More Than Words

 

For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.

Romans 15: 4 NKJV 

If anyone has read my page for more than in passing, you would notice that I often quote my scriptures from the New King James version of the bible.  It's not really a coincidence, for at my desk is a copy of a Charles Stanley study bible in the NKJV translation.  Yes, I was a big Charles Stanley fan back in the day.  So, why does all of this matter in the big scheme of Christianity?  Well, it seems that sooner or later the question will pop up in Christian circles over which bible translation is the "most" accurate or holds better to the original text.  Honestly, I have no idea.  The reason that I use the NKJV in my study is that it sounds more...lifelike.  I tried working with the King James version, but there were far too many thee's and thou's for me to deal with.  That was just the language of the day.  So, again, why does all of this chatter matter?  Is it really that important to the Lord which translation we get His word from?  I think not.  A good friend of mine who shall remain nameless and continues the frustrating practice of answering questions with even more questions (despite my own tendency to do the same) has taken to using the Concordant version of scripture in the vain hopes that this version would somehow give us a glimpse into the meaning of scripture.  I remain unconvinced.  We're told that ALL scripture is of benefit to us {2 Timothy 3:16}.  I take that to mean my NKJV, the concordant and, yes, even that silly Hawaii bible from a few years back.  So, if all scripture is used for basically the same benefit, why our struggle to get the most accurate true to the gospel version?  Well, we naturally want to know what the writers of the scripts intended when they wrote the scriptures.  So, we created for ourselves concordances for the scriptures.  Now, it seems to me that what we've been seeking all along with all of these different translations is clarification.  What did the writers mean to say?  That can be a sticky topic when you get into different languages such as Hebrew, Greek and other dialects.  Remember this, however, it is not the scriptures which have changed, we've changed the scriptures to suit our own thoughts.

For prophesy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1: 21 NKJV

I've often wondered what portions of my go to text of the NKJV are simply added to suit the thoughts of the day.  That is, the attitudes of those who transcribed it.  It's no secret that our own thoughts, feelings and beliefs can and do influence how we ultimately see things.  Some call this our "filter."  I have a filter, and most assuredly the translators of the scriptures had their own filters as well.  Do these filters change at all the meaning of scripture?  I would say no.  Like a political spin doctor, there have been those who have added their own spin to the texts we often read.  How many of you grew up reading the old testament and coming away with the idea that God was angry and vengeful?  This God who provided for the birth of Christ Jesus and the washing of my sins was vengeful?  Yet we see this attitude added to many a Sunday sermon.  The scriptures didn't change...we changed.  I'm of the belief that if we are seeking the meaning of scripture we should go to the author Himself.  Think about it, who would know more about scripture than God?  I truly believe that through His revelation that He will open our understanding to whatever passages we are wondering about.  Now, will God use different translations of scripture to reveal Himself?  Absolutely!  I recall reading the words of the apostle Paul as the reality of Christ Jesus was revealed by the Lord in me {Galatians 2:20}.  Could the Lord have chosen a different translation to reveal this truth?  Yes, but He chose to use that which I had on hand.  It was through these words of Paul that I came to the realization of Christ in me.  The importance is not on which translation He used, but on the result He achieved in me.  It is through scripture that He will be revealed.  

"You search the scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of me.  "But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life."

John 5: 39 - 40 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Why I Believe

 When Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when He had found him, He said to him, "Do you believe in the Son of God?"  He answered and said, "Who is He, Lord, that I may believe in Him?"  And Jesus said to him, "You have both seen Him and it is He who is talking with you."  Then he said, "Lord, I believe!"  And he worshipped Him.

