Apprenticeship With Jesus: Day 14

For Lent, I am walking us through a book called Apprenticeship With Jesus.You can follow along by reading my highlights and reflections. Extensive previews of the book, including excerpts, can be found through Google Books and Amazon, as well as eBook purchasing options.

Day 14: Yada, Yada, Yada: Putting Talk About Salvation Back In The Bedroom

– Yada – means “knowing” another so intimately and completely that it is a Jewish idiom for sex.

–  We gloss over salvation and ignore the love affair on offer from God

–  We have placed salvation in the “courtroom” – juridical pardon from sin – instead of the “bedroom” – familiar knowing of God – where it belongs?

– We were created to receive God’s love and lavish it on others

–  We enter into eternal life by “knowing” God. John 17:3

As a lifelong Baptist, it is not easy for me to think about God in the intimate ways that are often used in spiritual literature. I get the concept. Just as you and your spouse share something that is reserved for only the two of you, God and you are to share something that is exclusive. Still, the sexual imagery makes me nervous and it is hard to translate into a strictly spiritual context. I am sure others share this uneasiness.

Apprentice Activity: From “yada, yada, yada” to “YADA, YADA, YADA”

–  Read John 14-17 in one sitting – discover what it may mean to live in intimate union with God

–   Consider how your day might change if you spend the next 24 hours abiding in God and living with God

If you have ever thought that Jesus was a detached figure that lacked warmth and identification with his followers then you need to read John 14-17. It is all about us; about those who choose to be with Jesus. Jesus’ concern and vision for his people is so beautifully expressed. I came away from this reading feeling that there was much about my life with God that I still hadn’t experienced and that I had just scratched the surface on this apprenticeship with Jesus thing.

What is Jesus teaching me? I came across this quote recently. “If you have something good to say, you shouldn’t be afraid to share it.” That is what I feel Jesus is teaching me through this 30 day journey and through this blog. My good news is that Jesus transforms lives that not only benefit the individuals who are transformed but also those around them. Change into Christlikeness is possible. I just feel a more urgent desire to spread this news and encourage others to continue growing in their faith. All of the work and struggle is worth it.

Has Jesus transformed your life? What part of your life is still holding on to a worldly existence? How can Jesus transform this part of your life? Have you surrendered this aspect to him?