Part 1 (2 will come tomorrow)
Last night I had the opportunity to teach a New Testament Survey class at our local Junior College. I had a blast. We discussed an overview of a couple of New Testament books and some other things as well. But one of the questions I asked the students last night and I also ask you today is this: Do you own your faith?
Studying the Bible is the key to our spiritual journey. But if the information we find there is just that – information – then we haven’t accomplished much. In fact, I would go so far as to say that if our understanding of scripture and Christianity does not make it from our head to our heart then it is meaningless. Put another way, if what we learn does not affect how we live, then we are wasting our time but more devastating than that is that we are wasting God’s time and mocking God’s plan for our lives.
In order for the truth of the Bible to make it from our heads to our hearts, we have to truly wrestle with it ourselves. If you haven’t noticed, the teachings of Jesus will mess you up. There are things we just have to deal with for ourselves – which means we cannot take what our instructor or our preacher or our Sunday School teacher or even our parents say without really dealing with the issues for ourselves.
At Caesarea Philippi, Jesus asked the disciples two questions (you can read it here): “Who do men say that I am?” And the second, “Who do you say that I am?” The difference is huge. The answer to the first carries no commitment. The answer to the second should change your life!
Do you own your faith?
Clay in the Hands 
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