John 9: 35 - 38 NKJV 

The story of the blind man healed by Jesus we find in John 9 is a interesting contrast to the beliefs of that  day.  On the one hand, we have the man who was healed by Jesus because he had been blind from birth {John 9:1}.  Immediately, the disciples of Jesus ask Him THE question.  "Who has sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" {John 9:2}  What was Jesus' answer?  Neither the man nor his parents sinned.  I find this passage interesting because all too often when we hear of someone in distress or dire circumstances, our immediate thought turns to what sin they could have possibly done to anger God enough that He would afflict them.  I often encountered this while I was in church as well.  Many a Sunday I heard more than a few friends would ask me what part of my life God was upset with.  Is this how we should react whenever hardships come?  I guess the better question would be, are those hardships in our lives a matter of Gods punishment upon us?  Well, if you hold to the concept of a angry, vengeful God then your beliefs might just fall in line with this mindset.  I don't see things in that way.  My own view of God is one of who He truly is.  Of the very nature of God.  The apostle John assures us that instead of anger, the Lords true nature is love {1 John 4:8}.  Are we to believe that a loving God continually finds ways to punish those who fall out of line?  Did Jesus look upon the blind man as having sinned and therefore deserving of punishment?  No, His first thought was of restoring his sight.  From the scriptures we can see plainly that it was not Jesus who condemned, but the Pharisees of the day {John 9:16}.  In the end, it was the question of Jesus that changed the mans life forever...Do you believe?

That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Romans 10: 9 - 10 NKJV 

I have run across some pretty interesting takes on Christianity in my lifetime.  However, I can still confidently say that I believe in Jesus.  I have seen the Lord work in ways only He understands, yet I still believe.  Some call this blind faith, I prefer to think of it as knowing the truth of who I really am.  There are a few simple facts which support my beliefs.  I was created in Gods own image {Genesis 1:26}.  Not only that, but it was God who breathed into me the breath of life {Genesis 2:7}.  From the very start God has been a intimate part of who I am.  But that was back in the days of creation, right?  Ok, I get that.  Yet the apostle Paul assures us of our identity as well.  It is Paul who introduces us to Christ in us {Galatians 2:20}.  Believe me, there are plenty of haters running around in the world who will try to have you believe that Jesus could never be one with a sinner.  Well, that might have been true in the days before Jesus, but not now.  For Jesus defeated sin once and for all {Romans 6:6-11}.  Could you stand behind a belief that claimed that your sins were forgiven by the death of Jesus on the cross and yet still cling to the belief that you are a sinner?  Yeah, me neither.  Yet this is the message of more than a few modern church leaders.  I prefer to see the Lord for who He truly is.  That through His love for me He formed me in His image.  That in His love He provided for my life in Him.  That is why I believe. 

If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? 

1 John 4: 20 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Learning To Let Go

 

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.

Galatians 6: 9 NKJV 

There is a common phrase out there that I was reminded of this week.  In fact, it is one my mother used to remind me of every so often when my own impatience would overtake me.  Let go and let God.  Yes, let go and let God do the effort.  Sounds simple right?  Yet there are far too many occasions where I (and more than a few others I'm assuming) continue to work in the arena which the Lord is more suited for.  I get it.  My mother would tell me a story every so often of when I was young and would be working on one model airplane project or another.  There were times when I would get frustrated at the parts not fitting together that I would lose whatever patience I had.  She would then suggest that I take a break from what I was doing.  No!  Not until the project is finished.  See, I wanted to fix it.  I wanted to make right what I saw as a bad situation.  In my older years, I've often seen the very same behavior in more than a few situations I get involved in.  Situations which have one clear cut answer.  Let go and let God.  For one thing, it sure as heck would spare me a lot of stress and turmoil.  But why stress out over something which is better left to the Lord to manage?  Because I want to fix it that's why.  In some ways I'm still that little kid struggling with that model airplane.  So where is the line drawn in those situations where we are better off allowing God to do what He does best?  Perhaps to better understand this is to understand the words of the apostle Paul in his description of the truth of Christ Jesus.  See, Paul believed that it was Jesus who was living through him {Galatians 2:20}.  Paul understood that it was ultimately Jesus who did the heavy lifting in his life.  Whatever it is that we are dealing with.  Whatever situation has us flustered.  It is Jesus who is there to work on our behalf if we allow Him to.  Let go and let God.  

