"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matt. 9:17)

Those are the words of Jesus. He had a habit of spending time with the crowd that the "religious" people avoided like the plague. He had just eaten dinner with the deemed unsavory of society, and Jesus wanted it known why. Ironically those that considered themselves good and religious needed Jesus too. However, they didn't admit it. They were always trying to disprove the credibility, authenticity, and deity of Jesus.

Have you ever heard the stories of churches where crazy things happen? I heard recently of a church where people keep miraculously finding gold teeth in their mouth during worship. I also heard of another church where "manna" suddenly appears in the pastors Bible during preaching. And one more crazy one; there is a church where large precious gems fall suddenly on the stage. I admit that I immediately disconnected these events with anything related to God. I could not accept that God I know was any part of these crazy happenings. But then, who am I to say that God couldn't do that if He wanted to?

Where do you get caught up in trying to fit God into a box?

Perhaps these churches have some kind of deceitful scam going on or, maybe God is really giving people gold teeth. I have no clue why God would miraculously give people gold teeth. It doesn't make sense to me. Then again, it doesn't make sense to me why God did these things in the Old Testament; made water come out of a rock, rained manna from the sky to feed the Israelites, healed people if they looked at a snake on a pole, took Elijah straight to heaven at the end of his life without him dying. It doesn't sound like the Christian norm for Jesus to heal so many people who didn't make a "profession of faith". He didn't wait for people to believe in Him as the Messiah and only way to heaven. He didn't make them admit they were a sinner. He healed people because He said He came for the sick. He healed because He of his love.

I'm challenged lately that perhaps I know less about God than I thought. I have a Bible degree, but that doesn't mean I necessarily have God all figured out. Honestly, I think it's about time for me to stop trying to figure God out and focus more on purely living within the relationship we have. I believe there is more about our relationship that needs to be lived out than needs to be figured out.

I want to know more of what God is actually doing to bring His kingdom on earth. I want to know what He is up to even if it doesn't make sense to me. I want to know more of His heart not just His descriptions. I want to know what He is doing, not just remember what He has done. I would be better off reading His word once and living it out one hundred times than reading it one hundred times and only living it out once.

How can we know more of God's heart? Well first we start by reading, loving, and memorizing His word. Than we position our heart and life in such a way that we allow Him to connect it to every area, facet, and experience of our lives. We began a relationship with the God in the details of our life, not just the God that's written about on paper.

- Josh