Where is Israel?

I am not saying religion is bad. Religion is a path. In our brain, we make paths in order to understand what is good to the self. This is how we can feel confident and safe. But at some point, we are meant to grow up. As we mature, we venture out of the self, feeling what is right based on what we already know to be good and true.

When we are confident in ourselves and what we believe in, we leave our nest because now we know who we are. We are not worried that the world will change us. Instead, we look to the world to strengthen us. We use the world to grow; this is where we really spread out our branches, far and wide, now having the foundation below us which provides us the perfect nourishment for us to know what is good and right.

Our childhood gave us that safety that we needed to understand, but now that we are adults, we no longer depend on the safety of our parents. We have all the tools necessary to protect ourselves as we venture out of the self into our bigger self.

Religion is the same. Religion is part of the self that provides safety.

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

The Leap of Faith

It is a bit scary to be independent. But independence comes with dependency on God. It is a leap of faith to go from what we know in our brain to continue to learn what is right from our heart.

God is Good

God is good and can only be good.

Any good parent wants their child to be good and to understand what is good.

My path may be different than yours, but since God is great, why should we limit Him solely to the self? Can God not be found outside of the self? Can God not speak to all of us differently? Are we too insecure about ourselves that we think we will be swayed by the world’s worldly ways by living in it?

Do not Marry the World

Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.
1 John 2:15-17

Love One Another

Do we believe God is so small that He is not speaking to any one else?

If that is the case, then we fail to think that we can learn from anyone but our own self — kind of narcissistic don’t you think? Our understanding can only be as big as we want to understand. If we refuse to see outside of the self then how can we ever grow? This means our darkness is only there because we allow it to be.

God created all of us. We are all in some kind of darkness and need each other to understand what is in the dark.

I Know Who I am

I do not have a religion.

I am a Jesus is Messiah believing, non-Jew who is trying to understand who God is.

I Believe in Israel

Israel is not just the tribe of Judah and Benjamin.

Israel is a total of 12 tribes. Judea and Benjamin are two tribes that we know make up 2/12ths of Israel’s total. The remaining part of Israel are the 10 tribes that have been lost to the gentile nations since King Solomons’ time.

But the 10 tribes are not lost.

Israel makes up all the people who believe in good, and just like Judea and Benjamin, are also trying to define who God is. Not one person is righteous or has all the right answers (Romans 3:10-12, Psalm 14:1-3, Psalm 53:1-3) because we can never know our full truth until we start seeing the good (God) in everyone.

I have been walking in this desert for a very long time — we all have. I don’t know about you, but I am hungry, tired, and thirsty.