Mental Pictures
I've been thinking alot lately about what it means to have a sanctified imagination. I think it means we dream God dreams. But I also think it means we use our imagination in the way we read Scripture. I'm not talking about coming up with "crazy" interpretations that aren't based on good exegetical practices. I'm just talking about using our imagination to enter the stories we read. Using our imaginations to dream of ways to put truth into practice. I agree with Albert Einstien. He said, "Imagination is more imporant than knowledge." I think what's lacking is a sanctified imagination. I was just talking to an NCCer who leads one of our small groups--a fantasy baseball group. And they decided to serve the local little league by volunteering as the "grounds keeping crew" at one of the baseball fields. What if 800+ NCCers had ideas like that and acted on them? We'd be impacting this city at every turn! What's lacking isn't knowledge. What's lacking is imagination. God, sanctify our imaginations!
I'm praying that God would give us pictures of the crucified Christ and the resurrected Christ. Someone emailed me yesterday and reminded me of the passage in the gospels about the ascension. Luke's gospel says, "while he was blessing them he left them." I love that picture! We need to see pictures of Jesus washing feet and pictures of Jesus seated on the Throne high and exalted. Lord, I'm praying that you would give us mental pictures of you. I'm praying that they would help us "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." I'm praying that, like Stephen in Acts 7:55, that I'd see Jesus! It says, "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."
I'm praying for mental pictures that help me live with the same kind of courage Stephen possessed. He wasn't afraid to be martyred for his faith because he wasn't looking at the Sanhedrin. He wasn't looking at the stones in the hands of his killers. He was looking at Jesus!
I'm praying that God would give us pictures of the crucified Christ and the resurrected Christ. Someone emailed me yesterday and reminded me of the passage in the gospels about the ascension. Luke's gospel says, "while he was blessing them he left them." I love that picture! We need to see pictures of Jesus washing feet and pictures of Jesus seated on the Throne high and exalted. Lord, I'm praying that you would give us mental pictures of you. I'm praying that they would help us "fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith." I'm praying that, like Stephen in Acts 7:55, that I'd see Jesus! It says, "But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."
I'm praying for mental pictures that help me live with the same kind of courage Stephen possessed. He wasn't afraid to be martyred for his faith because he wasn't looking at the Sanhedrin. He wasn't looking at the stones in the hands of his killers. He was looking at Jesus!
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