If you are like most of us, when the hot plate of enchiladas is set before
you, and told it is hot, don’t touch, you do. We all do. When told “don’t look
behind the curtain,” that’s exactly what Dorothy did. Go into a 31 Flavors and
you are offered a sample of Castrol GTX Almond flavor of the month, and you take
a taste test. First thing when you get a new bike, see how fast it will go.
The new car you get says it gets 40 mpg, the first thing you have to do is try
it. Remember as kids going to the carnival, and hearing the guy barking for the
yak woman, and you just had to see if it was true? Or the two headed cow? When
we were young with no beard growth, we were told to dry shave and it would grow
in faster. And when told stay behind the line, what do you do, lean over it as
far as you can. Why? That’s why, we are curious, and want to know why we can’t
go there, if it is really hot, or will it really go 140 just because the
speedometer days so. Curiosity is a word to the why’s, although it may not
always be wise. Curiosity may have killed the cat, it still can maim us. All
life is not why they ask “Why” on the Mickey Mouse Club. “Because we love you”
doesn’t always work in the real world. Stupid hurts, and we all know
why.
But without curiosity we would still live in the stone ages. And living
alone. Or maybe with God, as part of Satan’s allure to Eve was curiosity. She
wondered, then wandered away from God. Lot’s wife was curious, and turned back
when told not to, she was curious. Nicodemus was curious about being born again
and what it meant. And we are born curious, wondering if there is a God, who is
this Jesus, and can he rally save me. Curiosity may be the father of faith, it
gets us wondering, which makes us ask, which leads to believing, and to
salvation. Aren’t you curious to see if you can do all things in Christ who
strengthens you? Are you curious enough to wonder if Jesus is the only way to
heaven? Curiosity is a word to the why’s, Jesus is the answer to the wise. But
it all starts with “I wonder if...”
But yet it can be dangerous without trusting, while just being curious. We
are warned in Ecclesiastes that whoever digs a pit may fall into it. Just one
step closer to see what’s inside and....and reminds us that all pits are not
physical, but emotional too. We are also told not to break down any walls, a
snake may be on the other side. Yet some just have to take the risk after
being warned. And then we are warned that splitting logs can be dangerous, and
be careful quarrying stones, both are dangerous. Maybe things we may not do
today, but in the real world we will dig pits by our words, and fall into them.
We will just have to see what the do not open message on our email says, and
suffer the consequences. We may be forced with a decision, and choose to split
the wood rather than leave it stacked for later. Just because the ax was handy,
and we were curious. All things done without the benefit of wisdom, it was
there, but curiosity won out over common sense, or listening to God. We suffer
from normalcy bias, a psychobabbel term meaning if it hasn’t happened to me it
must not be true. If real life terms, believing is seeing, no sight, no
belief. If only we approached Jesus with the same faith the guy pumping our gas
has, when asked if your ride will really go 150 like the speedometer says, and
you answer “yes,” and he spends all day telling of the 150 mph bike he filled up
that day, by himself, he has bragging rights. To a fantasy. Yet we have Jesus,
reality, and don’t have his faith. Doesn’t that make you the least bit
curious?
And we have bragging rights in Jesus. And God has them in us. Remember his
bragging on Job? Is our walk brag worthy? Or do you wonder if reindeer really
know how to fly more? The spirit is busy telling us “we need Jesus,” have you
overcome curiosity yet and acted in faith? Aren’t you the least bit curious
about heaven? Or are you more interested in the why’s rather than being wise?
Maybe we are like the man who wants to split logs, but doesn’t know the ax is
dull. Wants to dig a pit, like the underground forts we used to build, but
doesn’t know about the sewer pipe below. How many big rocks have you tried to
make into gravel, and then can’t push the wheelbarrow out of the gravel? The
wisdom is available for all of these, and that is why we are given warnings.
But yet the spirit entices us to get more of Jesus, to go deeper, to trust him,
and bear witness. We look for the key to open the door, only to find we have
never turned the knob to see it wasn’t locked. We have more faith to turn on
the light than to trust the Lord. Even the Israelites wanted to return to Egypt
and slavery, just because the food was better. What is your excuse for your
curiosity? Can it be lack of faith, or just plain selfishness? Laziness? Or
“nah, that could never happen to me, you don’t know what I’ve done.” Which only
makes us wonder what have you done?
Jesus Christ, the message is there, the proof is there, the spirit is
here. Going off on our own just wears us out, tires us, disheartens us. Bums
us out. Without the spirit guiding you will soon be worn out, soon tire, and
soon become a target or a victim. No wisdom in that, when Jesus offers you
rest, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. While others still try and
fail, in Christ you will succeed. And open up the doors of heaven to all your
questions. To all God has to offer, rather than just what our minds can
imagine. So Jesus talks more of hell than of heaven, graphic warnings, and
tells us “I would not tell you if it was not so.” Today when your bike won’t
start because the kill switch is on, the channel won’t change because the
batteries are dead, or your friends are mad because of a joke you thought is
funny but they didn’t, wisdom as warned us, we don’t have to be stupid anymore.
And we don’t need both a metric and standard Crescent wrench, when both are the
same. Which you knew, of course. Turn to God, Nicodemus did, Eve and Lot’s
wife turned away. Abraham turned to him, as did Noah, and all but one of the
disciples. Pretty good company. Still curious? Stop and ask Jesus, and listen
for his answer. And be amazed at how many more questions you will have now that
you know him. And trust him. Good answers require more questions. Like did
Adam have a belly button? Or was Cain going to kill his brother as long as he
was Abel?
Is your life the pts because you fell into one you dug yourself? Just
because you wondered how much dirt was in that hole, forgetting it was a hole,
with no dirt in it? And blame the shovel? Don’t be afraid to call a spade a
dirty shovel, but realize it is useless until you pick it up. Tools in the
wrong hands can be lethal. The shovel didn’t get you there, your digging did.
And potholes may be the pits, too.
Now about those flying reindeer....if bird droppings are messy...it may be
a good night to stay inside, just to be safe.
love with compassion,
Mike
matthew25biker.blogspot.com