as water or living water.  But, he also shares this passage in Jeremiah 2:13 "For My people have committed two evils; They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns, that can hold no water."  It's like a man who refused to use the well of water that is provided and takes a shovel and digs through rock randomly seeking water.
    This is what the woman at the well was trying to do when she met Jesus.  Jesus said to her in John 4:10, "If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you. "Give me a drink" you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."  Later Jesus says to the crowd, 'If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the scripture said, "From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water."  So, Dr.Crabb was pointing out that one of the first requirements to be changed on the inside is that we must recognize our thirst.  Upon recognizing it, we must go to the right source to fill it, which is Jesus.
    But, sometimes people get prideful and think they are doing okay and don't recognize their thirst.  They hew cisterns for themselves, which can be any kind of pleasure of thing that brings passing satisfaction.  Our own stubbornness keep us from recognizing our need.  So, we try to be self-sufficient.  But, you can't receive if you don't come to Him and to do that you must humble yourself and see your need.  The Pharisees never did, they thought they had it all together and Jesus condemned them.

For a review and info about this book on amazon go to
http://www.amazon.com/Inside-Out-Larry-Crabb/dp/1600060994/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1327256483&sr=1-1#_
   

Psalm 32:5-7 God is Ready and Eager to Forgive

  Psalm 32:3-7 3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old through my roaring all the day long. 4 For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me...