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

I can honestly say that I don't believe that it is the desire of Jesus that we attempt to handle each and every situation alone.  It is Jesus who instructs us not to worry over such things {Matthew 6:25}.  I feel that a big reason that many try to work in situations best suited for God is the mistaken belief that we are alone.  If I don't do something then who will?  Well, we're not alone.  We never have been.  It is Christ Jesus who shares in each and every thing which we do.  Therefore, when we reach that point where things may seem a bit overwhelming, it is Jesus who is there with us.  For those who have realized the truth of Christ in us, letting go and letting God is as simple as allowing Christ to work through us.  Why should we stress when we have Jesus working with us?  Maybe that's why He didn't want us to worry.  Because when we worry, we tend to try to fix things ourselves.  What good is it for me to get frustrated when Jesus is there to tell me, "I got this."  To live as one with Jesus is to know that there will never be any part of our life that He is not intimately involved in.  Once we understand this, the daily struggles of life don't seem so hard anymore.  Let go and let God.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your cares upon Him, for He cares for you.

1 Peter 5: 6 - 7 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Scrooged

 

We are of God.  He who knows God hears us; he who is  not of God does not hears us.  By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.

1 John 4: 6 NKJV 

One of my favorite movies of all time is the film A Christmas Carrol with George C Scott as the venerable Scrooge.  It is Dicken's tale of redemption during the holidays.  I was pondering this film the other day as I thought about how we ourselves lose sight of our own identity at times.  It happens more than we'd like it to I'm sure.  Those moments where our flesh takes over and we lash out at others or treat someone wrongly.  We've been Scrooged.  Of course, all of this boils down to our own identity and being that person who we know that we are.  Was Scrooge really that selfish Ogre the first part of the movie showed him to be?  Or, as with many a Christian, had he simply forgotten who it is that he was inside.  I suggest that he had merely forgotten himself, only because I have been Scrooged more than a few times in my own life.  That's right, I have forgotten who it is that I am on more than a few occasions.  This begs the question, who are we?  Who am I?  Who is this man that I so easily forget and allow someone else to take over?  Well, perhaps the apostle Paul explains it best when he speaks to Christ Jesus living in us {Galatians 2:20}.  Did Paul, who went by Saul back in the day, know who he was as he persecuted the early church?  I think not.  He was unaware of his true identity.  However, he soon came to his own realization on a road to Damascus.  It was here where, as Paul tells it, that God chose to "Reveal His Son in me" {Galatians 1:15-16}.  That always seemed strange to me, that God would allow the man Saul to persecute His church so viciously before finally revealing to him who he really was.  Keep in mind that this had less to do with the church and more to do with Saul.  At the end of the day, Paul became one of the greatest defenders of Christ we have ever known.  Many have seen the love of the Father who revealed Himself in one had been so despised as Saul was.  

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

Galatians 2: 20 NKJV 

I believe that this realization of Christ Jesus in us to be one of the most difficult concepts to understand.  Paul, in fact, referred to it as the "Mystery among the gentiles" {Colossians 1:27}.  I came to the realization of Christ in me a few years ago, and have struggled with many questions ever since.  We can read it through the scriptures.  We can claim to understand.  However, there are times when all it takes is a trigger and we suddenly forget who it is that we are.  That trigger may be a life event or someone provoking us to anger, yet if we fail to stop and realize who we are we will be caught up in something we will soon regret.  I, for one, do not want to be known as one who dwells in the behaviors of the world.  That's not who I really am.  Each and every time I have fallen into such behaviors I have regretted my decision to do so.  It may sound silly, but as we are faced with different situations, we do well to stop and take stock of what we are facing.  Knee jerk reactions do not do well here.  Then, as we contemplate our actions we ask ourselves the question, "Is this who I really am?"  Believe me, it does work eventually.  Eventually we will become so in tune with our knowledge of our own identity that we will instantly know Christ who is in us.  We will know in an instant whether our actions will glorify Christ in us...or reveal our flesh side once again.

