You Have to Experience Yourself

12 days. That’s how long until Quest of Fire: Resurgence of Dawn releases! I cannot tell you how excited I am to share this book with you. You might be wondering why I’m breaking my usual silence on Thursday instead of the usual Quest of Fire Friday… well, it’s because it felt really appropriate to share today. The book comes out on 12/12 and it’s the 12th book to feature my writing. Even more special, 12/12 is also the 24th anniversary of the day I was baptized as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ.

There are some things in life that you really can’t fully describe or wrap your mind around until you’ve experienced them. Things like life after high school, getting married, and becoming a parent are really difficult to explain people on the cusp of each, let alone children—which is what the Apostle Paul likened believers to in 1 Corinthians 13 when it comes to what God has for us. The reality of His love and being eternally with Him in unending fellowship and closeness. He said:

 “When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” *

I mention this, because coming up to that 24th anniversary for me, it’s incredibly important that I say how significant that moment was to me. The difference between being a follower of Christ and not is difficult to frame. I was young when I chose to confess Him as my Lord. But even so, I’ve seen the progressive effect He’s had on my life and many times considered how differently things would have been without Him. I have certainly failed Him more than I would want to admit. Through it all though, I’ve had the persistent pull on my heart to keep following and I know:

“… that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” **

For those who haven’t accepted Christ, haven’t yielded your heart to Him, none of this may make any sense. It completely confounds the prevailing wisdom of our day to step out in faith and pledge yourself completely to the God Who is invisible and immortal. In truth, it’s never made sense to those who don’t follow Him. Consider what the Apostle Paul said to the church in Corinth in the 1st Century AD, a couple decades after Christ’s life, sacrificial death on the cross, and resurrection three days later:

“Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe.” ***

It doesn’t make sense until you’re on the other side. Till you’ve crossed that barrier to experience His Spirit and grace yourself. Even for myself and my brothers and sisters who are following the Lord, we don’t even fully get it. We’re still just kids imagining what it’s like to be an adult. Trying to wrap our minds around the love of God knowing what love is like:

“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” ****

But not fully grasping the depth, breadth, or wonder of it all right now. We have to wait till what is mortal gives way to the eternal and we are raised with Him. And that is something so incredibly important to hold onto, both now and forevermore.

Thank you for letting me share this with you. I know it seems like a distraction from my book news, but really, this is what Quest of Fire is about as well. The Quest we’re all on in service of the High King Who

“…is a consuming fire.” *****

It’s been an incredible journey with Him so far, and the best is still ahead. I would love to talk with anyone who wants to know more or share just what the new life Christ brings means to them. Just send me a message and we can talk.

So, for now and always to come, may the Lord bless and be with you.

Scripture References:

* 1 Corinthians 13:11-12, ESV

** Philippians 1:6, ESV

*** 1 Corinthians 1:20b-21, ESV

**** 1 Corinthians 13:4-7, ESV

***** Hebrews 12:29, ESV