Who I am... Amy Ciske, Wife of Nick. Minneapolis Resident. Aspiring to one day reside in Southern Asia (which is closer than I ever imagined). Incredibly fond of Indian and Chinese food, reading, warm weather, music, traveling, and last but certainly not least...coffee!

Sunday, December 17, 2006

When Two Become One - Becoming One with Christ

I'm not even sure if anyone checks my blog anymore. I haven't blogged since Nick and I got engaged. I've toyed with the idea of taking my blog down, but haven't been able to get up the courage to do it yet.

Nick and I are currently reading a book called "When Two Become One" by Christopher McCluskey. It has been a great book so far. I think every time we read a chapter we have both ended up saying, "Wow! That's good!" or "Why hasn't anyone told us about this?" or "Wow, no one really talks about this." If you're married, I suggest reading it.

Last night we read a portion about God's holy design for marriage and how it reflects His heart towards us. McCluskey brought up God's intense desire for deep intimacy with His beloved (the church). Throughout Scripture, God uses the word that means "to know" when referring to the intimacy shared between man and wife - "Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain." (Gen. 4:1). In the same way that a man and wife share such a deep level of intimacy only with eachother, so does God desire to share a deep level of intimacy with each of us that we know with no other being. This level of intimacy goes way beyond mere head knowledge.

The verse that McCluskey shared that brought this to a whole new level in my mind was Matthew 7:21-23, "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and perform miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you.'" I've always struggled with how someone can perform miracles in the name of Jesus and not know Him. But now, it's a little more clear. I am afraid that I have been guilty of this very thing. I know God with a head knowledge, but truly opening myself up to Him and diving into the depths of authentic, deep intimacy with Him is a scary thing. God has issued the invitation, but it's up to me to accept it. I am the one who keeps Him from knowing me the way that He desires. This type of relationship requires me to let down my guard and trust Him completely. It means that I have to die to my own wants and desires and allow His heart to be placed into my own. It means that there is nothing off limits to Him and I remain open to the process of refinement until the day I meet Him face to face. This is the type of relationship that God desires to have with us. It is not easy, but it is the way to true joy, peace, freedom and life.

I want my God to know me inside and out, not just because He is God and is omniscient, but because I have engaged Him in an intimate and deep relationship and have invited Him into the very depths of my being.

2 Comments:

Blogger KariBryant said...

I think this is a struggle we all experience - maybe something we have to choose to do every day: dying to our own wants and trusting that He will meet our needs in a way better than we can imagine...
I often have to stop and re-focus - it's not about what I know about God, but it's how I know Him and how He knows me. I have gotten so wrapped up in the theology of it all, what I can impress people with that I have often lost sight of what my heart truly desires - intimacy with Him. I think I would definitely benefit from this book!

I long for the kind of freedom that comes from being able to be completely obedient, following His will and not bending into society's demands and opinions...to be satisfied only by God, to not be swayed by anything else...to know Him in that way...to trust Him that much. It's easy to do this when everyone around you does, but when you are amidst a people who value the opinions of people over the will of the Father, it's really tough to be judged by them.

9:38 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Amy, good to hear from you! I check your blog every once in a while to see if you're back after the busyness of getting married. Thanks for sharing-great food for thought, and action!

8:04 PM

 

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