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

~Scott~ 

The Good Man

 

"If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."  Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."  Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip?  He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, show us the Father?" 

John 14: 7 - 9 NKJV 

I had a interesting correspondence with a good friend who chooses to remain nameless this week about the perceptions we have of God and Jesus.  How is it that, as believers, we tend to see God as angry or resentful, yet we see Jesus as loving and caring.  Is Jesus somehow the kinder, gentler version of God?  Well, we know from scripture that God and Jesus...are one in the same {John 14:9, John 1:1, Hebrews 1:3}.  Therefore, when we see Jesus, we see the Father as well.  This is the very same lesson Jesus taught Philip when His disciple asked for evidence of the Father {John 10:30, John 14:7}.  Yet, all too often we hold God to a much harsher standard than we do Jesus.  We see God as a stern, angry or resentful.  However, when we see Jesus we see Him as kind and gentle.  Why is that?  Well, I believe that a lot of our own perceptions of God is based on what we hear about Him and our own life experiences.  Unfortunately, most of what we hear about the nature of God comes from church teachings.  How many of you have sat through Sunday sermons where God is claimed to be a stern and/or jealous God?  I know I have.  Indeed, if our understanding of God is based only on the old testament, one could be forgiven for having such a dark view of the Lord.  However, remember that the old testament also included the prophet Isaiah's foretelling of the birth of Jesus, the savior of all mankind {Isaiah 7:14}.  So you see, the old testament wasn't all fire and brimstone after all.  Through it's pages we are reminded of Gods true nature, of His love for His creation.  The same God you have such a dark view of is the same God who provided for the Israelites in the desert, redeemed king David and saved Israel's bacon on more than one occasion.  But what about that mistake in the garden of Eden, you say?  You mean our mistake?  There is no doubt that Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, buying into the lie of Satan.  The lie which said that they could be "Like God."  Well, if you look into scripture you will see that they already were like their creator.  Created in His very image.  I like to think that Gods love for His creation prevented Him from punishing Adam and Eve with death for their transgression.  Although, in a way, that death would come later.

Who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Hebrews 1: 3 - 4 NKJV 

I will say, that in my own readings of the new testament I cannot recall ever coming away with a negative view of God.  So, is it just in the old testament that our negative feelings are centered?  I wouldn't go so far as to attach a negative feeling to the scriptures, for even in the old testament we see plenty of times where God reveals His one true nature.  What is His one true nature?  Love {1 John 4:8}.  Yes, despite all of the fire and brimstone and grim warnings and dire circumstances, God has never once strayed from His one true nature toward us.  We know this because we know that God, and Jesus as well, is the same yesterday, today and forever {Hebrews 13:8}.  Yet, when we stand Jesus side by side with God, one is given a more negative view than the other.  Knowing what I know about scripture and Gods one true nature, I believe that these feelings we might have about God are a result of our own experiences.  We may have a bad church experience, been judged wrongly by Christian friends or felt let down by the Lord.  All of these can lead to a negative view of God.  Our own filter has become clouded.  I get it.  I've been there more than a few times.  One of those times I became so angry with God for allowing my mom to die that I thought I would literally give up on Him.  Now, that's a pretty harsh view against one who has never once given up on me.  In time, I had to clean my lens to totally understand why God would not answer my prayers over my mom.  My prayers were based on my needs, I wanted her to stay.  However, Gods actions were based on His love nature, that she no longer be in pain.  Had I understood that earlier perhaps it would have made her passing easier.  So it is that our own experiences with the Lord can shape how we feel about Him overall.  We do well to remember that Jesus is the express image of God {Hebrews 1:3}.  When we look upon Jesus, we see the Fathers one true nature manifested through Him.  Now that's a good man.

