God, the Separator

I got a great Bible for Christmas. It has a fancy name, "The New Inductive Study Bible", but it presents the Bible unadulterated (or at least the most I've seen). There are no commentaries, no chapter titles. Not even red ink when Jesus speaks. It's NASB, which is the closest to the original Hebrew and Greek (so I've heard).

Now, the coolest part is their strategy in reading. There are certain ways you mark words. God, Jesus, love, blood, heaven, spirit, suffering, etc., each have their own separate symbol and color. Also, you get to write in the chapter titles. You can look over the chapters and see by the symbols what the main focus was (and you have to read carefully to mark all the words). Then, you write the theme in a big list at the end of the book. So, you can see the main themes of the book all in one place, chapter by chapter. Even cooler is the lead-ins to the chapters. They point out things to focus on, things to watch out for. They ask a few questions or tell you to note lists in the book. All of this together really helps me remember what I've read and understand more than I have before. It's great.

Now, I say all of this not to promote the version (but, I would recommend it to all), I do have a point. I started reading through the Bible at the beginning of the year. Also, I joined CCF in reading through the Bible in a year. (Which, I know I want to be reading the bible for a year, but I may not finish it in a year...).

I learned something cool that has applied to and expanded on some thoughts I've had lately: God is a separator. The Separator. In genesis 1 he creates light and dark, then he separates them. He makes 'the waters' and separates the waters from above and the ones from below to make heaven. He separates the sea from the land. In the garden, God tells the two not to eat from two trees. He ends up separating from them for their disobedience. God calls one nation to be holy, seperate from the others. They can't stay with other peoples and idols. He separates them.

Then, hundreds of years later, a man tells his ever-fearful followers: "Do not think I have come to bring peace on the earth; I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." A sword divides things, it's a wedge; a separator. He says, "for I came to set a man against his father, and a daughter againste her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man's enemies will be the member of his household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. He who has found his life will lose it, and he who recieves Me recieves Him who sent Me."

Seeing God as the Separator is enlightening and downright depressing. There are people I know who I will not be spending eternity with. Even more, if God separates, there are people I know in this life who I can't be with all the time. My friends, family; God may call me away from it all.

God is a separator for a reason though. And, it's obvious if you think back to sunday school. What's the old phrase, 'God and sin can't mix'. God must separate the holy from the unholy (and He will one day for good.) But, I think that in these days, He is busy separating holy from unholy. Or, holy paths from unholy ones.

Tonight, I had an argument with God. There's a situation I've been obsessing about. But, it's distracting. It's dividing my attention from God. It's not a sin in a sense, but it is if it's dividing my attention from Him. But, God can be very persuasive. That's when He made most of the above make sense. He reminded me of eternity, and the people who I can hang out with forever there. All along, I knew the right thing inside. I guess I just asked Him about it to hope His plans would align up with my wants.

There's a joy, nay, a peace about doing it God's way. I don't say joy because I'm not happy, but I am content in God's timing and plans and promises. I don't like it, but I know I'm doing what He wants. So, I'm not happy, but at peace. (Yes, it's possible).

So, I may be separated from this one thing I want or think I need, but it's ok. God is a separator, so I can see Him in all of this. He wants me to be holy. "Sin is crouching at the door," He reminds me. "You think you want this, but this is what you need." So, in separation, we become holy.

**Note: This separation/holiness is not a way out of interacting with the world. While it has physical consequences, I think it's spiritual. We must be the holy ones, the light, in the world for others to see our Separator.**