The Shear
Nobody get excited, my hairline has receded way to far to be talking about haircuts and I’m not nearly tired or delirious enough to tread into the discussion on long hair or veil or covering in 1 Corinthians 11.
No, I’m talking about wind shear or water shear in my article in Heartlight this week. These illustrate the difficult place that many of us find ourselves if we are trying to love God with all of heart, sould, mind and strength and yet are trying to love our neighbors who are not Christians.
How do you know what to do in the shear where these values appear to collide? Does “The Jesus Vibe” give us any insight into how do this?
Take a look at the article and let me know what you think about these questions as we all try to live in “The Shear” like Jesus did:Here are some questions for all of us to consider:
Why is it so hard for those of us so steeped in the Christian faith to live in “The Shear”?
Why do those who Jesus reached seem so turned off by Jesus’ followers today?
What do you need to do to live more fully in “The Shear” rather than in the shadow and security of church folks?
What are some parables of Jesus or actions of Jesus that teach us about how to live in “The Shear”?
I read your Shear article…nicely done. Informative, scriptural…excellent. I will keep it in mind for future lessons I may have a chance to teach/preach.
Gene Ramsay
20 Aug 07 at 8:09 am
Dear Phil, I sent you my story of my life awhile ago. To answer your quetions on the shear
1. Why is it so hard to live in the shear? To me it is because it is lonely there. Before my wife died it was easy because I had company. Now though I feel so seperated from religion, where every one else is, I find people intimidated with my relationship with God. Case in point is one Wensday night we were talking about the valleys and moutain tops with God, and I commented that I prefered the valleys because it kept me closer to God. Well the subject was immediately changed instead of carrying on with my thoughts.
2. Why are people turned off by Jesus followers today? I would say it is because the followers of today are, in many cases doing it for the wrong reason. It seems that it is done more for quotas than for love.
3. What do you need to do to live more fully in the shear? Lay yourself down at His feet, and let Him lead. Dye to self will, and trust!
Father God’s son and servant, Don
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Thanks Don. While your journey has taken you through some rugged times, your insights are good and I pray that God uses you to bless others.
Grace,
Phil
Donald R. Eilers
20 Aug 07 at 1:30 pm
Why do those who Jesus reached seem so turned off by Jesus’ followers today?
That is a very good question. I think we are a threat to many who are afraid of being religious, or at least being labeled or perceived that way. They responded to Jesus because he wasn’t. Imagine that… the very son of God not religious!
chaplain Joe
20 Aug 07 at 6:12 pm
Hi Phil
This is my opinion:
1. Why is so hard to live in a shear? We really enjoy to be in a comfort zone and shear challenges that comfortability.
2. Why people turned off by Jesus followers today? Christianity turned to be a religion to them and have an idealistic God in their mind and i think that if one operate in spirit to them its evil because it doesn’t match with what they had in mind and trying to make sense of it all.
3.What do we need to live more fully in the shear? We need to learn from the word how Jesus lived in it and put it to practise and let holy spirit do the work in the inside us.Its not about anyone or anything else but the God please Him and you’ll win favour of men that His promise.
4. Parable “When sinfull woman came and wash his feet plead for his mercy and they asked if He knew what that woman does and why would He let that woman anyway near him”
Lebogang Koko
23 Aug 07 at 3:58 am