The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord."  So he said to them, "Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.  And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas was with them.  Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!"  Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side.  Do not be unbelieving, but believing."  And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and My God!"  Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed.  Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed." 

John 20: 25 - 29 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

A God We Never Expected

 

Afterward Jesus found him in the temple, and said to him, "See, you have been made well.  Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you." 

John 5: 14 NKJV 

Growing up in the church, I learned quickly just how I was supposed to behave if I wanted God to be on my side.  Obviously, there was a slew of rules and behaviors to follow to ensure that the Lord would bless and protect me.  I needed to avoid everything from stealing to telling the most innocent of lies.  For if I crossed that line and did something bad, I could be assured that God would not be happy with me.  If God was not happy with me, then bad things in my life would surely follow.  We expected God to act when we acted out.  It was that simple.  After all, we were sinners, right?  Didn't God need to keep discipline in the ranks somehow?  I mean, what good were followers of God if we misbehaved all of the time?  That is a good question, and one that deserves an answer.  I don't know about your church experiences, but I was always led to believe that good behavior and the Lords favor went hand in hand.  When we behave well, the Lord blesses us.  That's a good story if you can sell it.  It turns out that it's the same story the institutional church has been pushing for years.  I can recall walking into church on any given Sunday morning hoping to find solace from Christian friends for whatever trials I was facing in my life.  Well, it never failed that there was always more than a few people who were convinced that I had committed some offense in order for God to allow hardship into my life.  Somehow God was angry with me because of my behavior and now He was punishing me.  Of course, this is the very same God who punished David and the people of Israel when they stepped out of line as well.  Now it was my turn to feel the wrath of a God who was not pleased with whatever it is I had done to displease Him.  Does anyone see a issue with that line of thinking?  That the same God who loved me enough to save me from myself would somehow harbor enough anger and resentment against me that He would punish me?  I remember thinking one day in my late twenties, "God, did you lie to me?"  'Was all of that talk about love and the forgiveness of sins just something to get me to follow you?"  If we trust God at His word, we know that all He has ever spoken to us is true.

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  He who does not love does not know God, for God is love.

1 John 4: 7 - 8 NKJV 

How many people out there grew up knowing a distorted image of God?  I know I did.  Like I said, I believed that God was there to keep watch over me for when I misbehaved.  As a result, I came away with a image that God was a God who would just as well punish me than forgive me.  This is the distorted image of God far too many people carry with them.  Today, I know a God who loves me and has provided for my sins to be eliminated from His sight {Romans 6: 11}.  So what happened to change my perspective of God?  Well, some might call it His revelation, but I believe that it is more about seeing God for who He really is.  There are a lot of things that can influence our own view of God.  Our own bad experiences, world events and tragedy can all have a hand in our seeing who the Lord is.  Yet, if we listen to those who knew Him best, we see a different reality.  How is it that you see Jesus?  Funny, but growing up I had a much kinder view of Jesus than I did of God.  See, Jesus came to heal and to forgive us of our sins.  He's not like God who waits and watches for us to screw up.  Yet, Jesus and God are one in the same.  That's right, when we look upon Jesus, we see the Father as well {John 10:30}.  Jesus claimed that He could do nothing which He had not seen the Father do {John 5:19}.  It is impossible, therefore, to carry the belief that Jesus and God are somehow separated.  Jesus carries the characteristics of the Father and vice versa.  We also carry within us the characteristics of Jesus.  The apostle Paul has proclaimed the truth of Christ that it is Jesus who lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  So, if you would still hold to the belief that God is waiting for you to screw up so that He can punish you, you will be surprised to know that when the Lord looks upon you He sees His Son.  That's right, when God looks upon us all He sees is Jesus who lives in us.  You might be even more surprised to know that when we approach the Lord to seek forgiveness for our sins that we will be surprised at His response to our request..."What sin?"  

And we have known and believed the love that God has for us.  God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him. 

