Everybody has a theme that their life revolves around. When I started thinking about this blog I was thinking of making it about how people have made up cute lines and made them out to be scripture. The examples that came to mind first of included "Cleanliness is next to godliness" and "God only helps those who help themselves".
Neither of these quotes appear in the bible. In the Old Testament God does emphasise to the people of Israel the importance of cleanliness, but it doesn't make you a better person just by being clean on the outside. It was the inside that remained to be cleansed by God's power. That leads into the other idea that God only helps those who help themselves. I say this idea is completely false, due to the fact that the bible is filled with references of how we are increase in our dependence on God, and not acting rashly, or on our own ability.
I was reading one of the many examples in the story of the "waters of Meribah" in Numbers 20. To sum up the story the people of Israel have been in the dessert for a while and come to a place without water. The people complain to God and long to be back in Egypt. God tells Aaron and Moses to speak to a rock and water will come forth. Moses instead strikes the rock and water gushes out. However, because Moses didn't rely on God's command to SPEAK to the rock, but instead STRUCK the rock, both Moses and Aaron were not allowed into the promised land.
The disciples stood in the way of Jesus and Peter was called Satan because he deemed common sense more important than God's plan. In Matthew chapter 16 Jesus tells His followers that He must go to Jerusalem, be tried, crucified, and be raised on the third day. Peter objects, and cautions His master to avoid this path. After all, dying didn't exact seem like the correct way to bring in a new political regime to replace the occupying Romans. But, Peter was helping Himself without God's plan. Common sense often conflicts with what God requires. I know it's not exactly showing how God wants us to trust Him, wait on Him, and serve Him, rather than helping under our own strength.
Since these themes aren't in the bible, I dismiss them for my life. I am not a fan of pride in humanity. Pride always leads to some form of destruction, or prejudice. ("There is I in team." is not in the bible either by the way, but I like it better than some other mantras.) So, what are the other themes or ideas that I've gone through that I discovered were not in the bible, but still followed? Well, since I was a male child from the 80's many of my life forming ideas are also linked to TV, and movies.
There are a number of ideas that I lived by that came from Star Wars. "The Force will be with you, always." could be converted to "The Lord will be with you, always." That sounds nice doesn't it? The thing is, that it can be interpreted to mean the God is always on my side. There are times when I have definitely gone against what God or even common sense required. That means I was way out there. Another great line is "Do or Do not: There is no try." Great words of wisdom from a pointy eared puppet, eh? I still like this saying, but since Star Wars has been out of my life for over a decade (that's another story), then I don't follow the idea much.
Since, I am getting long winded here, I will only put down some of the ideals I held true, and let you think them over for yourself. "Run at the Darkness until it bleeds daylight." "Pain is weakness leaving the body." "Knowing is half the battle." The last one I leave with is having a great comeback in popular culture and we can apply it to this blog, even if it is surely not in the bible. We need to examine some of the ideas we hold to be true, find out what their origin is, and the real meaning behind the lines, because after all "There is more than meets the eye."
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