1 John 4: 16 NKJV 

~Scott~ 

Law Breaker

 

Jesus said to him, "Rise, take your bed and walk."  And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked.  And that day was the Sabbath.  

Have you ever thought of Jesus as a law breaker?  As a common criminal?  If not then thankfully you do not possess the mindset of the early Jewish authorities and teachers of the law.  See, back in the day it was common knowledge that you didn't work on Saturdays.  That was seen as the Sabbath, the day the Lord rested from His labors of creating the heavens and the earth.  Well, all it would take was a sick man to toss a monkey wrench into the years of tradition that the Jews had been following.  One day Jesus came upon a sick man ling near the pool of Bethesda in Jerusalem.  Legend has it that a angel would come down, stir the waters of the pool and whoever stepped into the water first would be cured of whatever ailment they had.  You can imagine the race to be the first into the water when that happened.  As Jesus was passing the pool, He asked this sick man, "Do you want to be made well?"  Now, I'm sure that the very last thing on the sick mans mind was that this was the Sabbath.  Was this man who had tried and tried again to be the first into the pool and be healed supposed to simply tell Jesus, "No thank you, sir, for it's the Sabbath and any kind of work would certainly be illegal."  We're told that this man had been afflicted with his infirmity for thirty eight years {John 5:5}.  I can imagine that in the moment the Sabbath was the last thing on his mind.  So it was that Jesus healed the sick man and became a law breaker {John 5:8}.  Of course, when the Jewish authorities got wind of these works of Jesus, they immediately sought to kill Him {John 5:16}.  Jesus knew that He had done nothing wrong.  In fact, He knew that what He had just done was dismantle one of the traditions which works against us.  It's been said that the law is only as good as those who follow it.  I say that sooner or later, ANY law will be broken by someone somewhere.  How many times have you driven through a stop sign?  Those are only mans laws you say?  How many times have you taken the Lords name in vain?  How many times have you looked at a woman with not so good intentions?  If I were following the law, tomorrow would be the Sabbath for me.  Would I turn Jesus aside from saving me simply because it's a day long held by tradition?  Better yet, would Jesus Himself refrain from saving you on the Sabbath?  I think we already know the answer to that one.

Then Jesus answered and said to them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.  "For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel."

John 5: 19 - 20 NKJV 

Why had Jesus healed the sick man on the Sabbath?  I don't believe that Jesus chose that day in order to heal the man simply to stick it to the legalistic Jews.  The Jews who seemingly valued their traditions above all else that was important.  No, Jesus healed the man because He could.  This man was suffering, and Jesus eased his suffering.  This is what Jesus does.  Why would we be surprised that He would offer a healing touch to someone without regard to what day it was.  If you were sick wouldn't you wish Jesus to work in your life no matter the day?  Where is it that Jesus even got the notion to do such things?  Well, He tells the Jews assembled to accuse Him that He only does what He sees the Father do {John 5:19}.  In the minds of the Jewish authorities, Jesus has born the ultimate sin.  Not only had He worked on the Sabbath, but He claimed that God was His Father, making Him equal with God.  Blasphemy!  Now, if we were adhering to the Jewish law, I would be toast by now.  For I continually recognize Christ Jesus as the Son of the living God.  It is Jesus who tells His accusers that He and the Father have been working {John 5:17}.  I feel what most people lose sight of in these passages is the truth  by which Jesus explains Himself.  For Jesus does only what He sees the Father do.  How many of us picked up behaviors from our own parents that we continue to use today?  I have a friend who is a pretty good gardener.  He learned that from working with his father.  I have yet another friend who is good at working on cars.  Again, a skill he learned from his own father.  As believers, we have the opportunity to learn from the Father as Jesus has.  We do this through Christ Jesus in us.  The apostle Paul explains that it is Jesus who lives in us {Galatians 2:20}.  As Jesus learned from watching the Father, so will we learn from knowing Jesus.  

~Scott~